206 BROOKLYN NEWS BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
A Vision for Brooklyn’s Tomorrow
The Brooklyn of today exists because of big ideas
that have created some of our most iconic landmarks
and landscapes. The Brooklyn Bridge and
Prospect Park are foundational cornerstones that
were first envisioned back in the 19th century. More
recent decades have seen the realization of visionary
works such as MetroTech Center in Downtown
Brooklyn, the nation’s largest urban academic-industrial
research park, as well as the rebirth of sites
like Coney Island’s amusement district and Flatbush’s
legendary Kings Theatre. The natural question
is…what’s next?
Borough President Adams is seeking to answer
that question through a variety of projects and proposals
intended to advance the quality of life across
the borough.
Here are four unique examples:
BQGREEN, Williamsburg: BQGREEN would create
an approximately two-acre park above a belowgrade
section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
between South Third Street and South Fifth Street,
connecting a community that has been divided since
the highway was built through Williamsburg more
than 50 years ago. The plan for BQGREEN, long
championed by Deputy Brooklyn Borough President
Diana Reyna, includes a flower garden, playgrounds,
a baseball diamond, barbecues, lawns and wooded
areas, as well as a pool and water play zone. In addition
to the $2 million that Borough President Adams
has allocated from his capital budget, he is
collaborating with other elected officials to secure
federal, state, and local funds for BQGREEN. The
project would create new open space in an increasingly
dense neighborhood while enhancing the local
environment and its ability to mitigate public health
risks such as asthma that have been an ongoing
challenge for the community.
Brooklyn Strand,
Downtown Brooklyn:
The Brooklyn Strand involves the revitalization of
about 50 acres of Downtown Brooklyn as well as
neighboring DUMBO and Fort Greene. A redesign of
open space, achieved through a restoration of parks
and playgrounds in the area as well as a widening
of pedestrian corridors to create
public plazas, would catalyze
economic development as well as
allow residents to connect easily
to and through local parks, all
while enjoying active and passive
recreational activities. To support
the large-scale vision, championed
by the Downtown Brooklyn
Partnership, Borough President
Adams has allocated $1,500,000
from his capital budget, making
him the first elected official
to commit funds to the Brooklyn
Strand. Projects within the plan
include the refurbishment and
reopening of the Brooklyn War Memorial in Cadman
Plaza Park — made possible through a grant he issued
in 2015 — and the submerging of a parking lot
next to Brooklyn Borough Hall to allow for the construction
of an aboveground
café and event
space.
Friendship Archway,
Sunset Park:
Brooklyn has more than
150,000 residents of
Chinese heritage, particularly
in the neighborhoods
of Bensonhurst,
Gravesend, and Sunset
Park. To symbolize the
connection between
Brooklyn and China and
to honor the contributions
of Chinese-Americans
to the community,
Borough President Adams
has worked with
community leaders and officials in China to build
a friendship archway, knowns as a Paifang, on the
Eighth Avenue corridor in Sunset Park. In 2014, he
led a local delegation of small business owners
and local Chinese-American leaders to
the Chaoyang district of Beijing, where he
signed a sister city agreement with Brooklyn
as well as affirmed the municipality’s agreement
to donate the archway, which will be a
magnet for tourism and economic opportunity
for “Brooklyn’s Chinatown.”
Revitalization of Emmons Avenue,
Sheepshead Bay:
In Sheepshead Bay, the Emmons Avenue
corridor offers a beautiful view of the water,
but remains underutilized because the
area lacks vibrant year-round street life and
amenities to draw in shoppers and visitors.
In a recent proposal to the New York City
Regional Economic Development Council,
Borough President Adams proposed a series
of projects, such as the creation of a landscaped
esplanade along the bay with a greenway for
bicyclists, additional seating to assist families with
children and older adults, expanded street lighting
and public art to create a more eye-catching environment,
as well as a shuttle bus to connect Emmons
Avenue to existing public transit. The outline,
first initiated by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
and students at the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate
School of Public Service, engaged local residents in
a visioning process that also recommended increasing
access to the bay, possibly by building a floating
pool or establishing a public marina for recreational
boating and fishing.
Photo Credits: Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce/DLANDstudio Architecture
+ Landscape Architecture PLLC./Raymond Chan Architect P.C./WXY
Architecture + Urban Design
Borough President Adams is advancing a variety of
visionary projects across Brooklyn, including:
The Brooklyn Strand in Downtown Brooklyn
BQGREEN in Williamsburg
A friendship archway in Sunset Park
The revitalization of Emmons Avenue in
Sheepshead Bay