Swapping streets with green space in New York City isn't as outlandish as some folks might want you to believe. Just look at the new public plaza in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood (pictured here). What as once a motley collection of parked cars, warped traffic cones, and trash is now an oasis under the Manhattan bridge.In recent years, cities throughout the world have been replacing obsolete highways with new housing, parks, and riverfront promenades. Highway replacement projects can be found in cities as far off as Seoul in South Korea or as close to home as Milwaukee.
The trend has finally caught on in New York City, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale. Streetsblog has the scoop on NYC Department of Transportation's efforts to transform underused street spaces into public plazas. The initiative comes out of the City's long-term plan for environmental sustainability for the year 2030. According to Streetsblog, the DUMBO plaza is just one of 31 similar initiatives in the pipeline throughout the city. How about making the Sheridan's replacement #32?
