It is apparent to anyone walking the streets of New York how much the city has lost as a result of the pandemic. This is most striking on the street level, where once bustling storefronts are scarred with ‘For Rent’ signs or boarded windows, and previously vibrant neighborhoods are devoid of the energy that once fueled the city.

But with this challenge comes the opportunity to rebuild New York City, and cities around the world, better than before. Spectorgroup, whose own NYC offices sit on the second floor of 34th Street and Madison Avenue, challenged its employees to take this opportunity to reimagine the city we call home to inspire and energize others. If anything, the pandemic has forced everyone to reconsider the values that as a society we may have taken for granted. Our design and creativity are inspired by these values, focusing on wellness, sustainability, connectivity and community, supporting local economies and the way we work.

It’s time to reimagine New York City’s neighborhoods – from the ground up.

Connectivity from the Ground Up

New York City has a history of making opportunities out of economically depressed times. Back in the 1970s when the city was facing economic hardship city services were in decline, derelict buildings were being torn down leaving abandoned lots to blighted neighborhoods. Citizens came together to create groups like the Green Guerillas who started to develop community gardens across city neighborhoods. These community gardens helped communities build connections within their neighborhoods while at the same time beautify their neighborhoods with nature. We have this same opportunity to look at the ground floor of our city in a new and exciting way as we begin to recover from the effects of this global pandemic.

Sustainability from the Ground Up

Our communities need to be sustainable if they are going to have the resiliency to withstand future shocks. Building more, local sustainable resources can provide that safety net.

Wellness from the Ground Up

Working from home has been hard on New Yorkers, but many of us have taken the opportunity to learn to better prioritize our personal wellness and mental health. Our community should reflect that ideology. Nothing is more important for health than adequate sleep and sometimes New Yorkers need a place to lie down and decompress, even if that space is away from home.

Small Businesses from the Ground Up

We have to provide a space for small businesses to rebuild their businesses and support the reconstruction of their communities, and we by bringing the two closers than ever. More than 578,000 jobs have been lost in NYC during the pandemic many due to the loss of small businesses. By rethinking the ground floor of NYC, we can provide opportunities for small businesses to develop and thrive.

One of my favorite things about living and designing in New York City has always been the vibrant street life and the opportunity and excitement about discovering something new and unexpected. But after this past year during the global pandemic, the ground floor of New York has been shuttered, papered over windows with for lease signs. The ground floor of New York today is a lot quieter and subdued than it once was. What hasn’t changed is the act of discovering. As we come out of this global pandemic we now have the opportunity to rediscover, redesign, and reimagine New York City’s ground floor, the heartbeat and soul of the city.

~Steven South
  Design Director, Senior Associate

We can make more of street pedestrian pavilions, offering restaurants and local businesses a chance to bring their operations into the sunlight, while rebuilding our communities around shared experiences.

Working from the Ground Up

The pandemic has painted a dull picture of New York’s office infrastructure, with high-level offices losing much of their luster and demand. With remote workforces expected to remain prominent post-pandemic but New Yorkers craving escape from their homes, we need to see a ground-level reimagining of the New York workforce across new modular spaces.

As we come out of this pandemic many things have changed about how we function and how we use space. Many of us have moved our shopping to an online experience. Because of the lockdowns we all have spent more time in our own neighborhoods than ever before. While some things will return after this pandemic many things have changed permanently and we are now given this great opportunity to create the next great New York street life experience for the future.