Participatory Urban Design: Public-Space Networks in Queens

2018

Project Leads:

Ignacio Cardona, Alexandra Paty-Diaz, Andrew Lassiter

Institution:

Institute for Public Architecture (IPA), Panorama of Possibilities: Queens

Location:

Queens, New York, USA

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Developed through PATH (Participatory Architecture Towards Humanity), the project explored how participatory processes could generate urban design strategies around Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The methodology moved from walking tours with community members, planners, and urban designers to a collaborative board game through which participants identified spatial conditions, needs, and opportunities. This process complemented the IPA residency’s broader engagement with community knowledge, mapping, and planning research.

The results were translated into a system of urban design interventions connecting public spaces, civic buildings, amenities, ecological infrastructure, and community programs. Rather than proposing isolated projects, the strategy uses these elements to construct networks of public space responding to priorities identified through the participatory process.