The Public Design Commission Celebrates Four Years of Design Excellence

PDC Reviewed Over 2,100 Projects, Approved 136 Public Artworks, and Delivered Streamlined Design Review—Ensuring Every New Yorker Benefits from vibrant Public Spaces

New York, NY – The Public Design Commission (PDC) President Deborah Marton, and PDC Executive Director Sreoshy Banerjea today celebrate the agency's accomplishments over the past four years—an administration marked by improvements in efficiency and innovative programming that demonstrate how high-quality design review and design excellence can create safer, more vibrant neighborhoods and uplift families across the five boroughs.

Since January 2022, PDC has reviewed 2,749 submissions representing 2,131 unique projects, approved 1,441 projects including 136 public artworks, and implemented strategic reforms to streamline the city's design review process—all guided by a central commitment: ensuring that every New Yorker, regardless of neighborhood or background, benefits from thoughtfully designed public spaces that improve daily life.

Through its iterative design review process, PDC has worked collaboratively with city agencies and design teams to strengthen projects. Guided by our core mission— advocating for innovative, sustainable, and equitable design—Commissioners continue to push for design improvements that make public spaces more usable and welcoming.

"We took office with a simple promise: to 'Get Stuff Done,’ and, four years later, our administration can say we delivered that every day for working-class New Yorkers," said New York City Mayor Adams. "We drove shootings to record lows and pushed jobs and small businesses to record highs. We rewrote the playbook on homelessness and mental health to finally get New Yorkers living on our streets the help they need, and, after decades of half-measures, passed historic housing legislation to turn New York into a 'City of Yes.' We overhauled the way our students learn to read and do math, cut the cost of child care, and forgave medical debt. We eliminated taxes for low-income families, launched free universal after-school programming, and used high-quality public design to create a safer, more vibrant city. We got scaffolding off our buildings, trash bags off our streets, and opened up new public spaces for New Yorkers to enjoy. The haters may have doubted us, but the results are clear. On issue after issue, we brought common-sense leadership to create a safer, more affordable city, and our work has changed our city for the better; it will stand the test of time because we made New York City the best place to live and raise a family."

"Public design shapes how New Yorkers experience our city every day—and our commissioners take that responsibility seriously," said PDC President Deborah Marton. "Every project that comes before us is an opportunity to ask: How can this space better serve the community? Our volunteer commissioners bring decades of expertise to these questions, working collaboratively with agencies and designers to elevate every submission. When shared values intersect in shared space, we experience what it feels like to be part of something larger than ourselves—and that's design excellence in service of equity."

"Design equity means reimagining who public spaces are for," said PDC Executive Director Sreoshy Banerjea. "Across the 2,000 projects we've reviewed, we've pushed agencies to center underserved communities—ensuring the design of libraries welcomes multi-generational visitors, playgrounds serve children of all abilities, and parks feel safe at night. We've leveraged our unique birds-eye view to encourage coordination across agency silos, centering the lived experience of New Yorkers and transforming design review into a tool for justice."

Highlights from Public Design Commission’s Achievements:

Celebrating Excellence at our Annual Awards for Excellence in Design

PDC celebrated our 40th through 43rd Design Awards, awarding 48 outstanding public design projects and special recognitions to outstanding teams, all of which demonstrate how thoughtful design can advance equity and improve quality of life.

Relaunching and Expanding the City Hall Tour Program

Following a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, PDC relaunched its City Hall tour program, conducting 448 tours and welcoming 5,809 guests since 2023. In February 2023, PDC in collaboration with Black Gothamist Experience and it’s founder Kamau Ware, launched Epicenter, a virtual tour that celebrates the achievements, struggles, and the historical resonance of the African Diaspora's impact on New York City within the built environment of City Hall.

Streamlined Review for Limited Scope Projects (2022)

In October 2022, PDC launched a new streamlined staff review process for limited-scope projects, which has allowed us to deliver certificates of approval on average18 days faster than traditional review. In 2025, approximately 20% of all approved projects benefited from this expedited review—including building systems installations, minor modifications after final approval, and certain minor installations.

Publishing Designing New York: Streetscapes for Wellness (2022)

In December 2022, PDC released "Designing New York: Streetscapes for Wellness," a landmark study of how innovative public realm initiatives focused on wellness can inform and inspire the future of New York City's streetscapes. Developed in collaboration with the New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Fine Arts Federation of New York, the New York City Department of City Planning's Urban Design Office, a broad interagency steering committee, and dozens of contributors who are involved in the planning, design, maintenance, and programming of streets, "Streetscapes for Wellness" reviews approximately 30 case studies from New York City and a handful of other communities to suggest ways of reimagining public spaces to further social and environmental justice while enhancing public health.

Implementing Streamlined Project Review (2023)

In partnership with DDC and guided by a New York Building Congress taskforce, PDC implemented landmark reforms to streamline project approvals while maintaining design excellence. In 2023, PDC and DDC released six joint recommendations to streamline capital project review, developed through liaison working group sessions and a citywide industry stakeholder survey. PDC engaged extensively with civic organizations including Van Alen Institute, the Municipal Art Society, AIA New York, and the NY Building Congress Architects Leadership Council.

Kicking Off Landmark Public Art Programs (2024)

In 2024, PDC partnered with the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF), New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) to launch one of its most ambitious public art initiatives to date: "From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA's Cultural Heritage." This groundbreaking 20-month artist-in-residence program, supported by the Mellon Foundation, represents a new model for embedding artists within public housing communities to ensure meaningful engagement with residents to create public art that celebrates their rich cultural heritage and lived experiences. Following a competitive selection process, five artists were selected to work within NYCHA developments: Dom Robinson at Bronx River Houses, Noah at King Towers Houses, Clarity at Bushwick Houses, Tamra Cosby at Astoria Houses, and Tina Thompson-Pope at Richmond Terrace Houses. Working closely with community-based organizations like Children's Arts & Science Workshops, Inc., SCAN Harbor, Grand St. Settlement, and the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, these artists are reimagining how public art can serve and celebrate NYCHA communities.

Launching New Digital Resources (2025)

In March 2025, PDC launched more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly digital resources, clarifying the City’s design review process. Key resources included restructured submission checklists and instructions, a new application form, a searchable example presentation collection and presentation style guide. These tools emerged from a year-long process of user need analysis and stakeholder engagement, following our release of joint recommendations to streamline capital project review. These new resources were created as a result of multiple working groups with key agency partners, and the New York Building Congress’ Architects Leadership Council, with the goal of addressing the challenges applicants face in the design review process.

Publishing “Building a Family-Friendly City” (2025)

The PDC, in collaboration with Women Forward NYC and NYC Public Realm, developed the Family-Friendly City Design Guidelines, offering recommendations for creating public spaces that better serve New York families. This report highlights best practices for safety, accessibility, and inclusivity while showcasing successful projects from parks and playgrounds to streets and plazas across the five boroughs. These guidelines represent our commitment to making New York City the best place to raise a family. Drawing from nearly 8,000 New Yorkers' feedback, the report provides practical strategies for designers, city agencies, and community partners to create welcoming spaces for residents of all ages and abilities.

ABOUT THE PUBLIC DESIGN COMMISSION

The Public Design Commission (PDC) has jurisdiction over permanent structures, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over City-owned property. Its mission is to advocate for innovative, sustainable, and equitable design of public spaces and civic structures, with the goal of improving the public realm and enhancing services for all New Yorkers across the five boroughs. Since 1983, PDC has recognized well-designed public projects with its Annual Awards for Excellence in Design.