Join New York artist and poet Jon Cotner and special guests in a discussion on the role of citizens, architects, and city officials in creating rewarding pedestrian experiences. Encounters in public space contribute to a community’s social fabric. Activated pedestrian areas improve urban life. The talk will focus on successful public promenades (such as Millennium Park’s Laurie Gardens) and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods (such as New York’s West Village, championed by Jane Jacobs), and touch on what remains to be done to improve pedestrian experiences.

The event is organized by Justin Allen, director of SOA (Spaces Objects Art) Culture, a collaborative design and interdisciplinary research organization for the arts and urbanism in New York City.