NYC's Opening Doors Challenge Seeks Accessibility Ideas

Author: NYC Department of Buildings
Published: 2025/09/15
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: Americas - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This report details New York City's launch of the "Opening Doors Building Accessibility Innovation Challenge," a groundbreaking citywide initiative that invites architects, engineers, advocates, accessibility experts, and the public to submit innovative solutions for improving building access and inclusion across the five boroughs. With nearly one million New Yorkers living with disabilities and 1.775 million residents over 65, this challenge addresses a critical need to retrofit older buildings constructed before modern accessibility regulations, particularly those built prior to Local Law 58 in 1987.

The initiative is particularly valuable for seniors and people with disabilities as it specifically targets the accessibility gap in existing buildings, potentially leading to changes in construction codes and providing Department of Buildings technical support for winning ideas. The challenge encompasses diverse areas including multifamily building enhancements, commercial storefront access, neurodiversity accommodations, emerging technology integration, and innovative vertical access solutions, making it a comprehensive approach to urban accessibility that could benefit millions of New Yorkers who currently face barriers in their built environment - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

City Launches "Opening Doors" Building Accessibility Innovation Challenge

City puts out an open call for ideas to improve building access, inclusion, and vertical accessibility in NYC's built environment.

Main Content

Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo and Housing Preservation Department Acting Housing Commissioner Ahmed Tigani together announced the launch of a new citywide innovation challenge, inviting architects, engineers, advocates, accessibility experts, and members of the public to submit forward-thinking ideas to the city that can help shape the future of accessibility in the five boroughs. A panel of judges drawn from government agencies and industry experts will review these submissions and pick the best ideas as challenge winners. The winners of this innovation challenge may receive Department of Buildings (DOB) technical support and assistance in introducing their ideas to the building and construction industry, and those ideas potentially could lead to changes to the city's construction codes.

"By calling on the city's design and construction communities for their best ideas to improve building accessibility we can leverage the ingenuity of our private industry partners to meaningfully improve the quality of life for millions of our neighbors here in the five boroughs," said Commissioner Oddo. "This city is getting older, with senior citizens making up a larger percentage of the city's population with each passing year. As someone who also isn't as young as he used to be, I understand that when buildings aren't designed with accessibility in mind, they are effectively locked away for many older New Yorkers and those with disabilities. This first ever accessibility challenge is an acknowledgement that more can be done when it comes to our built environment, and we need to keep working to unlock more spaces for more New Yorkers."

"Some of my most memorable moments at DOB were working alongside incredible colleagues to launch innovative challenges aimed at making our codes and regulations more effective for the people we serve," said Acting Commissioner Tigani. "Now, Commissioner Oddo, myself, and our respective agencies are excited to announce the "Opening Doors" challenge and see what ideas architects, engineers, developers, advocates, accessibility experts, and members of the public from across the US have to improve the quality of life and accessibility of our older buildings and incorporate forward-looking, innovative new approaches into our policies and procedures as we work to ensure that every New Yorker has a safe, affordable, accessible place to call home. I'm grateful to DOB for their leadership on this work and my own colleagues here at HPD supporting this worthwhile project. I can't wait to see the incredible submissions that we receive!"

Starting on September 22, the Department of Buildings will open an online submission portal for the "Opening Doors" accessibility challenge. Submissions for the challenge can incorporate a wide range of ideas related to building accessibility, including:

• Enhancing accessibility in multifamily buildings
• Improving access to commercial storefronts
• Designing for neurodiversity, sensory accessibility, and cognitive inclusion
• Integrating emerging technologies to improve accessibility
• Retrofitting older buildings for greater accessibility
• Modernizing design standards, practices and regulations
• Rethinking vertical access solutions, such as elevators, ramps and lifts

Almost one million New Yorkers of all ages in our city live with a disability, approximately 11% of the total population. In addition, approximately 1.775 million New Yorkers are above the age of 65, a number that is expected to only grow in the coming years. Ensuring that homes, stores, community centers, and places of businesses are accessible is critical to help New Yorkers today, and will only become more imperative as the population of older New Yorkers continues to grow.

While the city already has robust accessibility standards for new buildings and construction alteration projects, which in many cases surpass federal standards, a gap currently exists for older buildings built prior to modern accessibility regulations that have not been recently renovated. This has left large parts of New York City closed off to millions of New Yorkers. This "Opening Doors" accessibility challenge is hoping to bridge part of that gap by supporting new ideas that can remove barriers and bring this city closer together.

The "Opening Doors" accessibility challenge is the latest in a line of initiatives at the Department of Buildings aimed at partnering with private industry to think about new ways to improve how we build in New York City. In 2024, DOB launched the concept of the Innovation Review Board - an initiative supported by volunteer industry experts who are tasked with evaluating cutting-edge technologies that can potentially be used in the construction and development sectors. That same year, DOB partnered the Partnership Fund for New York City to launch the "Buildings Tech Lab", a public-private initiative to find, evaluate, and test innovative technology solutions from private companies that will support the agency's work. DOB has also hosted previous innovation challenges focused on improved technology, construction and building maintenance, and building sustainability.

"Accessibility is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Nearly one million New Yorkers with disabilities, as well as our growing population of older adults, deserve to live in a city where every door is open to them," said NYC MOPD Commissioner Christina Curry. "This challenge is an opportunity to reimagine what inclusion can look like in the built environment, from homes to storefronts to community spaces. By harnessing the creativity of various stakeholders across sector, including, and everyday New Yorkers, we can spark solutions that move us closer to a city that truly works for everyone."

"Elderly New Yorkers and those with disabilities face unique challenges during emergencies. Our buildings and infrastructure must account for those needs," said FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker. "Simple accessibility measures not only improve quality of life for New Yorkers, but they can also help firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics reach and remove people in need quickly and safely. We are happy to partner on an initiative that can make our City's buildings safer and more inclusive for all New Yorkers."

"New York City is the national leader in pioneering street safety improvements, and we look forward to continuing to build a more accessible and equitable New York in partnership with the Department of Building's 'Opening Doors' initiative," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "Doing so will ensure that people with disabilities have easier access to their homes, community centers, and places of business while also being able to navigate safe, accessible streets to lead more independent lives."

"At the School Construction Authority, accessibility is at the heart of how we design, build, and enhance learning environments," said Nina Kubota, President and CEO of the NYC School Construction Authority. "The Opening Doors Challenge is an exciting opportunity to bring fresh, innovative ideas to the table-ideas that can break down barriers and make New York City's buildings truly inclusive for every student, educator, and neighbor. By collaborating across agencies and communities, we can set a new standard for universal design that reflects the diversity and dynamism of our city."

"We look forward to collaborating with the Department of Buildings, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and fellow panel members to address our shared concerns around accessibility. With more than half of New York City's buildings constructed before the introduction of Local Law 58 in 1987 - NYC's first accessibility requirement - this initiative presents a critical opportunity to advance meaningful dialogue and solutions around accessibility challenges across New York City," said Jason Wood, Director of ADA Compliance at the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), whose office reviews DDC projects for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and Chapter 11 of the NYC Building Code, to ensure DDC projects are more accessible to the public and staff.

"At DCAS, we know that accessibility is not just about compliance, rather it's about equity, inclusion, and respect, and we're committed to ensuring that our public buildings serve all New Yorkers," said DCAS Commissioner Louis A. Molina. "By joining our partners at DOB and HPD in this challenge, we are proud to help bring forward fresh ideas that will remove barriers and open more doors across our city."

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by NYC Department of Buildings and published on 2025/09/15, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.