Public Space Potlucks

The Design Trust for Public Space is a non-profit dedicated to protecting and enlivening public spaces to create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable city.We believe that the cultural and democratic life of the city depends on viable public space. Through the advancement of critical new research and collaborative projects aimed to improve the well-being of residents throughout the five boroughs, we bring together city agencies, community groups, and private sector experts to transform and activate public space throughout New York City.L﻿earn more about unlocking the potential of public space.

Design Trust for Public Space

Free & open to all, our popular Public Space Potlucks gather urban enthusiasts of all ages & backgrounds together for a shared meal,   transforming New York City’s public space into a communal dining room. Join us & learn more about latest projects!

Join the Design Trust for Public Space and Bronx River Alliance for a Public Space Potluck exploring NYC's only freshwater river!

Join DT & The Waterfront Alliance at Manhattan's 1st beach to check out the community-informed design of  Gansevoort Peninsula!

Join us for a community potluck at Smiling Hogshead Ranch with the Design Trust for Public Space and Long Island City Partnership!

Public Space Potluck at Smiling Hogshead Ranch

Gather with public space lovers for a community potluck under the Metro North Station in Harlem!

Public Space Potluck at Uptown Grand Central Plaza

Gather with public space lovers for a community potluck and a firsthand look at the new Gotham Park (formerly Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan!)

Join the Design Trust and SCAPE studio along with public space enthusiasts for a communal potluck on Thursday, August 22, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, at the First Avenue Water Plaza.
Steps from the East River, this urban plaza at the American Copper Buildings also functions as a stormwater collection, filtration, and groundwater recharge system that responds to multiple types of inundation. The design prioritizes key circulation routes to the ferry and has large seating areas centered around a scrim fountain that creates a focal point for the plaza. Just below the surface, a robust stormwater detention system captures and releases stormwater while robust bioswales absorb and treat stormwater and periodic coastal inundation. The site responds directly to both stormwater and coastal flooding threats while creating spaces for relaxation and play.
Grace Dials, Senior Designer from SCAPE studio will be joining us to offer an inside look on the design inspiration and unique features of the water plaza including green infrastructure, and interactive elements.
All you need to bring is a dish to share! We’ll provide drinks, cups, plates, napkins, and other picnic needs. The event is free and open to the public.

Public Space Potluck at First Avenue Water Plaza

Join the Design Trust and SCAPE studio along with public space enthusiasts for a communal potluck on Thursday, August 22, from 6:00 to 7:00 

Join the Design Trust and public space enthusiasts on Thursday, August 8, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, at the historic Herbert Von King Park, in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to celebrate the places that bring communities together.  
We will be joined by:
Jeffrey Chen, Jeffrey Chen, visiting faculty at Pratt Institute Graduate School of Interior Design will tell us about the studio work co-developed with Reconnect Brooklyn a local grassroots organization, to address issues of rapid neighborhood change and gentrification through public space design who co-developed an interior design studio.
Jackson Chabot, recent graduate from Pratt Institute's Urban Placemaking and Management program will share about his thesis project exploring frameworks for non-profits and social enterprise to leverage visibility for their ideas, products and mission through public spaces. 
We will be meeting at the Barbecue area (entrance on Lafayette Ave.) located in the middle of the park.
All you need to bring is a dish to share! We’ll provide drinks, cups, plates, napkins, and other picnic needs. The event is free and open to the public!

Herbert Von King Park Public Space Potluck

Join the Design Trust and public space enthusiasts on Thursday, August 8, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, at the historic Herbert Von King Park, in Be

Gather with public space lovers for a breezy potluck on Tuesday, August 21, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, at the West Harlem Pier Park on the Hudson River and watch the sunset.
Built on a narrow patch of land along the river, formerly a parking lot, the West Harlem Pier Park has expanded the space available to the community and reclaimed its waterfront connection. 
The park's designer Barbara Wilks, FAIA, FASLA, founder of W Architecture, Design Trust Board member and a Fellow for our Five Borough Farm project, will provide insight into the design and how the piers have become an attractive destination providing a rare opportunity to get closer to the Hudson River in West Harlem.
All you need to bring is a dish to share! We’ll provide drinks, cups, plates, napkins, and other picnic needs. The event is free and open to the public.

Public Space Potluck at the West Harlem Pier Park

Gather with public space lovers for a breezy potluck on Tuesday, August 21, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, at the West Harlem Pier Park on the Hudson

DATE CHANGE! 
Join the Design Trust for Public Space and New York Restoration Project (NYRP) for a Public Space Potluck on Thursday, August 9th, from 6:00 - 7:00pm, at the new Sherman Creek Pop-Up Park, in the Inwood neighborhood, Upper Manhattan.
Stay after the potluck for a free interactive musical program and film with NYRP: Film Works Alfresco: Sky High and Listen Closely
Sherman Creek used to be an illegal dumping site and now has been transformed into a five-acre park along the Harlem River waterfront. Most recently, NYRP and local partners opened the Pop-Up Park that will host various events and programs during the summer. NYRP will provide an insider’s view on creating this community asset.
Join us for a meal at the Pop-Up Park and a conversation with park lovers. All you need to bring is a dish to share! We’ll provide drinks, cups, plates, napkins, and other picnic needs. The event is free and open to the public.

Public Space Potluck at the New Sherman Creek Pop-Up Park

DATE CHANGE! 
Join the Design Trust for Public Space and New York Restoration Project (NYRP) for a Public Space Potluck on Thursday, August 

Gather with city enthusiasts as we share a meal at Freeman Plaza East!
The area around the Holland Tunnel used to be a tangle of traffic practically devoid of places to gather. But in recent years, the neighborhood has been transformed by a number of unusual new public spaces. Freeman Plaza—located directly adjacent to the Holland Tunnel entrance—is a particularly creative example of public space reclamation.
Join the Design Trust for a communal meal at Freeman Plaza East and a conversation about the transformation of the tunnel entry area. Hudson Square Connection President Ellen Baer and Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects (MNLA) Principal Signe Nielsen, RLA, FASLA, will discuss how the transformation took place and the design strategies that were used to create an oasis in such an unlikely place.
All you need to bring a dish to share! We’ll provide drinks, plates, napkins, and all other picnic needs. The event is free and open to the public.

Public Space Potluck at Freeman Plaza East

Gather with city enthusiasts as we share a meal at Freeman Plaza East!
The area around the Holland Tunnel used to be a tangle of traffic pra

Gather with like-minded urbanists as we tour and share a meal at Concrete Plant Park!
The Bronx River has been one of New York’s most polluted waterways due to the high concentration of industry along its waterfront throughout its history. More recently, community organizations like the Bronx River Alliance have mobilized to transform spaces like Concrete Plant Park into an asset for the community. This post-industrial park demonstrates how histories marred with neglect can be reimagined to promote new possibilities for this community.
All you need to bring is a dish to share! We’ll provide drinks, plates, napkins, and all other picnic needs. The event is free and open to the public.
Photo: Nathan Kensinger

Public Space Potluck at Concrete Plant Park

Gather with like-minded urbanists as we tour and share a meal at Concrete Plant Park!
The Bronx River has been one of New York’s most pollut

The Restorative City Series

Designing New York City With Health at the Center. [restorativecity.org]

Public Space Potlucks

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Public Space Potluck: Bronx River House

Public Space Potluck at Gansevoort Beach

Public Space Potluck at Smiling Hogshead Ranch

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Design Trust for Public Space

The Restorative City Series