CASE STUDY: BROOKLYN, NY 1 day

Demonstration F Interim Design

DEMONSTRATION

INTERIM

Project Type: Pedestrian Plaza Sponsor Organizations: NYC DOT Agencies Involved: Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District, The Uni Project, Ridgewood Local Development Corporation Materials Budget: < $500 Key Demonstration Materials: »» Barrier Elements: A-Frame Barricades »» Street Furniture: Tents, mobile library, moveable tables and chairs »» Signs: Banner »» Programming: Outreach booth with information about long-term project About the Project: The Myrtle Avenue BID and Ridgewood Local Development Corporation partnered with NYC DOT to bring a one day plaza to a dangerous six-way intersection on the border or Brooklyn and Queens. Two subway lines and six bus routes converge at this Wyckoff Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, and Palmetto Street intersection. Three pedestrians have been killed at this intersection since 2009, two of them by MTA bus drivers. Part of NYC DOT’s One Day Plaza initiative, this temporary public space was used to gather community feedback for a more robust interim plaza. Normally proposed by community partners, this plaza was part of NYC DOT’s Vision Zero initiative to make this intersection safer in the short term. NYC DOT added interim curb extensions at the intersection back in 2014, but after another pedestrian was killed, a plaza was proposed. The interim design plaza was implemented in Fall of 2016.

Programming

Programming the temporary plaza was key to this project’s success. Live music, games, and a mobile library engaged people and activated the space. The mobile library is part of the Uni Project, a nonprofit that activates public spaces in NYC.

Barrier

Plastic planters soften the space and provide a barrier to moving traffic (spec sheet page 39).

Left: A one day demonstration plaza, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY (David Meyer). Right: Following a successful demonstration, an interim design plaza was implemented by the NYCDOT (David Meyer).

Street Furniture

Movable tables and chairs help make the space comfortable for people of all ages (spec sheet page 63).

PROJECT APPLICATIONS · 121