Can New York be a model for sustainable urban development? Inspired by the metropolis on the American East Coast, the architect Susanne Lehmann-Reupert (*1964 in Cologne) sets out on excursions across the city-from Dumbo and Brooklyn Bridge Park to Red Hook, or from the High Line to Bryant Park-looking for transformations in public space. She discovers new recreational areas along the Hudson and East rivers or rooftop gardens, recognizing a clear strategy of reverting to the tradition of the involved citizen behind the visible improvements in the quality of life. In this volume of texts and pictures, Lehmann-Reupert presents the actors behind exemplary projects and sites and answers questions such as: Who created the first community garden? How did the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm come about? Who is the driving force behind the rapid construction of bike paths? Seemingly incidentally, the architect draws up principles for a sustainable urban development worthy of imitation.