The Times Square pedestrian plaza featuring Brooklyn-based artist Molly Dilworth's mural "Cool Water, Hot Island."
Observation presents a huge opportunity for learning about street planning and transportation policy in New York City. A large piece of my education so far has been witnessing the work that the DOT has been implementing to improve city quality of life. This is why I came to New York in the first place, to use experiential and place based education to learn about the DOT and urban transportation policy.
It only made sense to start at Times Square, the most famed example of how the DOT is dramatically changing street-scapes to accommodate people rather than exclusively vehicles. Even at 11AM on a Wednesday morning in January, with temperatures approaching 30, the plaza was full of people sightseeing, commuting on foot, and sitting outside (!) to enjoy lunch or a coffee. The mural painted to demarcate the plaza from the street was bold enough to match the glitz and glamor of Times Square, but not so much to distract from the other sights. It seemed to me a very effective and attractive way to define a pedestrian plaza.
Simple planters separate the Times Square plaza from busy 7th Avenue.
Planters, another elegant method of separating pedestrians from the street, adorned the sides of the plaza. These movable barriers serve not only to protect walkers from passing cars, but also add to the atmosphere of the plaza, introducing a much-needed element of greenery into the city. Though some argue that a more permanent delineation is necessary, I like the flexibility these planters provide. If an event requires more space to be blocked from the street, they can be easily moved, to create a stage, dance floor, or reception space. From an aesthetic standpoint, I like that the different sized and shaped plants are pulled together with similar pots to create a uniform, but visually interesting, barrier.
Signs marking bicycle lanes along with bicycle-only traffic signals on Broadway between Times and Herald Squares signify a paradigm shift on New York City streets.
It looks like Copenhagen! This is the first I’ve seen of these small bicycle traffic lights in America. They were all over Copenhagen and I thought it was so wild over there that cyclists not only got their own lane, but also their own lights! They seem to blend in to the landscape here such that pedestrians or motorists may miss it if they weren’t looking. It seems to symbolize how the bicycle culture is slowly being integrated into the city, not obtrusively, but systematically and steadily, a change hopefully incremental enough to not garner excessive negative attention. It’s lovely how easily both the lights and the Bike Path signs fit in, like they aren’t new at all. I especially like the old-style car on the no-cars sign.
Protected bicycle lane and adjacent seating area on Broadway between Times and Herald Squares.
This is Broadway, the road renowned for its arterial strength both in New York City culture and as a central auto-route. Half of the road has been transformed into this human landscape, a shockingly welcoming scale amidst the enormity of downtown Manhattan. In addition to improving the aesthetic feel and lively culture of Broadway, this change provides more space for movement, creating an additional walkway on one of the busiest pedestrian streets in America.
With all the new bike lanes in the city, bicycle parking is becoming more of a concern. Car parking still outnumbers bicycle parking, promoting car culture, though the tide is shifting.
Another DOT project involves creating more space for bicycle parking, an issue that is escalating as cycling increases in the city. Several design competitions have occurred to find an elegant but functional solution to bicycle parking. In the meantime, however, cyclists park on benches, signposts, streetlamps, and any other object that can secure a bicycle. This visual element in the street-scape is a stark sign that the culture of New York streets is changing. Hopefully there will come a day when cyclist needs are just as urgent as car-drivers’ and will be addressed equally.
Bryant Park, a beautifully designed park with trees, plants, outdoor seating, paid cafe seating, a seasonal ice rink, and an outdoor craft and artisan market.
I remember hearing about Bryant Park as a mecca for drugs and crime back in the day and was shocked to read the name of this beautiful gem a few blocks away from Times Square. A poster child for urban regeneration, this exquisite park seems lively at all times during the day. I was told that while many homeless and derelict people still frequent this park, they now have places to sit, sleep, and rest, while the remainder of the gentrified park moves obliviously around them. Aside from Central Park, this is one of the greenest places I have seen in the city. Large trees and hedges of shrubs encircle pathways and seating areas, providing an extremely romantic setting for the seasonal ice skating rink. Bryant park is truly one of the more beautiful places I think I’ve seen in the city.
A mother and daughter take in the famed view of the Statue of Liberty from the waterfront in Battery Park, downtown Manhattan.
Perhaps New York’s second most famous open space, Battery Park is host to some of the most famous views in America’s history. Every day hundreds, thousands, of tourists gaze out upon this beacon of American genesis and pride. Other memorials laid throughout the park venerating soldiers, late political leaders, and American heroes, add to the historical significance of this entry point to American soil. In a brilliant pubic show of the city’s emerging environmentalism, the rich scent of Christmas pines drifted from mulch beds, a result of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s second annual “Mulchfest,” a Christmas tree recycling program.
This brief outline of my urban wanderings will continue as I explore the multitude of open spaces, plazas, parks, and livable streets this city has to offer.