New Public Works

Between 1999 and 2002, New Public Works, an initiative of the design program of the National Endowment for the Arts, sponsored over thirty national design competitions. Beyond yielding innovative new work in the public realm, it was meant to be broadly didactic, introducing cities across America to new design work. It also gave access to developing capacity within a tier of designers, many who had not previously worked at this scale or in the public sector. Even those projects which were not built provide progressive models for public practice and are instructive to students and other professionals. The book will explore the complex set of alignments which contributes to the success of public work, exploring the impact of private, municipal and public courses of support and the necessary mix to get this type of work done. With a focus on three built projects and through a series of interviews with designers, clients, end users and sponsors, the text will describe the arc of each from the competition through completion