Brooklyn Bridge Park's Evolving Role

As a new park near the Brooklyn Bridge gradually opens in New York, the role it plays in public life in the city is already evolving.

1 minute read

September 30, 2010, 12:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


Urban Omnibus reviews the project and discusses its developmental future.

"[T]he planning of Brooklyn Bridge Park explicitly acknowledges that the maintenance costs over time will far outweigh the construction costs. The proposed solution - up to 20% of the park land can be developed to generate revenue - led to fierce debate (and a court case that argued a violation of the public trust doctrine). In 2002, four years after the masterplanning process began, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki signed an agreement to provide the land and to create the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) as a subsidiary of Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC). As the park's developer (and MVVA's client) the BBPDC would also develop commercial properties to fund maintenance and operational needs. Twelve days before Pier 1 opened, the nature of this city-state partnership changed dramatically. Governor Paterson relinquished the State's stake in the project, effectively handing control of the process to the City.'

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 in Urban Omnibus

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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