New York City presents three options for transforming the six-lane Brooklyn-Queens Expressway by covering it with vegetation and making streetscape improvements.
The designs, by Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects, respond to community concerns about pollution and noise from traffic as well as bicycle and pedestrian safety. Residents in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Columbia Street Waterfront, where the project would be built, also expressed desire for a greener streetscape.
Brandon Klayko says that cost is a major consideration in the proposals. The baseline scheme would cost $10.7 to 18.7 million, while the "dream scheme" has a pricetag of up to $82.7 million.
Klayko writes: "Three proposed designs offer increasing levels of complexity and ambition with an eye toward construction and financial feasibility. It remains to be seen what proposed intervention will actually be implemented, but nearly any change to this urban sore can be seen as an improvement."
FULL STORY: Envisioning a Green Future for the BQE
A $1.7 Billion Highway Project Looms in Brooklyn
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) is built atop of crumbling series of bridges. The city is expected to go in high gear on construction on Brooklyn's only interstate highway by the beginning of the next decade.
Brooklyn Library Comes With Affordable Housing
Combining affordable housing with a library reduced the cost of the project and gives residents access to essential resources.
Can Brooklyn Change the Conversation on Comprehensive Planning in New York?
The Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn is the largest comprehensive planning effort by land area in the U.S. since L.A. updated its plan in the 2000s, and the latest attempt to advance comprehensive planning in a city that has grown cynical about it.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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