How a 1.3-mile stretch of street became a much-needed park space in Queens, New York – Grist
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During Covid’s 2020 locks, people in cities around the world were desperate to go out. With everything slowing, the residents and city governments organized to prevent the sections of some streets to cars, instead given them to pedestrians and recreational activities – A global phenomenon in the streets of “open”, “slow” or “quiet” streetsDepending on the local language.
One of the most exciting examples of a successful open street was Avenue 34 in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York, which many described as it Golden Standard What the first human streets can look like.
Jackson Heights is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in one of the most diverse municipalities in New York City. More than 60 percent of its population It consists of people who were born outside the United States and like many working -class neighborhoods where the majority of the population is colored people, they suffer from a lack of green spaces.
“Jackson Heights is the last in the individual area of Park in all New York City,” said Dawn Saif, Executive Director of the Paseo Park, a non -profit organization led by society that appeared to defend the Avenue 34 Park. She said, “There is no place for your children to learn to ride a bicycle.” “My children and my daughter attended, and they are still attending, two of the seven public schools that are basically up and down in Avenue 34 – and they have no room for the holiday.”
The open street initiative started to change this. Over the past five years, a 1.3 miles of Avenue 34, now known as Paseo Park, have been closed in front of the cars during daylight hours. The garden has become so popular in the neighborhood that there are now plans to make it permanent. Shekar Krishnan, a member of the New York City Council, who represents the province that includes Jackson Heights and also headed by the Gardens and Entertainment Committee, described it as the “lifeblood” of society. Krishnan said: “What started as necessary during the epidemic has already evolved into an incredible place that brings people – families, children and the elderly.”
This month, more than a year after planning and vision sessions, a group of community members Release Providing an ambitious vision of what the space – and a road map can turn on how to convert a temporary structure that organically grew into an organized method to meet a variety of society’s needs.
An show shows how an improved residential block can look. With the permission of the Bazo Park alliance / WXY
Luz Maria Mercado, Chairman of the Alliance for Paseo Park, moved to Jackson Heights with her mother when she was about 9 years old, after her parents divorced. “When my parents were together, they had a house. I had a backyard.” “I came to an apartment without green space at all.” What I noticed, from an early age, is that Jackson Heights had beautiful gardens – in private and hoax holes in some of the most elegant angles in the neighborhood. I remembered Mercado looking at these gates with a degree of envy. She said, “I think,” Wow, this is very nice. “It would be very great if we can get this. But this does not mean for people like me and my mother. “
Mercado now lives in Avenue 34 with her husband and children. It is a beautiful building – they even have a small balcony. She said, “But what will I see abroad? “It was loud. The air was stagnant.”
The epidemic, at the city level Open street initiativeCreate an opportunity to re -imagine how the living can look. When Bill de Palacio, when Bill de Palacio opened a request for societies to request an open street in their area, many Jackson Heights residents presented 34 Street. But society wanted more than that – and they started holding marches to defend that.
“With the growth of our gatherings, as well as our open street,” Saif said, and ultimately, 34 Street became the tallest open street in New York City: 26 complete blocks. “Once we got this space, something magical happened” – even in the midst of an incredibly dark and frightening time, Saif said. “Suddenly, we had a 1.3 -mile garden space, and people began to make them their own.”
The neighbors organized and volunteered to put the barricades in the morning and transport them in the evening, allowing cars to pass at night. People began gardening in the mediator. They took run for the first time. They taught Zumba lessons and English lessons, and they created food stores. Learning children are riding a cycling.
“Now that we have Paseo Park, the noise level has decreased, and the air quality is better,” said Mercado. Instead of cars that honor, “we hear children outside the departure of school, enjoy the space, and play football.”
As the epidemic retreated and things began to reopen, Passo Park continued. In 2021, Alliance for Paseo Park (previously known as Friends of 34th Avenue Linear Park) began defending more permanent infrastructure, which led to a broad circular by more than 2,600 neighbors. Although the newly directed space was still on the street – the daily conversion to a garden was run by volunteers running on fumes.
The city has made some improvements, for example, appointing “Blaza Blocks” in front of schools with signs that indicate that the area is dedicated to pedestrians. But the population still has a greater vision – the city has allocated approximately $ 90 million in capital financing to make the linear garden permanent. Last summer, the coalition, which wants to make sure that the money will go towards the completion of the things that the most careful population is interested in, launched a process throughout the year of the participation of society.
Over the past year, the organization managed online surveys and on paper, and conducted vision sessions and popup sessions, and the eyes of awareness ambassadors to host the conversations, and even helped facilitate the questionnaire specifically for children. A number of basic priorities appeared, including safety, the uninterrupted area of pedestrians, and climate flexibility.
The project is not without Critics – The residents who object to the removal of cars from the street, noting that there are no parking lots, and the increase in traffic in the neighboring streets, and for some, a simple desire to live in the street instead of inside the garden. But this unit is a sound minority, the council member Krishnan said. “It is very clear that this is a beloved project of this society,” he said. “I ran several times on a platform where Paseo Park is an essential part of my community.”
The application shows the shape of a school block with additional improvements. With the permission of the Bazo Park alliance / WXY
The alliance with Paseo Park with an engineering company, WXY, to bring community dreams to life in a design – show the shape that the space can look, and what types of improvements in infrastructure that can achieve the goals expressed by the population.
The resulting report It displays two potential designs: one determines the priority of the expanded “Super Sidewalk” to give a wide space for pedestrians, and another gives priority to a “super average” that would provide more green spaces between the pedestrian paths. Various blocks focus on different needs, such as entertainment, comfort and play in particular for school children. Stormy water gardens and other features such as penetrating floors will reduce floods in the region. Bollars, which can be withdrawn for basic cars to enter when needed-such as ambulances, sewage trucks, and access to Ride, which is the city’s transportation service for residents with disabilities-something else said members of society is important to them.
Another priority confirmed the residents affirmed by clarity about the use of the space. The report indicates that currently Paseo Park is under the need for everything to be for society. This may be embodied by competition between pedestrians and passengers from the wheel vehicles. To reduce some of this tension, the report proposes improvements on a parallel street, Northern Street, to create a protected corridor for bicycles, bikes and motorcycles.
Although it is detailed, the report is not intended to be and chest. Saif said: “We are not specifically calling for any measures, but one of the things we communicate with in this report is that this is possible.” Their hope is that the city – society – will consider greatly how to transform the space, and how smart designs can meet a variety of needs.
Mercado said: “We are showing society, we appear to the city, we appear to the state, and we show the world that it can be done,” Mercado said. “We just have to have the vision and resources needed to implement it.”
With regard to this implementation, infrastructure projects often move slowly in New York. Not to mention that the city is currently preparing for mayor’s elections, with a democratic primary Yesterday. “We need a truly strong leadership in the city to accomplish this,” Saif said. But she hopes that the next mayor will see the opportunity to influence this project, and “for New York City to take its place among the great cities around the world that re -use the street space to the garden, and return it to societies.”
Claire Elise Thompson
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In December 2022, New York City tried a temporary street open on Sunday on the iconic Fifth Avenue Street, to make room for shoppers. It is noticeable The first time in half a century The road was closed for cars. The city repeated the initiative every December, although last year’s mayor Eric Adams Lower it For only one day.
