Public Participatory Design

DeWitt Clinton Park

Dewitt Clinton Park is the largest park in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood with a deep history as one of New York's oldest city parks. Whether you visit to play sports on the fields or courts, to let your children run around on the playground, to visit the dog run with your canine companion, or simply take a relaxing walk around the perimeter, you see the diverse ways this park is used and loved by the community.

We designed and implemented a community vision process for the future of Dewitt Clinton Park to ensure the park remains a vital community resource for all residents in the future.

A community process spearheaded by Clinton Housing Development Company and facilitated by Design Wild took place to build a cohesive community vision for the future of the park. We are deeply committed to reaching the full spectrum of the park's users and the neighborhood constituents essential to making the vision truly representative. The outcome of this process will be a unified vision for Dewitt Clinton Park, advocacy efforts for funding from and with elected officials, government agencies, and a vibrant community group to steer the way.

Our first event was a park kickoff day with perfect weather, great music, local food, and tons of neighbors and fun. We had walking tours and maps of the park for community feedback as well as fun visioning activities for all ages.

We then held a Community Visioning Event got to know each other, shared food, and got down to business. Table groups worked on guiding principles for the park as a whole as well as drawing out improvements on provided maps of the park.

We opened a gallery photo exhibit that showcased Dewitt Clinton Park’s long history, bringing to life the people and the park that have brought such vitality to the area for over a hundred years. From its early days as a children’s garden to the transformations of its various sports fields and the surrounding streets, these incredible photographs transport us through the decades. The show inspired and honored the past as the community envisions the future of the park.

The exhibit was a collaboration between Clinton Housing Development Company and Hell’s Kitchen Generations, a group of individuals born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen whose families have lived here for at least two generations, with coordination assistance by Design Wild and MC Gallery. All photographs are generously provided by Hell’s Kitchens Generations members and the NY Parks Department.