Located in the southeast corner of Brooklyn, Red Hook is the onlyneighborhood close to Manhattan that is underserved by publictransportation. One train station at Smith/9th Streets in nearbyCarroll Gardens is a mile from the heart of Red Hook, which isotherwise served by two bus lines and a Water Taxi that goes to WallStreet {but only in the summer months}. Because transportation optionsare limited, Red Hook residents are unable to conveniently connect tothe city around them and as a result, the neighborhood itself hasexperienced sporadic economic development.The Forum for Urban Design is launching a design competition tore-imagine Red Hook as the most bicycle friendly neighborhood in all ofNew York. Not only could bicycling become the predominant method oftransportation for neighborhood residents, it could become adestination for urban cyclists and foster sustainable development.The design competition has three components: one emphasizingarchitecture, the second emphasizing urban planning and design, and thethird emphasizing feasibility {i.e. funding sources}.Retrofitting a bike garage {or “loft”} at the Smith/9th Street StationConnecting this elevated train stop to the rest of the neighborhood via dedicated bike lanes and other bike amenitiesIdentifyingfunding sources such as the reauthorization of federal surfacetransportation legislation, foundations, and commercial sponsors.The immediate goal of this project is to make Red Hook moreaccessible for local commuters and safer for local recreationalcyclists; however, the greater vision is to spur sustainable economicdevelopment by attracting cyclists from around New York City to enjoythe Red Hook waterfront and other neighborhood treasures. Additionally,by focusing on the Smith/9th Street Station, we hope to encourage MTAto think about how they can rehabilitate it in a way that facilitatesother methods of transportation.
www.forumforurbandesign.org/