Finalist
Transit Innovator
Building a movement of community-led investment into NYC’s subways through public art, station activations, and volunteer programming
- Year
- 2025
- Organization
- Friends of the MTA
- Sector
- Placemaking & Neighborhoods
- Borough
- Manhattan
Over 1 billion people ride NYC’s subways every year, but satisfaction is low. What if New Yorkers could rally behind the subway and help improve it? This transit innovator is building a nonprofit model designed to build a fan club for NYC’s subways. Drawing inspiration from other successful models like Friends of the High Line and Central Park Conservancy, its vision turns stations into spaces of pride, creativity, and connection. The model isn’t ‘adopt a station;’ rather, it aims to help all stations through art, events, piloting new technology, and fundraising. At a moment when public infrastructure needs champions, becoming a ‘friend of the subway’ offers a way for everyday New Yorkers to shape the system they rely on.