Congratulations to the Winners of the NYU Transportation Design Challenge!

The NYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management proudly announces the winners of the first-ever NYU Transportation Design Challenge, held in partnership with NYU Tandon’s C2SMARTER Center and The NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.

This inaugural competition invited NYU students to design a climate-resilient bus shelter that protects passengers from extreme heat and precipitation while providing a safe, comfortable, and informative waiting space.

We are thrilled to recognize two winning teams, seven students in total, as first-place winners of this year’s challenge. Their designs exemplified creativity, practicality, and a deep understanding of how infrastructure can promote both climate resilience and equity for New Yorkers.

 

🥇 Winning Teams:

  • Team OASIS: Adomaa Kumi, Alan Chen, Athena Yan, Nurlan Kabishtayev and Yuqian Gao

  • Team M&C: Michael Miller and Cindy Nguyen

Both teams impressed the judges with innovative and actionable designs that combined sustainable materials, thoughtful user experience, and strong potential for real-world implementation.

Each winning team will receive a monetary award.

 

We are grateful to the experts who provided feedback on designs, and are dedicated to bringing innovation to bus shelter designs in the future:

  • Jessica Cruz, Deputy Director, Living Streets & Public Spaces, NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice
  • Equisha Glenn, Senior Planner, Climate Data Science, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  • Alexis Hidalgo, Policy Advisor, Living Streets and Public Spaces, NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice
  • Nicholas Pettinati, Deputy Director of Urban Design, New York City Department of Transportation
  • Tiffany-Ann Taylor, Vice President for Transportation, Regional Plan Association, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, NYU Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service

 

We extend our sincere thanks to all participating students for their creativity and collaboration, and to our partners and supporters — especially the Goddard Impact Award, which made this initiative possible.

Together, we’re shaping a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient transportation future for New York City.

Team M&C Presentation
Team OASIS presentation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expert Panelists, left to right: Equisha Glenn, Tiffany-Ann Taylor, Sarah Kaufman, Jessica Cruz, Alexis Hidalgo, and Nicholas Pettinati