Mannahatta 2409:
A Design Competition for the Ecological Future of New York in the Year 2409
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a city that worked like a forest and flowed like a stream? Can you envision a truly ecological city? Building on Dr. Eric W. Sanderson's Mannahatta Project, a scientifically robust, block-by-block reconstruction of Manhattan's ecology when the island was discovered by Henry Hudson 400 years ago, Van Alen Institute will launch a design competition in Summer 2009 to imagine the long-term future of Manhattan as an ecosystem in the context of its rich ecological and social history. Teams of designers, artists, planners, engineers, scientists, economists and more will compete to publish comprehensive visions for the city and surrounding region – unconstrained by current limitations of politics, funding and time, informed by the latest innovations in urban design, and rooted in a deep understanding and extensive collection of the island's earliest known ecological data.
Mannahatta 2409 is one of many projects planned to coincide with New York City's quadricentennial this year, including an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York and Dr. Sanderson's new book, "Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City" (Abrams, 2009).
Envisioning Gateway:
A Public Design Competition for Gateway National Park
In continuation of the partnership established to create Envisioning Gateway, the Institute is collaborating with the National Parks Conservation Association and the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation on a publication that will integrate and make accessible the physical beauty, environmental complexity, and political and economic challenges of this important urban park, presented alongside the imaginative visions that have been generated for its revitalization. Published by Princeton Architectural Press, the book is expected to be released in Spring 2010.
Van Alen Institute is in the process of developing a public design competition on the topic of high-speed passenger rail infrastructure . Please subscribe to our email list to stay apprised of the latest information and announcements.
