Between the Lines: How Zoning Shapes New York (Five Borough Challenge)

What are the invisible lines around and above us that determine the shape of the city? How do people sometimes get around them? Learn how to “read” the city around you on a citywide scavenger hunt exploring New York City’s zoning regulations. Decipher clues and race across the five boroughs to understand the city’s form in a new way.

If you’ve ever played a city-building game like SimCity, you might have come away thinking of zoning as a straightforward tool. Over here go the residences, over there the industries, and in the middle go commercial districts. The reality is much more complex, perhaps nowhere more so than here. New York became the first city in the United States to enact a comprehensive citywide zoning resolution 110 years ago. It recently got its most significant zoning changes in 60 years—with City of Yes zoning amendments adopted in 2024 and the city charter amendments passed by voters in 2025—but the effects of these new rules have barely begun.

Visit notable examples of zoning rules and exceptions, exploring how the city has been shaped by century-old rules and parcel-specific edits, and how recent changes will reshape neighborhoods and skylines in the decades to come.

Between the Lines is made possible with support from NYC Ferry.

Get Ready

• Build your team. Play solo or in a team of up to 6 players. Zoning-inspired team names strongly encouraged! 
• Register online. Advance registration is required—space is limited. One person can register for your whole team. 
• Meet up. Collect your game materials, including the list of 50 clues, at the starting location from 10 AM–12 PM. 
• Play to win. Decipher clues, race across the city, and submit photos of your team in front of clue locations. Submit photos throughout the day—scoring ends at 4 pm.
• Play to learn. Competition not your thing? That’s ok! The hunt is a great activity for anyone who loves exploring and wants to learn more about how our city is built. 
• Head start. Pledge to play without using a car (private cars, carshares, and taxis), and start the day with 50 bonus points.
• Celebrate! Meet fellow players and swap stories at the closing party from 4–6 PM. Winning teams and prizes will be awarded around 5 PM.