Mayor Adams, Public Design Commission Announce Winners of Annual Awards for Excellence in Design, Recognize Contribution to Quality of Life in City

Awards Ceremony Recognizes Best Public Design Projects by City Agencies Throughout 2024

Projects in All Five Boroughs Highlight Adams Administration’s Commitment to Safe, Resilient, Diverse, and Accessible Public Design

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Public Design Commission (PDC) Chair Deborah Marton, and PDC Executive Director Sreoshy Banerjea today announced the winners of the 43rd Annual Awards for Excellence in Design. Selected by PDC from hundreds of submissions, this year’s honorees include 13 award winners and two special recognitions that showcase the city’s creative and ongoing commitment to using public design to improve quality of life across the five boroughs. From waterfronts that work with rising waters to historic monuments that uplift underrepresented voices, the winners exemplify the power of design to keep people safe, build a more resilient city, and create more accessible public spaces.

“The architect Jan Gehl has said, ‘First we shape cities, then they shape us.’ The projects we celebrate today embody that creed, showcasing the dynamic interplay between good urban design and safety, health, and success,” said Mayor Adams. “Each of these awardees is helping make New York City the best place to raise a family, using public design to keep our city safe and make our public spaces more accessible and inclusive. Congratulations to all the awardees for helping build the city that every New Yorker deserves.”

"Today's winning projects showcases this administration’s commitment to equity—bringing world-class, climate-resilient design to every neighborhood through accessible recreation centers, modernized libraries, resilient waterfronts, and green infrastructure," said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development & Workforce Adolfo Carrión Jr. "I've seen firsthand how excellent public spaces transform communities by fostering connection, improving health, creating opportunity, and enhancing safety. Congratulations to our agencies and design partners for building a more sustainable, inclusive New York."

“These award-winning projects demonstrate how impactful civic design emerges from genuine collaboration,” said PDC Executive Director Banerjea. “Behind each beautiful space is invisible work: years of multiple agencies coordinating, countless community meetings, and designers solving complex challenges. When diverse perspectives truly come together — across agencies, with communities, alongside talented designers — we transform constraints into innovation that serves all New Yorkers.”

“PDC may work behind the scenes, but our impact is everywhere New Yorkers live, work, and gather,” said PDC President Deborah Marton. “We balance each project's unique needs while centering community voices. Whether it's a neighborhood library or flood-resilient waterfront, good design shapes our shared story. These projects showcase how collaboration between designers and public servants transforms daily life across our city.”

“The projects being honored by the Public Design Commission represent what is possible when teams and agencies work in collaboration to achieve excellence in design, landscape architecture, and resiliency,” said PDC Vice President Jimmy Van Bramer. The public realm can and should be inspirational and equitable, ensuring that every neighborhood in our remarkable City has civic spaces that are as good as the people who will use them. These projects will enhance our City for generations and all should be congratulated.”

“Design at its most impactful emerges from a collaborative process that surfaces and responds to viewpoints from multiple areas of experience and expertise: from the personal to the regulatory and from aesthetic to the economic,” said PDC Secretary Manuel Miranda. These projects are exceptional outcomes of that process that model ways design helps New Yorkers across the five boroughs experience their city together.”

“DDC makes great public projects and art accessible to all New Yorkers thanks to DCLA’s ‘Percent for Art’ program and by partnering with world-renowned design firms in our Design and Construction Excellence program,” said New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle. “We are thrilled to receive six awards this year from the Public Design Commission for multi-borough art installations, including artwork in the upcoming, state-of-the-art Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center, the Brownsville Multi-Service Center, and at 70 Mulberry Street in Chinatown. These awards demonstrate that alternative delivery methods like design-build and construction manager-build (CM-Build) can bring stunning public artwork to New Yorkers while delivering capital projects faster, at lower cost, all while promoting diversity and high quality standards. We will continue to incorporate vibrant art in our projects and look forward to our continued partnership with PDC and DCLA.”

“At NYC Parks, we use resilient and innovative design to enhance our greenspaces and create world-class public amenities for New Yorkers and visitors alike. We're honored to be recognized in the Public Design Commission’s 43rd Annual Awards for Excellence in Design for projects in all five boroughs,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. “This year’s awards include a diverse array of Parks projects, from marinas and recreation centers to public plazas and historic monuments. These efforts demonstrate the breadth and importance of accessible and beautiful design in creating a more livable city. Congratulations to our talented teams at Parks who have earned this recognition, and we look forward to bringing more transformative projects to communities across New York City.”

“Hudson-Houston Plaza shows what’s possible when public and private partners work together — and when we design infrastructure to do more than one job,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “This space will continue to support DEP’s critical operations while also providing much-needed open space for New Yorkers. We’re proud to help revitalize this corner of Hudson Square and grateful to the Public Design Commission for recognizing this unique project.”

"Creating permanent, site-specific public artworks elevates our city's civic realm to bring New Yorkers the exciting, engaging, beautiful public spaces they deserve," said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. "My team and I are overjoyed that these three remarkable Percent for Art commissions are being recognized in this year's Design Excellence awards. From dynamic sculptures to playful murals planned for community centers and libraries, these artworks were designed through close collaborations between artists and local residents - the hallmark of our Percent for Art program's approach to commissioning artwork - and will become a lasting part of our urban fabric. We applaud and thank our agency partners, artists, and everyone who contributes to bringing these projects to life." 

“NYCEDC is proud to be recognized for the remarkable design work for the reopening of the long-shuttered 79th Street Boat Basin and for new community open space at Pier 6 at MADE Bush Terminal in Sunset Park – two projects that rehabilitate and transform the existing spaces into premier waterfront destinations,”  said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “The PDC’s acknowledgement of these two projects is a reflection of this administration's commitment to addressing the needs of communities across the five boroughs, better connecting New Yorkers to green public spaces and the waterfront, while providing opportunities for residents, workers, and visitors to embed the sites in their day-to-day experience.”

“The conservation of Abram Champanier’s Alice & Friends in New York City from 1938 marks an important step in preserving the rich visual legacy of NYC Health + Hospitals,” said Dr. Mitch Katz, CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals. “Originally installed on the walls of a children’s wing at Gouverneur Hospital, these large-scale murals offered comfort and distraction to young patients and their families. We are pleased they will be reinstalled at Gouverneur in 2026, continuing to support environments of healing, safety, and equity for the communities we serve and are grateful to our Arts in Medicine department for advancing this important project.”

“Foreground is proud to be recognized by the NYC Public Design Commission for our efforts in painting conservation of this particular WPA mural series,” said Foreground Conservation and Decorative Arts. Alice & Friends in NYC, by A. Champanier belongs in the public eye. The murals are a celebration of the magic of the upward momentum of 1938 New York City, with adventures in and around the iconic landmarks of that time. We believe the contemporary public will be enthralled by the paintings, recognizing the enduring energy of our city, and its diverse citizens.

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. The winning projects are selected from submissions reviewed by the commission the previous year and exemplify how innovative and thoughtful design can enhance the livability of the city, serve communities, inspire neighborhood pride, and provide durable and resilient spaces for New Yorkers. These winning projects tackle some of the city's most pressing challenges: adapting to climate change, expanding universal access for New Yorkers with disabilities, honoring diverse cultural traditions, and creating community spaces that serve all New Yorkers equitably.

Design Award-Winning Projects

Project: 79th Street Boat Basin
Location: Riverside Park, Manhattan
Agency: New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), New York City Deparment of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks)

Project: Annadale Green Park
Location: Annadale, Staten Island
Agency: NYC Parks

Project: Briarwood Community Library
Location: Briarwood, Queens
Agency: New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), Queens Public Library

Project: Devoe Avenue Streetscape Improvements
Location: Park Versailles, Bronx
Agency: DDC, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT)

Project: Gwen Ifill Park
Location: Jamaica, Queens
Agency: NYC Parks

Project: Hudson-Houston Plaza
Location: Hudson Square, Manhattan
Agency: New York City Department of Environmental Protection, NYC Parks, Hudson Square Business Improvement District

Project: I Am Protected by Jazmine Hayes
Location: Brownsville Multi-Service and Community Empowerment Center, Brownsville, Brooklyn
Agency: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), DDC, New York City Human Resources Administration

Project: Pier 6 Waterfront Park
Location: Bush Terminal Industrial Campus, Industry City, Brooklyn
Agency: NYCEDC

Project: Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Location: Riverside Park, Manhattan
Agency: NYC Parks

Project: The Feeling is Mutual by Justin Valdes
Location: Arverne Community Library, Edgemere, Queens
Agency: DCLA, DDC, Queens Public Library

Project: The Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center
Location: Nostrand Playground, Flatbush, Brooklyn
Agency: DDC, NYC Parks

Project: Wings of Everchange 易之翼 by Jennifer Wen Ma
Location: 70 Mulberry Street Reconstruction, Chinatown, Manhattan
Agency: DCLA, DDC, New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services

Project: World's Fair Marina Pavilion Structures
Location: Corona, Queens
Agency: NYC Parks

Special Recognition: Alice Murals & Friends Mural Series
Location: NYC Health + Hospitals
Agency: NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine Program

Special Recognition: Slender Bus Shelters
Location: Citywide
Agency: DOT

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