THE NEURODIVERSE CITY
LOCATION: New York City Playgrounds
STATUS: In Audit and Design Phase
Verona Carpenter Architects and partner firm WIP Collaborative won the Design Trust’s “Restorative City” RFP with this project to reimagine New York City public spaces — streets, playgrounds, plazas, and more — to better support neurodiversity. Together with a network of disability self-advocates and advocates, VCA is reimagining playgrounds to be more inclusive places that welcome and support neurodivergent kids.
The project goals are
Learn from neurodivergent self-advocates, families, and experts to create an inclusive and impactful coalition that can advocate for long-term change.
Establish a co-creative research methodology for evaluating existing public spaces, which will inform construction of prototypes to test neuroinclusive design ideas.
Impact future design policy through scalable ideas for public spaces that better support a neurodiverse population.
In partnership with neurodivergent stakeholders, the project is co-creating a research methodology for digital and live audits of public spaces, identifying and evaluating sensory and spatial characteristics and their impact on meaningful access. This research encompasses the first phase of the project and the audit findings will inform subsequent project phases, including design prototypes and policy recommendations.
Read more about the Restorative City RFP at the Architect’s Newspaper: