Announcing: A Public Summit for the Future of Penn Station Presented by Untapped Cities and The Museum of the City of New York

To much fanfare earlier this week, Governor Cuomo announced the latest iteration of his plans to overhaul Penn Station by 2021 – and that funding and approvals are already in place. Since the announcement of intentions to rebuild Penn Station in the early 2000s, there has been little opportunity for public dialogue on the pending future of the station.

On Wednesday, November 2nd, Untapped Cities and the Museum of the City of New York will present A Public Summit for the The Future of Penn Station at Cooper Union from 7pm to 9:30pm in The Great Hall. The panel discussion and public forum will go beyond the conceptual renderings and plans for a new Penn Station. Some of New York City’s leading urban visionaries, architects and planners will discuss how to move forward from the current challenging circumstances of Penn Station and then open the event up to an audience Q&A.

The speakers and panelists will be Susan Chin, President of the Design Trust for Public Space; Robert Eisenstat, Chief Architect at the Port Authority of NY & NJ; Gina Pollara, President of the Municipal Arts Society; John Schettino, Designer of The New York Penn Station Atlas; Tom Wright, President of Regional Plan Association.

Introductory remarks will be given by Michelle Young, Founder of Untapped Cities and Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and Whitney W. Donhauser, Ronay Menschel Director and President, Museum of the City of New York.

The event will be moderated by Jose Martinez, Transit Reporter for NY1.

The speakers will look at Penn in the context of the changing West Side, offer lessons learned from rebuilding World Trade Center infrastructure, and share perspectives on making Penn Station easier to use today. Looking to the transit hub’s future, panelists will address the question: What are the standards of success by which a rebuilt Penn Station should be measured? This conversation will seek to move beyond criticizing the current station and focus on identifying elements of a successful long-term vision.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students, seniors, members of the Museum of the City of New York, New York Transit Museum, the Design Trust for Public Space, the Regional Plan Association. The event is free for Cooper Union students, staff and alumni. Please contact justin@untappedcities.com for press RSVP. Proceeds beyond costs will be donated to Cooper Union.

Next, check out our popular tour of the Remnants of Penn Station and join us in October!