On Monday, dozens of designers, planners, and community organizers packed the amphitheater at the newly opened LEESER-designed BRIC House in Brooklyn‘s rapidly-growing BAM district. The attendees were there to hear the details of the latest Request For Proposals (RFP) from the Design Trust for Public Space, The Energetic City: Connectivity in the Public Realm.

The Design Trust has launched pivotal projects before, like their Five Borough Farm that is helping to redefine urban agriculture in New York City. This time, the group is seeking new ideas for public space and, according to a statement, “develop new forms of connectivity among the diverse people, systems, and built, natural, and digital environments of New York City.”

At stake is the future of public space in New York, along with seed funding that could provide research fellows and eventually a publication of ideas from the winning proposals. Chin said at the launch event that the Design Trust takes the long view, and that winning proposals could move on to future phases with higher budgets and potentially much more lasting impacts.

“Public space is all around us, yet for so many New Yorkers it remains invisible and unchangeable. The Design trust is committed to unlocking the potential of NYC’s public spaces. With The Energetic City, we will continue to push for design innovation,” Chin said in a statement. “We’re open to revolutionary ideas that change ways that public space is conceived in many different areas, ranging from sustainable design, transportation, and communication to art, product design, and technology initiatives. We want to help ordinary and extraordinary citizens make a difference in their own communities and in the life of their city.”

Chin has asked interested parties to look closely at a particular public space in New York City and how ideas revolving around “connectivity” can help to create a more sustainable and equitable city.

The Energetic City initiative is open to public agencies, community groups, and, this year, individuals—a first for the Design Trust. The deadline to participate in the RFP’s first phase is June 30. Chin highly recommended that interested groups and individuals coordinate their proposals with Rosamond Fletcher, Director of Programs at the Design Trust, to make sure the RFP process goes smoothly. Read more info about the RFP and submit your proposals on the Design Trust website.