NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan Selected as Design Patron of 2013 National Design Awards

The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum today announced the selection of Janette Sadik-Khan, commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, as the 2013 Design Patron recipient of the National Design Awards. Unlike the other National Design Awards, which are selected by a jury of leading figures in design, the Design Patron is chosen by museum leadership.

“Using design and urban planning as the central driver over her six-year tenure, Janette has transformed how New Yorkers move around the city, from the innovative Citi Bike program to the creation of pedestrian plazas,” said Caroline Baumann, director of the museum. “I am delighted to recognize the commissioner for her design stewardship and leadership, which will benefit the city for decades to come.”

Sadik-Khan has served as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation since 2007 under the innovative leadership of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Internationally recognized for her expertise in transportation issues and progressive reform, public-policy development and innovative finance, Sadik-Khan has implemented an ambitious program to improve safety, mobility and sustainability, and to ensure a state of good repair for New York City’s infrastructure. Sadik-Khan has overseen numerous innovative projects, including the planning and launch of the nation’s largest bike-share program with 6,000 bikes, seven Select Bus Service routes, the creation of quality pedestrian space in Times Square and along Broadway, the installation and design of 54 plazas and the addition of 350 miles of bicycle lanes citywide and 8,000 bike racks.

“City streets link our transportation network, support our economy and tie together our communities and we need to reimagine and redesign them for an increasingly urban age,” said Sadik-Khan. “The future of cities depends on innovative solutions that accommodate everyone who uses the street, and Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership has set a new standard for street design across the nation and around the world.”

Sadik-Khan joins previous Design Patron Award winners, including the late Red Burns, founder of the Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University; Reynold Levy, former president of Lincoln Center; Architecture for Humanity, an organization that brings sustainable architecture to global communities in need; Maharam, a fourth-generation, family-run textile company; Craig Robins, a Miami-based real estate developer; Richard Daley, former mayor of Chicago; Amanda Burden, the chair of the New York City Planning Commission; and hotelier André Balazs, among others.

National Design Week is made possible in part by the generous sponsorship of Target. National Design Awards are made possible in part by Procter and Gamble and SodaStream. Additional support is provided in part by Design Within Reach. National Design Award trophies are created by The Corning Museum of Glass. ndagallery.cooperhewitt.org is powered by Behance. Media sponsorship is provided by Smithsonian magazine.

National Design Awards and National Design Week professional supporters include AIGA | the professional association for design, American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, American Society of Interior Designers, American Society of Landscape Architects, Industrial Designers Society of America, Interaction Design Association and International Interior Design Association.

About the National Design Awards

First launched at the White House in 2000 as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards were established to promote design as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world. The awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including special events, panel discussions and workshops during National Design Week, Oct. 12-20.

About Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

As the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design, Cooper-Hewitt educates, inspires and empowers people locally and globally through design. The museum is undergoing a transformative renovation resulting in 60 percent more gallery space and will reopen in fall 2014 with an entirely new visitor experience. During the renovation, Cooper-Hewitt’s exhibitions, education programs and events are popping up nationally as well as locally at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Center in Harlem.

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