Brooklyn Bridge Park
New York
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation took the bold initiative in 1999 to create a significant waterfront park on 65 acres of waterfront land declared surplus by the New York Port Authority and a number on contiguous sites owned by the City and the State stretching 1 1/3 miles along the East River. Ken Greenberg (then a Partner in Urban Strategies) led a master planning effort in collaboration with landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and finance/policy consultants HR&A for the lands stretching from Atlantic Avenue south of the Brooklyn Bridge to north of the Manhattan Bridge. A first priority was the reconnecting of the city fabric to the East River, extending and improving the public realm and enhancing the quality of life and stimulating economic activity in a community with very limited access to the River. The adjacent highly diverse neighborhoods had numerous ideas about what the park should be, so the process of community consultation was critical to the plan's success; regular feedback and design exploration were posted on the project web site. The Park Master Plan linking re-naturalized habits, promenades, playfields and places for intensive cultural uses has been approved by City and State with over $150 million in public funding. The park is now entering the implementation phase with final plans prepared by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Landscape Architects.