In 2006, OpenPlans helped launch a grassroots effort to improve Grand Army Plaza, a massive traffic rotary in Brooklyn that divides neighborhoods, endangers pedestrians and generates congestion, pollution and far too many car crashes.
Today, OpenPlans is working with city agencies and a broad coalition of community groups to re-envision Grand Army Plaza and transform it into one of New York City’s finest public spaces.
Why Grand Army Plaza?
Grand Army Plaza is an 11-acre urban oasis, a public plaza with the potential to serve hundreds of thousands each year.
Designed by Olmsted and Vaux in 1865, it is alternately a transit center, a home to important cultural institutions, the main entry to Prospect Park, and a crossroads between a number of distinct Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Yet Grand Army had been left fallow for decades, a victim of transportation planning that prioritized private cars over community life. For years, Grand Army was home to more traffic accidents than nearly any other location in the city.
City residents had been pushing DOT for minor reforms for years. City officials claimed that even changing the timing for pedestrian signals was simply impossible – any change would disrupt traffic flowing through one of the city’s most complicated intersections.
Fixing the GAP
In 2006, OpenPlans’ Aaron Naparstek helped found the Grand Army Plaza Coalition (GAPCo) an alliance of neighborhood groups, businesses, and nearby cultural organizations like the Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park Alliance.
As a leading partner, OpenPlans provided critical support through charrettes, public exhibitions and web site development.
GAPCo’s visioning workshops to create a clear vision for how Grand Army could better meet civic needs. GAPCo invited the world’s pre-eminent urban designer, Jan Gehl, to consult on design strategy. By involving the Department of Transportation early, GAPCo was able to convince officials of the widespread support for reform.
In 2007, DOT responded with initial street scape alterations that recovered 11,000 square feet of space and provided substantial safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.
Winning Ideas
In 2008, GAPCo won funding from the Design Trust for Public Space. The Design Trust – widely credited with the success of the Highline project – collected more than 200 visionary design proposals for Grand Army through an international ‘ideas competition.’
Today, the city and citizens are working to transform Grand Army Plaza into the magnificent civic space it was meant to be. The winning proposals will inform a new Master Plan for Grand Army Plaza.