Field Operations has announced its participation as the design lead for a new public space and pedestrianization project that will affect a large swath of Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

The new “Future of Fifth” project, announced by New York Mayor Eric Adams this week, will permanently reimagine the area between Bryant Park and Central Park South based on an 11-block pilot that last year added $3 million in revenue to local businesses, according to a study performed by Mastercard.

Field Operations will be joined on the project by Arcadis, Sam Schwartz, Public Works Partners, and a number of other design and engineering firms, seven of which are either minority- or women-owned business enterprises. It is seen as an extension of the city’s Open Streets program that was targeted at local businesses’ recoveries after the pandemic and builds on a larger $375 million investment in public space outlined in Adams’ “Working People's Agenda” from earlier this year.

Together, the firms will work to develop a comprehensive plan using stakeholder and community feedback in unison with a spatial assessment of the present layout of the affected corridor. 

“Creating vibrant public spaces is an essential ingredient to New York City's continued success. The energy of our city is felt through our streets, and providing more pedestrian-friendly spaces is good for safety, good for local businesses, and good for the future of the city,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said in a statement. “We can't do this alone and are grateful to our partners in business and civic community who work hand in glove with us to realize a city filled with wonderful places to live, work, and play.”

A conceptual design is expected to be announced as part of the comprehensive plan by mid-2024. The final ultimate schematic design will follow by early-2025. The projected costs and construction timeline for the project were not made available at press time. 

Elsewhere in Manhattan, Field Operations recently celebrated the completion of its $73 million Gansevoort Peninsula design at Hudson River Park.