Paint a Parking Lot, Put up a Paradise

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan unveiled DOT’s new Plaza Initiative in DUMBO, Brooklyn today. The press conference took place at the Pearl Street Plaza, a triangular pocket park that only a few weeks ago served as a parking lot and illegal dump. This afternoon the Plaza was filled with people eating lunch, taking meetings and sitting and relaxing in the midst of planters, benches, shaded cafe tables and sculptures by local artists. The Plaza is bounded by bench-sized granite blocks and its asphalt floor is painted green. City Room has some details from the DOT press release. The entire Streets Renaissance crew was there so we’ll have more photos and reporting tomorrow and, of course, a StreetFilm as well.

How about that bench? If there has ever been a nicer piece of New York City street furniture, I haven’t seen it.

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A Brooklyn Parking Lot Becomes a Neighborhood “Living Room”

By Aaron Naparstek |
Paint a Parking Lot, Put Up a Paradise A StreetFilm by Nick Whitaker Running time: 2:45 StreetFilms has some excellent video coverage of the Dept. of Transportation’s launch of its Public Plaza Initiative in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood last week. The before-and-after images are particularly compelling. What once nothing more than a parking lot and illegal […]

At Pioneering Ped Plaza, Paint and Planters Are Now Curbs and Concrete

By Stephen Miller |
NYC DOT’s plaza program hit a milestone today, when officials cut the ribbon on a block of Willoughby Street reclaimed from car traffic between Pearl and Adams Streets in Downtown Brooklyn. What used to be, essentially, a private parking lot for government placard holders, is now the first plaza program project to make the transition from temporary materials to permanent […]

Janette Sadik-Khan: A Reason to Love NYC in 2007

By Aaron Naparstek |
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Tomorrow: Bike to Work With Janette Sadik-Khan [Updated]

By Brad Aaron |
Friday is National Bike to Work Day, and to celebrate, Transportation Alternatives will have coffee, snacks and commuter bags for cyclists at six locations — two in Manhattan and four on East River bridges. T.A. will be educating bicyclists about civic riding on NYC streets, and helping riders team up with buddies who share their […]

Want a New Public Plaza in Your Neighborhood? Apply Now.

By Aaron Naparstek |
Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan unveiled the Department of Transportation’s New York City Public Plaza Program last night at the Pratt Institute in Manhattan. Through the program, DOT aims to transform "underused streets into vibrant, social public spaces" throughout New York City. To create and run these new public plazas DOT is seeking to partner with local […]