Municipal Art Society
Public Presentation
June 15th 2006
Outline
1.Learning from Brooklyn
2.The Planning Context
3.The Principles
4.The Alternative Plans
5.The FCR Plan
Learning from Brooklyn
1. Great neighborhoods
2. Great streets
3. Great parks
4. Lively streets and public spaces
Learning from Brooklyn
Great Neighborhoods
Prospect Heights
Credit: Project for Public Spaces
Learning from Brooklyn
Great Public Streets, Boulevards
Cobble Hill
Eastern Parkway
Learning from Brooklyn
Great Parks
Fort Greene Park
Learning from Brooklyn
Lively streets, public spaces
Fort Greene
Borough Hall
Credit: Project for Public Spaces
Learning from Brooklyn
Lively streets, public spaces
Fort Greene
Outside BAM
In the beginning…
Source: Native New York
Historic Brooklyn
Flatbush and Dean Street, early 20th century
Source: Brooklyn’s Park Slope
Historic Brooklyn
Fourth Avenue, looking North, early 20th century
Source: Brooklyn’s Park Slope
Historic Brooklyn
Fifth Avenue, early 20th century
Source: Brooklyn’s Park Slope
Now….
Source: New York from the Air
The Planning Context
Credit: Forest City Ratner
The Planning Context
The Planning Context
Principles
1. Respect the existing neighborhoods
2. Don’t eliminate streets
3. Create a real public park
4. Promote lively streets
5. Don’t choke the streets
Principle #1
1. Respect the existing
neighborhoods
Principle #1
Queens West:
Extreme density
adjacent to a
low-rise
neighborhood
Principle #2
2. Don’t eliminate streets
Principle #2: Don’t eliminate streets
Rockefeller Center and Tudor City added streets to
the grid to increase connectivity
Rockefeller Center
Tudor City
2. Don’t eliminate streets
Stuyvesant Town took streets away
Pre-war streetgrid
Post-war streetgrid
2. Don’t eliminate streets
Metrotech’s private streets make it feel like an enclave
Principle #3
3. Create real public parks
Principle #3: Create real public parks
Stuyvesant Town open
space is surrounded by
buildings and feels
private
Principle #3: Create real public parks
By contrast, most public parks feel public because
they are bordered by public streets
Ft. Greene Park
Cobble Hill Park
Principle #4
4. Promote lively streetlife
Principle #4: Promote lively streetlife
Promote diverse, streetlife-generating retail
• Blank facades vs. streetlife
PC Richard building, Flatbush Ave.
Boerum Hill’s Atlantic Ave.
Principle #4: Create lively streets
Promote diverse, streetlife-generating retail
• Chain stores vs. locally owned
• Large stores vs. small stores
Chain Stores
Sahadis, Atlantic Ave.
Principle #4: Create lively streets
Promote diverse, streetlife-generating retail
• 9am-5pm activity vs. evening / nightime
activity
Atlantic Center
Brooklyn nightlife
Principle #5
5. Don’t choke the streets
Principle #5: Don’t choke the streets
Credit: Joe Holmes
Principle #5: Don’t choke the streets
Alternative Plans
1.Unity Plan
2.Pacific Plan
3.Principles for Responsible
Development
Unity Plan
Pacific Plan
Source: Douglas Hamilton
Principles for Responsible Development
• Respect the context and scale of the existing
architecture in host communities.
• Include a diversity of uses
• New development should promote linkages
among neighborhoods by avoiding superblock
development and by creating additional streets.
• No currently open street should be closed and
the current street grid should be maintained.
• Mandate that any open space be publicly owned
and easily accessible so as to maximize public
access.
The Ratner Proposal
INSERT TWO MODEL SHOTS
FCR currently
proposes
8.7 Million sf
of
development
Credit: Gehry Partners
a) Density Comparison
8.7M square feet ≈ 3 Empire State Buildings
ESB is approx. 2.8M sf (Source: NYC Department of Finance, RPAD)
Density Comparison
8.7M square feet ≈ 23 Williamsburgh Savings Banks
WSB is approx 360000 sf
(Source: NYC Department of
Finance, RPAD)
Density Comparison
8.7M square feet ≈ 2200 brownstone houses OR
over 85% of Prospect Heights
Source:
Average
brownstone
approx 30004000 sf
Prospect Heights
(shown in red)
contains approx
9.8M sf of
development
The FCR Proposal
Credits: above, Gehry Partners, below, Olin Partnership
Principle #1
1. Respect the existing
neighborhoods
Principle #1
1. Respect the existing
neighborhoods
• Don’t “block the clock”
• Don’t overwhelm the surrounding
neighborhoods
• Reuse existing buildings on-site
Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric
Don’t “block the clock”
Left, current view down Flatbush; Right, view with proposed FCR
buildings (Credit: Gehry Partnership)
Principle #1: Respect the existing neighborhoods
FCR
Alternative
100ft height limit
Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric
Don’t overwhelm the surrounding neighborhoods
Above: typical townhouse scale
FCR Model Photo (credit:
Gehry Partners)
Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric
High
density
Low
density
Principle #1: Respect the existing fabric
Reuse existing buildings on site
Ward Bakery
Principle #2
2. Don’t eliminate streets
Rockefeller Center
Stuyvesant Town
Principle #2: Don’t eliminate streets
Forest City Ratner Proposal: demaps parts of 5th
Avenue and Pacific Street
Principle #2: Don’t eliminate streets
Alternative: Keep 5th Avenue and part of Pacific Street,
add new streets going across the railyards
5th Avenue
Forest City Plan
Alternative
Principle #3
3. Create a real public park
Cobble
Hill
Park
Stuyvesant
Town
Principle #3
3. Create a real public park
Credit: Olin Partnership
Principle #3: Create a real public park
Forest City Proposal showing open space surrounded by
buildings
Principle #3: Create a real public park
Alternative showing potential open space bordered by
public streets
Principle #4
4. Promote lively streets
PC Richard building, Flatbush Ave.
Boerum Hill’s Atlantic Ave.
Principle #4: Promote lively streets
FCR is attempting to “wrap” Arena with continuous retail
Photographs of FCR Model (Credit: Gehry Partners)
Principle #4: Promote lively streets
• Unclear whether retail (in red) on eastern part
of the project will be successful
• 256,000 sq ft of retail in the program: Unclear
what kind of retail it will be
Adapted from rendering by Olin Partnership
Principle #5: Don’t choke the streets
Project could add 40,000 more
vehicle trips (source: NY Times)
How can this be mitigated?
• Encourage use of public
transit to get to arena
• Congestion pricing
• Residential parking permits
• Traffic calming measures
Principles
1. Respect the existing neighborhoods
2. Don’t eliminate streets
3. Create a real public park
4. Promote lively streets
5. Don’t choke the streets