Design Trust Executive Director, Susan Chin was part of an experts panel on a recent discussion on the future of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway organized by AIANY Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee.

This session will serve to educate a wider audience about the 1.5-mile Triple Cantilever section of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE), built in the 1940s by Robert Moses. This section of the BQE is at the end of its useful life and currently requires replacement or extensive rehabilitation. The AIANY Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Planning and Urban Design Committee formed a joint BQE Task Force to respond to the BQE proposals by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and other constituencies. After multiple workshops with interested AIA members, the Task Force authored a report of its findings, BQE In Context, with an agenda of advocating for synergies. The report was subsequently shared with the Mayor’s Expert Panel, formed in response to the public outcry following the NYC DOT Proposal.

This program will provide a spirited forum for leaders in planning, urban design, and transportation infrastructure to provide commentary on the report developed by the Task Force and the future of the BQE.

Intro and Historic Background:
Allen Swerdlowe, FAIA, Founder, d7architects

Panelists:
Alexandros Washburn, AIA, Founder, DRAW Brooklyn; former Chief Urban Designer, NYC Department of City Planning
Susan Chin, FAIA, Executive Director, Design Trust for Public Space
Thomas Balsley, FASLA, Principal and Lead Designer, SWA/Balsley
Andrew Lynn, Vice President and Senior Project Manager, WSP USA

Moderator:
Ernest Hutton, FAICP, Assoc. AIA, Principal, Hutton Associates/ Planning Interaction

Watch the full panel discussion and the variety of opportunities for the future of BQE to create a well connected, accessible Brooklyn Heights neighborhood.

The BQE in Context: Communities, Infrastructure and Public Space - 10.07.2019 from Center for Architecture on Vimeo.