Neurodiverse City
Co-designing accessible public spaces with neurodivergent users
Challenge
Public spaces in New York City are designed for a narrow range of human experience. Neurodivergent people—including those with autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, anxiety, depression, and PTSD—are often excluded because planning and construction don’t account for cognitive, sensory, and social variation. True accessibility means spaces can be meaningfully used by the full range of the public.
Approach
The Neurodiverse City partnered with Verona Carpenter Architects, WIP Collaborative, and neurodivergent self-advocates to reimagine public space design. We conducted sensory audits—evaluating public spaces with neurodivergent stakeholders to identify disabling and enabling design elements. Building on these insights, we co-designed improvements for two pilot sites:
PS 112 cul-de-sac: Co-created with PK and K-5 students including the Nest Program for Autistic Students
200 Water Street (PoPS): Co-designed with neurodivergent young adults from AHRC NYC
Impact
Freedom Furin raised awareness of erased history—many participants, including Park staff, were unaware of Roosevelt’s anti-Japanese policies and their connection to the site. Rather than memorializing suffering, it activated the site for ongoing freedom work. The soundscape—created by many voices—embodied the collaborative nature of liberation.
The installation demonstrated how participatory art can hold complexity: honoring painful history while refusing to let it define the present.
My Role
Project Manager (Director of Programs, Design Trust)
Team
The project is creating the first systematic framework for neuroinclusive public space design in NYC. We developed user-centered assessment tools and physical prototypes that more designers can use to create neuroinclusive spaces at scale. Pilot installations will inform policy recommendations for citywide implementation.
Press
CityLab (Pulitzer winning coverage by Alexandra Lange), New York Times
NYC 2025