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10 September 2026 - 26 February 2027

The Prize is presented in New York

Spitzer, City College of New York

Design Matters: In Favor of Urban Public Space opens at the Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York

The tràveling exhibition of the European Prize for Urban Public Space opened in New York on 10 September, at the Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York (CCNY), an architecture school within the City University of New York (CUNY), one of the largest public university systems in the United States.

The City College of New York is one of New York’s leading public institutions, with a strong academic focus on architecture and urbanism and an active engagement in contemporary debates on the city.

The exhibition brings together a selection of outstanding works recognised by the Prize throughout its 25-year history. Diverse in scale and approach, the projects are organised around ten themes that explore different dimensions of contemporary public space: memory, mobility, hybridity, relationship with water, naturalisation, recycling and urban regeneration, exchange, participation, housing and public space, and childhood and care.

The opening was attended by Vince Boudreau, President of The City College of New York, Marta Gutman, Dean of the Spitzer School of Architecture, and Judit Carrera, Director of the CCCB.

The event was preceded by the symposium “Why Design Matters? In Favor of Urban Public Space”, which brought together professionals from Barcelona and New York to reflect on the role of design in addressing contemporary urban challenges. The discussion featured Maria Buhigas, Chief Architect of Barcelona City Council, Josep Ricart, architect and partner at Harquitectes, and Claire Weisz, architect and Director of WXY, New York, moderated by Julio Salcedo-Fernandez, Director of the Graduate Program in Urban Design at the Spitzer School of Architecture.

The programme will continue over the coming months with two further discussions devoted to care and housing, two fundamental issues for the future of cities and closely linked to the quality and collective character of public space.