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06.11.26

Shaping Public Memory: Lessons from Columbus, LA, and NYC

Event Special Projects
June 11th, 2026
6:00pm - 8:00pm
The Greene Space
44 Charlton Street, New York, NY, USA

Lane Addonizio is an urban planner, writer, and historian specializing in parks, public space, and cultural resource management. She served as principal planner on the capital projects team at the Central Park Conservancy for twenty years and is currently engaged by the Conservancy to develop New York City's nomination of Central Park as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kimberly Danielle is the CEO and founder of KiMISTRY and a social justice leader with nearly 20 years of experience in trauma-informed advocacy, mental health, and organizational change. She uses creative approaches — including visual arts, writing, and media — to address complex human problems and build power through narrative.

Cindy Donis is the Youth Organizing Director and Water Organizer with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, where she organizes residents in South East Los Angeles to fight the impacts of environmental racism. As a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, she brings her own history of struggle to her work.

Adriana García So is a project manager at the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, where she facilitates neighborhood-driven planning for parks and implements green infrastructure projects. Trained in both landscape architecture and community organizing, she centers environmental justice through design.

Amanda Golden is the Managing Principal and Co-Founder of Designing Local, an urban planning and creative placemaking firm focused on culturally responsive public art and engagement. She has overseen more than 50 public art and cultural plans across 22 states, including the Mellon-funded Reimagining Columbus project, which navigated public dialogue around the future of the city's Christopher Columbus statue.

John Reddick is an architectural preservationist, historian, and Harlem resident whose work has advanced public art and open space projects including the Ralph Ellison Memorial, Harriet Tubman Square, and the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Circle. Under a grant from the Mellon Foundation, he is currently working with the Central Park Conservancy to advance public discussion around commemorating Seneca Village, a predominantly African American neighborhood that preceded the Park.

Isabel Castilla is an Associate Partner at Field Operations, where she leads the design and delivery of large-scale public realm projects. Her work spans multiple sections of the High Line, the renovation of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, The Underline in Miami, and Miami Beach's Lincoln Road. She also serves as a Landscape Architect Commissioner for New York City's Public Design Commission.

Join the Central Park Conservancy and Urban Design Forum for a conversation on how commemorative projects across the country are transforming urban public space through community engagement.

For generations, commemorative elements in public spaces have taken the form of monumental arches, obelisks, and statues – historically shaped by those with power or political influence, and the narratives they choose to elevate. Today, designers, artists, and community partners are finding new ways to honor overlooked histories, reckon with contested legacies, and create spaces where communities can see themselves reflected.

In this second program of a three-part series, representatives from three transformative projects will provide presentations about their work – from a proposed memorial on a brownfield site in Los Angeles highlighting racial justice, to a reimagined civic plaza in Columbus, to a powerful commemoration of those wrongfully accused in New York City – followed by a moderated conversation led by Isabel Castilla and Q&A.

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Guest & Accessibility Policies

Urban Design Forum promotes conversations between invited civic leaders, designers, developers, and advocates. This event is open to the general public.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully.

  • Doors open at 6:00pm. Program begins at 6:30pm.
  • Accessible from street without stairs/access ramp to the studio, the lobby, and the public bathrooms. There will be microphones and speakers.
  • If you’re not feeling well, please stay home. Face masks are encouraged, particularly if you have been recently exposed to colds, flus, or other illness. If you have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days, a high-quality, well-fitting face covering is required at all times.
  • Please refrain from wearing strong fragrances to accommodate guests with allergies or environmental sensitivities.
  • If you have additional needs, we will do our best to accommodate. Please contact rsvp@urbandesignforum.org.

About the Seneca Village Discussion Series

The Central Park Conservancy and Urban Design Forum have partnered on a three-part event series exploring how commemoration takes shape in New York City’s public parks–from early ideas to public review and long-term stewardship. This event is part of Seneca Village: Toward a Permanent Commemoration, an ongoing program series funded by the Mellon Foundation. The program series will culminate in a community-informed framework guiding the future design of a permanent commemoration of Seneca Village in Central Park. 

About Our Program Partner, Central Park Conservancy

The Central Park Conservancy is a private, nonprofit organization that manages Central Park and is responsible for raising the Park’s annual operating budget. The Conservancy’s staff is responsible for all aspects of the Park’s care, from day-to-day maintenance and operations to continued restoration and rebuilding projects. Additionally, the Conservancy operates the Park’s visitor centers, provides public programs, and serves as a resource for other NYC parks and for public-private partnerships around the world. For more information, visit centralparknyc.org.

Image Credit: Sleepy Lagoon/East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice; Image Credit: Reimagining Columbus; Image Credit: Central Park Conservancy

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