The Boogie Down Booth, our temporary installation below the elevated 2/5 subway tracks in the Bronx, was selected as one of the three unique urban projects for the Jane Jacobs Forum at this year's MAS (Municipal Arts Society) Summit.

Since its launch in July 2013, the Booth has successfully created a vibrant public space in South Bronx. The community loved its innovative seating area with music and solar power lighting. Aligning with the Summit’s theme of equity, place and opportunity, for this year, the Booth created an equitable and entertaining public space that brought together people from the community and generated a sense of place & pride.

On Thursday, October 23, Design Trust Fellow Chat Travieso, our project partner DOT’s Neil Gagliardi and collaborator WHEDco's Kerry A. McLean, joined the panel discussion at the Jane Jacobs Forum to talk about Boogie Down Booth’s design process and impact. The panel discussed the funding model, design inspirations and regulatory procedures behind the Booth’s success. Kerry and Chat explained the site-specific and music inspired design approach that responded to some of the urban issues learned during the community workshops. 

The Boogie Down Booth provides bright colored seating space for community gathering and addresses poor lighting by providing solar powered lights. It plays 25 songs cultivated in South Bronx and masks the screeching noise of trains above. The directional nature of speakers provides maximum entertainment for Booth users and does not disturb the surrounding neighborhood. As an active public space near the subway station and bus stop, the Booth has also helped surrounding business by increasing foot traffic on the street.

The Boogie Down Booth is part of our Under the Elevated project that seeks to repurpose nearly 700 miles of elevated infrastructure in the City. Our fellow team is learning from this experiment that sets out to test policy and design ideas, which might turn into more permanent solutions.

On Thursday, November 13, amid the rhythmic beats of live hand drum and backdrop of beautiful art pieces by students of nearby PS 134, the south Bronx community gathered for an official close down event for the Boogie Down Booth. The community celebrated the successful run of the unique Booth, before it closes for winter. Proud students of PS 134 took pictures of the Booth and their artwork, while the older folks simply enjoyed live music and the vibrant atmosphere from their favorite seat on the Booth!

While we continue to work on Under the Elevated, the Boogie Down Booth will be uninstalled tomorrow, Tuesday, November 18. We are thrilled by the success of this experiment and hope to create exciting interventions under the elevated infrastructure in New York City!