Earth Day Panel Building a Greener Waterfront: The Story of Wagner Park

Panel Description
Join us on Earth Day, for a conversation about the vision and design behind the newly reopened Wagner Park and Pavilion. Located along the harbor in Lower Manhattan, the park has been thoughtfully rebuilt to strengthen the waterfront while creating a beautiful and welcoming public space for the community.

Members of the project team—including architects, landscape designers, and sustainability experts—will share how the park, which was designed to meet the Waterfront Alliance’s Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) standards, brings together environmental resilience, innovative design, and public access. The project incorporates landscape features and infrastructure designed to provide immediate risk reduction for a 100-year storm while enhancing the natural beauty of the waterfront.

The new Wagner Pavilion also reflects a strong commitment to sustainability. Fully electrified and free of on-site combustion, the pavilion demonstrates how buildings can support a cleaner, more climate-conscious future.

Together, the panelists will discuss how Wagner Park shows what a greener, more resilient waterfront can look like—where nature, design, and community come together.

Moderator & Panelists:

• Joseph Sutkowi, Chief Waterfront Design Officer, Waterfront Alliance (Moderator)
• Sarah Fisher Curtin, Director of Sustainability, Battery Park City Authority
• Ruth Nervig, Partner, SiteWorks
• Jean Phifer, Director, Thomas Phifer and Partners
• Ben Shepherd, Director, Atelier Ten

Guests are invited to join a brief guided tour of Wagner Park at 3pm, ahead of the panel discussion from 4–5:30pm at the Wagner Pavilion Classroom.

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Host or Publisher Battery Park City Authority