The CFDA, in conjunction with the Design Trust for Public Space (DTPS), has launched the “Making Midtown: Sustaining Design and Production in an Evolving Garment Center," an initiative to support manufacturing and design, and protect development in the Garment District, WWD reports.
The venture is just the latest effort by designers, non-profits and private donors to come to a solution for the industry center, long in jeopardy of re-zoning that would result in prohibitively-expensive real estate rates.
According to the report, the main objective of Making Midtown lies in presenting official proposals to city officials and private interests in the area by early next year, with the help of real estate consulting firm, HR&A. The DTPS will announce the fellow it has selected this week, a position that will lead the charge for a $20,000 stipend.
The initiative will also include open-forum workshops to share ideas and educate the public on the situation in the Garment District. Designer Yeohlee Teng, who operates her studio, production and storefront out of the neighborhood expressed ambitious goals for the ongoing efforts: "Hopefully, we can come up with a vision that can be replicated in all urban areas throughout the world where industry can not only reside but also thrive in cities along with developments in real estate."
The Making Midtown initiative builds on the foundation set forth by last year's comprehensive Made in Midtown study to analyze figures and details of the Garment District's logistics, in order to present a strong case for its preservation, which is now moving forward.
