Public Space Design with J. Manuel Mansylla - Ep 21

This week on First Coat we have J. Manuel Mansylla (manman). Manman is Principal of FANTÁSTICA, leading placemaking, design, and branding projects. FANTÁSTICA specializes in transformative projects to revitalize underutilized assets and unlock economic potential. He's worked on the creation of the first New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) public plaza in Dumbo’s Pearl Street Triangle, development of the citywide standard for DOT Street Seats with locations in Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope, Hudson Yards, and East New York; the design of Downtown Brooklyn’s popular holiday lights display; and design of the outdoor spaces for the Dumbo Heights development in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle. He's also a co-founder of Oonee, a smart, modular, customizable pod that provides secure parking for scooters and bicycles as well as public space amenities. Oonee is currently raising money on Republic - if you're interested here’s the link.

In this episode we talk about how we can co-create more vibrant public spaces, the impact of COVID-19 on public spaces, and how to transform short-term public space experiments into long term policies so we can all have better public spaces.

If you are in NYC this weekend you can see Fantástica and Oonee projects in person at the Future Streets Design Expo!

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LINKS

Oonee fundraising on Republic
Pearl Street Triangle in DUMBO in NYTimes
What is a BID?
Manhattan Bridge Archway Reopens
Google image search of parklets in San Francisco
Where to find Street Seats in NYC:
- Fast Casual and Onneee at W. 13th street open street 10/30-31
- Daily Provisions (UWS 78th and Amsterdam)
- Krispy Kreme (Times Square 48th and Broadway)
- Foreigner NYC (Flatiron 64 W 21st St)
- Terremoto Coffee (Meatpacking 328 W 15th St) Coming Nov 1st

Guest | J. Manuel Mansylla, Principal of FANTÁSTICA

J. Manuel Mansylla (manman) is Principal of FANTÁSTICA, leading all our placemaking, design, and branding projects. As an urban designer at the forefront of a trend to create effective public spaces through rapid, agile transformation, he rose to early success in his home country of Guatemala, where he was tapped to lead an innovative project to revitalize a neglected area of Guatemala City into a contemporary art and tech hub. Working together with both the public and private sector in the creation of the region’s first “special districts,” the project helped transform the area’s brand identity, land use, and public space strategy. Today, Cuatro Grados Norte, is one of the most vibrant destinations in the country, and has one of the highest concentrations of new buildings going up in all of Guatemala City.

After moving to Brooklyn in 2006, manman founded design studio FANTÁSTICA specializing in transformative projects to revitalize underutilized assets and unlock economic potential. Highlights include the creation of the first New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) public plaza in Dumbo’s Pearl Street Triangle, development of the citywide standard for DOT Street Seats with locations in Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope, Hudson Yards, and East New York; the design of Downtown Brooklyn’s popular holiday lights display; and design of the outdoor spaces for the Dumbo Heights development in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.

Find Manman on Instagram @fantasticabrooklyn and on www.fantasticabrooklyn.com and www.ooneepod.com.