Untaped: Removing Barriers for Public Space Programming

Doors Open: 2 pm | Untaped Presentation + Panel: 2:30-4 pm

Quarterfinal Soccer Watch Party + Reception: 4-7 pm
*Seating is limited and first-come, first-served

Every year, nearly 30,000 events animate New York's parks, plazas, sidewalks, and streets, produced by thousands of community organizations, cultural groups, and city agencies working together. But the system behind these activations is strained on all sides: fragmented permitting rules, outdated digital tools, disproportionate insurance costs, and siloed processes burden organizers and agency staff alike. Untaped, led by Design Trust for Public Space, spent a year working with 55+ stakeholders across all five boroughs to understand these barriers and build a path forward. The research is clear: public space programming strengthens social cohesion, catalyzes local economic growth, improves public health and safety, and expands access to arts and culture. The question isn't whether this work matters; it's how we remove the obstacles standing in its way. Untaped puts forward eight recommendations to do exactly that.

Join us for an event in partnership with Culture Lab LIC to learn more about these recommendations from the Untaped project team, and hear from a panel of community organizers, city agencies, and nonprofit and philanthropic partners on their vision for a new way of operating, featuring:

• Jennifer Hoppa, NYC Parks 

• Karesia Batan, Queensboro Dance Festival 

• Andrew Ronan, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center

• Heather Lubov, City Parks Foundation 

• Moderated by John Surico, Senior Fellow for Climate & Opportunity at Center for an Urban Future and Chairperson of the 31st Ave Open Street Collective

• Untaped talk presented by Design Trust and project fellows: Public Space Management Fellow Pedro Cruz Cruz and UX Design Fellow Jack Shugrue.

And more to be announced! Stick around for a soccer watch party reception in Culture Lab’s theatre after the program to celebrate our Untaped publication launch and the power of public space with the community. Food provided + panel attendees will receive a free reception drink ticket to use at the bar! RSVP required. Subscribe to the Design Trust for Public Space newsletter to stay in touch with our work and discover more public space events like this.