Downtown Manhattan
New York City
The Neurodiverse City is an initiative by WIP Collaborative, Verona Carpenter Architects, and The Design Trust for Public Space that reimagines New York City’s public spaces to better support neurodiversity.
WIP Collaborative partnered with neurodivergent self-advocates from AHRC NYC to survey existing street conditions and identify opportunities to make them more accessible, engaging, and supportive for everyone. This partnership informed the development of the Neurodiverse City street prototype, which features architectural elements, plantings, and graphic components designed in response to findings from workshops with neurodivergent self-advocates. These workshops identified key design opportunities to improve streetscapes, including proximity to trees, long views, tactile engagement, and access to semi-sheltered spaces.
The architectural elements invite visitors to touch, sit, lean, lie down, or climb on the pieces. The wedge forms encourage gazing upward toward surrounding trees, the sky, and nearby high-rise buildings, while upright A-frame elements arranged in a circle create semi-private nooks for individual pause and retreat.
Curated plantings by artist and gardener Landon Newton, along with soundscapes by artist and biodesigner Mischa Kuma, create a multisensory environment of movement, fragrance, touch, and grounding vibrations. Layered with playful yellow dots across the plaza, the prototype invites passersby to pause, engage, and find moments of restoration amid the bustle of downtown Manhattan.
WIP Collaborative is a shared practice of independent designers who work together on projects that engage communities and the public realm. The Neurodiverse City project team includes Abby Coover, Bryony Roberts, Elsa Ponce, Lindsay Harkema, Ryan Brooke Thomas, Sasha Topolnytska, Sera Ghadaki, and Sonya Gimon.