The Need for Public Bathrooms ↓
Accessible, clean, and safe public bathrooms are a necessity in a city as large, dense, and diverse as New York. Like housing, public bathrooms are a basic need, a human right, a public health concern, and a necessary piece of urban infrastructure. This project proposes design, finance, and maintenance solutions for the City of New York to provide public bathrooms across the five boroughs.
Access to public bathrooms is not a new issue in New York. Four City administrations and numerous advocacy groups, including the Urban Justice Center and Picture the Homeless, have been trying to expand New Yorkers’ access to public bathrooms.
Past initiatives have continually stalled. What are the barriers to providing clean and safe public bathrooms?
About this Book ↓
This booklet highlights the importance of public bathrooms in the public realm, especially in improving public health and promoting human rights. We summarize research compiled over the course of a year from our readings, interviews, meetings, and analysis related to public bathrooms.
We hope this booklet will serve as a resource for citizens, advocates, architects, urban planners, elected officials, government agencies, local business owners, and others to understand the benefits of public bathrooms, in the hope that we can increase the number of available facilities in our city.
Forefront Fellowship ↓
This booklet was produced by Julie Chou, Kevin A. Gurley, and Boyeong Hong in 2020 as part of the 2018-2019 Forefront Fellowship at the Urban Design Forum.
The 2018-2019 Forefront Fellowship explored how to design shelters and shape the public realm to turn the tide on homelessness in New York City. In the first phase of the fellowship, Fellows partnered with the New York City Department of Homeless Services to visit shelters, interview stakeholders, and draft guidelines on how to design homeless shelters across the city. In the second phase, Fellows worked with community-based organizations to develop independent projects to support people experiencing homelessness.
The views expressed here are those of the authors only and do not reflect the position of the Urban Design Forum.
Who We Are ↓
Julie Chou, AIA
jchou@pxdarchitects.com
Julie Chou, AIA, is a founding partner at Purpose by Design Architects. Previously, Julie managed a variety of affordable, supportive, and transitional housing projects at Magnusson Architecture & Planning. She is a member of Manhattan’s Community Board 5 and serves on the Land Use, Zoning, and Housing committee, as well as the Budget, Education, and City Services committee. Julie has become a leader in the movement for more accessible public bathrooms in New York City and leads a public bathroom working group with several community boards across the city. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Architecture from The Cooper Union.
Kevin A. Gurley, AICP
kevingurley@post.harvard.edu
Kevin Gurley is an urban planner at Amtrak, working on expanding Amtrak service in cities across the United States. Previously, he was Manager of Planning at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in NYC, managing a portfolio of rail system expansion and enhancement planning projects, including building new subway lines and stations in New York City. He has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, working on projects in cities in the US, Mexico, and China. Kevin holds a Master in Urban Planning from Harvard University and a Master of Architecture from Florida International University in Miami.
Boyeong Hong
boyeong.hong@nyu.edu
Boyeong is a Data Analytics Consultant at the World Bank Group and a Research Affiliate at NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management. Her research interests focus on applying urban informatics to real-world problems in urban planning and operations by using big data analytics and urban computing. Boyeong holds a doctoral degree in Urban Informatics from NYU and a Master of City Planning degree from Seoul National University.