{"id":313268,"date":"2026-08-04T09:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T09:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/313268\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T09:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T09:42:08","slug":"how-to-build-on-nycs-summer-of-awe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/313268\/","title":{"rendered":"How to build on NYC’s summer of awe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Was it all a dream? The Knicks\u2019 epic playoff run<\/a> on top of the global love fest that is the World Cup<\/a>, all on the heels of a mayoral campaign that leaned into the magic of New York.<\/p>\n

For the last several months, New Yorkers were dapping each other up in the grocery, traveling to neighborhoods never before visited, getting chills watching Brazilian fans samba dancing to Tartan Army bagpipes, and nodding heads watching Shakira during the World Cup Final at \u2026 the library?<\/p>\n

In likely and unlikely places across the city \u2014 bars, parks, museums, vacant lots, buses \u2014 New Yorkers came together and reported a feeling they couldn\u2019t quite describe, something like awe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAwe is a lightning bolt that marks in memory those moments when the doors of perception are cleansed, and we see with startling clarity what is truly important in life,\u201d says clinical psychologist David Elkins.<\/p>\n

The awe we experienced impacted our minds and our bodies \u2014 it changed us physiologically. Our vagus nerve was activated, which calmed our nervous system and opened us up to selflessness, empathy, and connection.<\/p>\n

If we can measure awe, we can understand it \u2014 and make more of it. We aren\u2019t dependent on the basketball gods or FIFA overlords to feel that we belong to each other and to the city.<\/p>\n

Last fall, our collective of urban planners set out to measure awe<\/a>. Decades of working in neighborhoods across the city taught us there\u2019s wonder all around us \u2014 the trick was to capture and make sense of it.<\/p>\n

We asked thousands of New Yorkers to share their awe stories \u2014 a time when the city knocked them off their feet. Often, they recalled the everyday: strangers trapped on the subway singing songs, a spontaneous memorial for a beloved neighbor at the local bodega. Their stories fed a data analysis that outlines the what, why, and where of NYC awe.<\/p>\n

Armed with data detailing what moves and connects us, we can craft legislation, make investments, and design programs that reflect what we hold dear. Our policy aspirations can include immediate impact and enduring connection, increased wellbeing, and inspired action.<\/p>\n

A summer like this hints at the possibility of more. It encourages a shift from a flat politics of gap-filling to a multi-dimensional politics of connection. Because whether it\u2019s the threat of climate change, increasing inequality, or the loneliness epidemic, \u201csurvival is, in fact,\u201d as Palestinian scholar Edward Said noted, \u201cabout the connection between things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Examples of awe-inspired governance abound: New Zealand\u2019s well-being economy considers dignity, cultural preservation, and ecological limits alongside income; a commission in Wales incorporates an assessment of impact on future generations in its decision-making; and Bhutan measures gross domestic happiness alongside gross national product.<\/p>\n

Government must take into account our full selves. We are people who need affordable housing, living wage jobs, great schools, and safe neighborhoods. We\u2019re also people who love our families, care for our neighbors, and seek a connection to something larger than ourselves.<\/p>\n

Systematically gathering qualitative data that paints a more complete picture will redefine how we measure success. That will lead to shifts in fundamental systems \u2014 our data infrastructure, decision-making, economy.<\/p>\n

The good news is, we don\u2019t have to wait another 53 years for the gift of belonging. By understanding the \u201cit\u201d behind the awe, we can create the conditions for the kind of connection that will make a better city and, ultimately, ensure our survival.<\/p>\n

MacLean is a founding member of the urban planning collective, Team Wonder<\/a>. Previously, she created and led the first-ever NYC Office of Engagement and ran the national community planning nonprofit, Hester Street.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Was it all a dream? The Knicks\u2019 epic playoff run on top of the global love fest that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64,299],"class_list":["post-313268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}