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Left to Right: Samira Behrooz, Skye Duncan, Linnaea Tillett, Margaret Newman, Adam Nicklin, Dan Adams, Neil Gagliardi, John Schettino
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NYCDOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg at the toolkit launch event
Watch the full video of the launch event in partnership with NYCDOT, hosted by AIANY Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
The Design Trust for Public Space in partnership with NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), launched the El-Space Toolkit: Strategies for Reclaiming Sites Beneath Elevated Transportation Infrastructure, on February 4, 2020. The event, held at the Center for Architecture, in collaboration with AIANY Transportation and Infrastructure Committee included opening remarks by NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and presentation by Design Trust Director of Programs, Samira Behrooz. This was followed by a panel discussion of practitioners from Toronto, Boston and New York City.
Imagine walking beneath an elevated highway and seeing a planter box collecting storm water from the pipes above, or being able to picnic with your reclining chair, watching roller skating performance, or seeing murals and lights breathing new life into the blank, scary areas of the underpass. The El-Space Toolkit will surely let your imagination run wild, while offering practical strategies to get there.
New York City has over 75 million square feet of el-space, forming a complex network in the urban fabric of the city that is often hard to ignore. Despite being a space for informal community use to essential storage facilities for municipalities, they are mostly forgotten and underutilized, and generally considered unsafe areas to be in. With jurisdictional, operational and funding issues, these complex sites pose challenges, many of them site-specific. Featuring 21 topical case studies from 11 cities across North America, the Toolkit, is meant to serve as an evolving multi-media resource for designers, community groups, local businesses, developers, and public agencies to use in the planning, design, and operation of el-space.
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At the launch event, the panelists representing featured toolkit case studies, discussed the immense potential that these residual urban areas pose for designers, city planners and communities alike. The panel, moderated by Margaret Newman, Principal at ARUP, included,
We are proud of our collaboration with our partners at the Design for Public Trust to change the way we think about these complex and previously neglected sites. Our work together has allowed us to test creative strategies, from new lighting to creative artwork and green infrastructure, that allow pedestrians to appreciate -- and even enjoy –their journeys through these spaces.