Film: DaeQuan Collier
Can space under an expressway be activated to improve the community it runs through?
Through the Local Center, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ) has been working closely with designers from Ennead Lab and Public Works Partners, engineers from Buro Happold, and lawyers from Cozen O'Connor to reclaim the underused space beneath the Bruckner Expressway with local art and vendors. This initiative is paving the way for their long-term vision of the Soundview Economic Hub.
Ennead Lab, Ennead's research, development, and advocacy initiative, applied its expertise in architecture, planning, and community engagement to the project. Masha Konopleva, AIA, co-director of Ennead Lab, said, "Seeing people interact with it like we had hoped they would, winding through the art, sitting on it, stepping back, going to the vendors, kind of milling around the space - it was really beautiful to see it all come to life."
This project is supported by the Local Center, a community design initiative that equips local leaders with the technical assistance, funding, and connections to re-envision public spaces. The Local Center is a collaboration between Urban Design Forum and the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. This project was made possible with lead support from the Mellon Foundation, and major support from Charles H. Revson Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, NYC Green Fund, and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.
Learn more about the project here.