Current Photos

Vision

Brooklyn Bridge Redux
The Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage
New York City, USA
Terreform and Michael Sorkin Studio

New York City grew up around its subways and commuter rails — the largest rapid transit system in the world. Despite this, throughout the 20th century, the city has been continuously retrofitted to accommodate cars. As the 21st century moves forward, New York City's leaders and community organizations are actively working to reverse and reduce car domination over public space.

Since the unveiling of PlaNYC — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's plan for the city's sustainability — many streets, including Broadway, have been pedestrianized, hundreds of bike lanes have been built and bicycle ridership has tripled. The city has also implemented Select Bus Service, which integrates some key features of BRT, like paying before you board, along several bus routes in the city.

The study site, where the Brooklyn Bridge enters Lower Manhattan, is uniquely suited for continued transformation. Currently, the area is a no-man's land of tangled highway access ramps and surface parking lots. The elevated FDR Drive southbound severs the site, carrying only minimal traffic south of the bridges, even at rush hour. The surrounding short and narrow streets are ideal for enhanced walking and cycling. Though the Brooklyn Bridge almost exclusively carried mass transit when it first opened, now only private cars are permitted on its roadbed. The overcrowded bridge promenade, with more than 4,000 pedestrians and more than 2,600 cyclists daily, awaits new solutions.

The images portray a resurgent Lower Manhattan, putting people first and integrating transport types. Bicyclists are shifted from the existing promenade and given a lane in each direction on the bridge. The elevated FDR Drive is removed entirely south of the Manhattan Bridge, and replaced by a tree-lined boulevard complete with bike lanes and BRT. The bridge anchorage is opened up to new shops and cafes and offers broad access to the promenade above. Most local streets are pedestrianized or shared between pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles. Lower Manhattan becomes an ‘eco-zone', with vehicle access fees and restriction to only ultra-clean cars and trucks. Freight is delivered by barge to a transfer terminal on the site. Swathes of streets, buildings and the waterfront area incorporate urban agriculture or aquaculture. The age of isolation and car domination ends with the Brooklyn Bridge redux.

« Previous City   Next City »