New York City’s most prominent design and architecture schools, among them Parsons, Columbia GSAPP, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Pratt and the School of Visual Arts (SVA), are fueling the city’s creative economy, according to a report released on March 18^th by the think tank The Center for an Urban Future.

Through interviews and survey responses from over 300 academics, design professionals and entrepreneurs, the report concluded that design and architecture schools are a major talent pipeline for the city's creative sector, which is growing more rapidly than traditional sectors like construction and finance.

Splash House, a design-build project by graduate architecture students from Parsons The New School working with NYC Parks & Recreation to improve a historic swimming pool in Washington Heights. Left: nearing completion. Right: design rendering.

“New York design universities have been critical catalysts for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth,” reads the report, titled Designing New York's Futureand available in full at www.nycfuture.org. “Their graduates have produced dozens of start-up companies that set up locally—something that has eluded most of the city's scientific research institutions.”

The relationship between design schools and the city is a true give and take, notes Parsons Executive Dean Joel Towers. “Parsons is very much a part of the creative economy here in New York,” he said. “New York City is a laboratory for our students, who participate in collaborative projects—ranging from city agencies and non-profits to some of the world's leading companies. Beyond the classroom, our alumni and faculty make valuable contributions to the art and design industries in the city.”

According to the survey, New York City leads the country in the fields of architecture and design, with 4,278 architecture and design students graduated here in 2010; the second highest concentration of graduates in these fields were the 1,769 that graduated in Los Angeles. Between 2001 and 2010, full-time student enrollment increased 34 percent compared to 28 percent at design schools nationally; non-design schools in New York City saw a 27 percent increase in enrollment.

The schools are also job creators. Forty-three percent of respondents indicated they had taught at a local design school, a finding mirrored in the Parsons faculty, which includes many practicing designers. In addition, one-third of the 386 members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America attended FIT, Parsons or Pratt.

The report also states that 56 percent of designers surveyed said they have plans to start their own businesses, and according to a follow-up report by Parsons, those who do not start their own businesses generally join the ranks of top local firms or businesses, with roughly 88 percent of graduates remaining in the New York City area after graduation.

03202012