By Victoria Vele, Social Media & Water Intern
As many Gowanus residents remember in 2007 a whale by the name of Sludgie made its way into the Gowanus Bay. Sludgie, a baby Minke whale, tragically did not last long in the polluted waters near the Canal. Since then there have only been whale sittings periodically…until now. It is an exciting time in New York when off of the New York Harbor, dolphins, seals, and whales are returning in large numbers. Last year, scientists recorded seeing 6 species of whales including the Humpback, Blue, and Fin whales off the coasts of Staten Island, Coney Island, and the Rockaways. With that, aquatic recreation as increased as well, with whale and dolphin watching boat tours. Sighting this type of marine wildlife in the Harbor is not anything new; however, it is the frequency, numbers, and diversity that’s so impressive.
Sarah Chasis, a staff blogger for the Natural Resource Defense Council, was quick to see the return of whales and other marine life as a huge development and a testament to how far the water quality in New York’s surrounding bays and oceans has come over the past few decades (Chasis, 2011). Water quality is becoming an even more important issue to the city of New York.
PlaNYC has even stated that mitigating new threats to our watershed and enhancing water quality will be one of their highest priorities. Looking into the future, the proposed 2011-2012 budget by Governor Cuomo puts aside $5 million for ocean conservation in an effort to improve marine life and protect the waters around New York. These two governmental plans will provide much need attention to the growing marine life around the harbor. A long with the public’s growing interest in marine life, the New York government has the opportunity to improve and develop the waterfront and activities around the harbor.
All cities are not created equal. Each is designed, developed, and actually constructed at different points in time. This affects architecture, building stock, and even the people who live there. Urban transformation is inevitable because people have evolving needs. We are challenged with maintaining a balanced ecosystem through every urban development (new or old). The video I’ve decided to post this week is by Lilium Urbanus, a collaborative senior thesis project by Anca Risca and Joji Tsuruga, recent graduates of the School of Visual Arts. These two individuals may not be urban planners or environmentalists, but have chosen to use their digital talents in urban design and animation. The video envisions “the city of the future” starting as a seed growing into a sprout transforming into a village and finally becoming the metropolis of the future. However, each metropolis of the future cannot be created from one seed because then you we just have an overgrown forest that could not sustain itself. In your minds, what does this seed represent? Furthermore, we have so many existing urban areas that building new cities would be a tremendous waste of resources compared to redeveloping existing cities to be more environmentally friendly.
So what exactly is Lillum Urbanus exactly saying? Do current cities have no future? Will the growth of cities eventually create a life where people are connected by trains, cars, and tunnels without seeing the light of day?
You have to admit that, although beautifully animated, there is something strangely creepy about the idea of a city morphing into a flower, giving off the only form of light in the world. Risca and Joli allow your mind to wander in this video. There is definitely a transformation, but is this transformation good or bad? This video shows a very extreme example of what is currently happening with new concepts of urban design and what can be expected for the future. We like to believe that since all takes root from the seed, that the seed still has a place (the environment is not forgotten) as we continue expanding our communities and our cities limits.
It is with great sadness that we share that our good friend Luc Vrilojks passed away on Monday, August 1st while on vacation in Brazil. Luc was the founder and principal of Urban Progress Design, an urban planning and advisory company based out of New York and Amsterdam. With over 20 years of experience in the field, Luc worked in urban sustainability, development planning and city regeneration in Europe, the US and around the world. He recently worked with Living City Brooklyn Gowanus at our Community Innovation Workshop. Luc served as a facilitator and presenter on urban regeneration, with a focus on Community Planning and Green Infrastructure. More importantly, Luc has been an advisor and champion of the LCB project since its early days. Loosing his spirit, guidance, wisdom and friendship on LCBG leaves a hole in our work and a bigger hole in our hearts.
All of us at Living City Block will miss Luc and his thoughtful and passionate love of design, of planning and of all things urban and human.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Luc’s family and friends at this time.
As we say goodbye to several summer interns over the next couple of weeks, Living City Brooklyn Gowanus is anticipating an exciting autumn. Although seven interns will be moving on from LCB, we are excited to welcome our fall academic partnerships with NYU and Columbia. Learning that we would work with the talented faculty and students of both the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School for Public Service and the Columbia Business School Master Class on Sustainability and Business was great news!
Image Taken From NYU Website
These capstone projects will work with Living City Block to examine, question and refine its business methods and model and look more broadly at ways non‐profits can thrive in the sustainability sector. They will also examine ways to finance the actual projects in Gowanus. The projects are mainly focused on the fields of finance, management, non-profits, and policy and urban planning – many things we need to consider in order make our project a reality. While this research begins in earnest this September, we are organizing the larger LCB project around the outcomes and findings of our Community Innovation Workshop now. There’s lots of work to do before David Krieger and the summer interns depart to start a new academic year. David will be starting at NYU’s School of Business later this month and has been busy interviewing in search of a new Community Director for Living City Block to work with Vanessa as she continues to keep the project on track. The remainder of August is going to be a whirlwind of welcoming new faces and saying goodbye to our “golden oldies” from the beginning of our work.
If Gowanus were a superhero, who would it be? Would it have the quiet charm of Peter Parker, the mysterious nature of Bat Man, or would it be something completely original? Maybe its all the hype about this summer’s blockbuster, but perhaps a parallel to Marvel Comic’s Captain America is appropriate.
Captain America was the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum in order to aid the United States war effort during WW2. Captain America changes from a scrawny kid to a powerful and unstoppable force through the use of new technology.
What if we isolated that last thought? Could Gowanus be transformed by technology to be a more livable community, with its own unique identity and innovative economic opportunities that help both people and the environment? Could Gowanus be transformed by new solar technology? Geothermal? Stormwater management? Urban design techniques?
Transformation makes a normal guy into our superhero Captain America. Can it do the same in Gowanus?
Image Take From GraphicDirt.com
As a post-industrial neighborhood, Gowanus has the ability to completely reinvent itself into the city of the future. In my opinion it’s not childish to associate Gowanus with a superhero or some imaginary character since that is exactly what we are doing- imagining. Living City Brooklyn Gowanus is envisioning, developing, and creating a plan with the help of local building owners, business owners, and residents that is going to change the way Gowanus functions. To that extent we are forming an environmentally aware, sustainably driven community that will help pave the way to the livable city of the future. Now that sounds like a great comic book idea…
When we left all of you on Monday, the interns were busy researching and writing their individual reports. Since we dedicated Monday’s post to talking about the research of Alexia, Eliza, Kristin, and myself, today we’d like to focus on the other half of our team. Rich, our newest intern, is currently reviewing plaNYC and the Gowanus Community Plan to understand what development proposals and priorities are for the Gowanus neighborhood. This directly relates to Rich’s academic curriculum at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in Urban Policy and Management, where Rich is approaching his second year.
Across the conference table sits Ben, whose NYU School of Law education has prepared him to take on almost anything. He often camps in the NYU library, a mecca for law students, to research whatever legal questions come his way (current focus: how the wholesale electricity market in NY works). Meanwhile, Anna has turned her attention to writing the Living City Brooklyn Energy Report. If you think that sounds like a fete, you wouldn’t be wrong; this energy report examines the feasibility of everything from wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power in Gowanus. This past week, Anna finished her section on On-Site Energy Generation. We’re all excited to hear about that at our intern meeting!
Important Update:Sefaira will be helping Living City Brooklyn Gowanus model energy consumption of buildings in Gowanus! This is a huge leap forward for our work and we could not be happier to partner with such a great firm.
As New York battled a scorcher last week, Living City Brooklyn Gowanus interns cranked our fans on high and kept working diligently on individual research projects. Since the workshop, Vanessa Meer, David Krieger, and rest of the LCB staff have been working on the Community Innovation Workshop Report, a document that will be released to the community in the next few weeks. This report compiles all of the suggestions, comments, and information that came out of the two-day Community Innovation Workshop last month. As David and Vanessa continue to polish that document, interns are researching areas that are of particular importance to the community and LCBG’s work.
Urban Agriculture interns, Alexia and Eliza, are spending their last weeks with LCBG working on two reports for the Gowanus area, Community Gardens and Green Roofs. These two reports will document what changes might occur in the neighborhood in order to maximize rooftop space for farming and gardening purposes. Their research took them to the S.W.I.M. Coalition meeting this morning where they were able to listen to representatives from Seeing Green, Design Trust, Five Borough Farm, and the Department of Environmental Protection. This rooftop farm gathering not only talked about the benefits of rooftop farming, but also possible tax incentives that could make the investment just a bit more attractive.
After returning to the office, Alexia and Eliza shared their excitement with Kristen and myself who have been working on ways to reduce CSOs and stormwater runoff into the canal. (We are just starting to collaborate on LCBG’s water quality report.) Kristin, who spent most of her time these past couple of weeks working on community outreach work is now switching gears to more scientific research. As we create a first draft for Vanessa and David to review this week, we’re also beginning to visualize different remediation efforts that could possibly become a reality in the neighborhood. Bioswales? Silt Fence? Sediment Trap? The sky is the limit when it comes to water.
Stay tuned tomorrow for Anna, Ben, and our newest intern Rich, explaining their research. We’ve got some great stuff coming out of 511 Court!
Carroll Street Station Image, Taken From Brooklyn Theory
Through the sweltering heat, the female members of the Living City Brooklyn team embarked on a journey to 22 2nd Street in Carroll Gardens. When we approached the brownstone the construction and NY Department of Buildings signage that was plastered on the front door made us realize we were in the right place. We received a warm greeting from the Eco Brooklyn team and were given a top to bottom house tour. Gennaro Brooks-Church described his motivation for green building, and provided step-by-step detail on the construction process. He even elaborated on inventions that he made specifically for this house such as a personalized graywater system, green roof, and natural swimming pool. The use of glass on the staircase leading up to the green roof, on the patio, as well as on the third floor allowed for sunlight to pour through the entire house. One small downfall was that Javier, the sweet-hearted dog that stays in the house (and one of the interns), was petrified of stepping on the clear, shiny surface.
The view from the green roof was absolutely amazing! We were able to see the sunflowers and herbs that have grown there as well as the bees that have just recently been moved in. The roof might have been my favorite part of the tour because you completely identified with what Genarro and his team are trying to accomplish. Looking around at the Verrazano Bridge with a glimpse of Manhattan from the other direction I was completely taken to a small Garden of Eden on the roof of a Brooklyn brownstone.
If you haven’t already realized that there is a completely green brownstone within our midst, then you probably wouldn’t be the first. Gennaro Brooks-Church, Director of Eco Brooklyn, has developed this show house as a way to highlight all the possibilities of creating an environmentally friendly house. His passion for green building techniques is quite obvious if you have ever been to Eco Brooklyn’s website or set foot in the green show house, located in Carroll Gardens. Living City Brooklyn will actually be meeting Gennaro and taking a tour of this house on Wednesday to better understand his process and to talk about potential projects that will take place in Gowanus. I, for example, was thrilled to find a Brooklynite who knew about and had previously installed a graywater system in the show house.
The green investments in this home are unbelievable. Everything from a green roof that grows strawberries to clay walls and solar panels are represented here. To rattle off the improvements would take all day so I’m limiting myself (and my excitement) to elaborating on the concepts of Zero Waste and Zero Consumption.These two concepts are broken down into the time during construction and post construction. Eco Brooklyn then measured to make sure everything in relation to waste and consumption balanced out in order to create a Net Zero home. For example, on site energy production allows for the house to consume more energy one day, but less another, thus creating a net balance of zero. To learn more about the entire process of creating a Net Zero home go to Eco Brooklyn’s website, where they have documented everything about the process.
Everyone at Living City Brooklyn is thrilled to have the chance to see these improvements first hand. Eco Brooklyn welcomes individuals and organizations six days a week, by appointment, to tour the home and ask questions. So make your appointment today and lets transforms Brooklyn’s brownstones to ‘greenstones’.
Since New York has been branded by insane taxi drivers, cross town buses, and a subway system that is constantly under construction, is it such a far fetched idea to think about designing NYC around its transportation systems? In particular public spaces and parks pose an interesting idea for a city that is connected by bridges, tunnels, and expressways. What if green spaces were created around the necessary forms of transportation that are already in place?
Gowanus, Brooklyn is just a stone’s throw away from the skyscraper-ridden mecca of Manhattan. Most who have passed by Gowanus on their way to Manhattan have probably been driving above on the Gowanus Expressway that connects to the Holland Tunnel. Under the Gowanus Expressway is where Living City Brooklyn Gowanus is located, right a long Court Street.
Residents and those who work in the area are definitely connected to the public transit system via buses and the F,G subway lines (as almost all New Yorkers are) as well as the Gowanus Expressway. This got me thinking, “Why not redesign old infrastructure with a new purpose in mind?” Watching the American Society of Landscape Architect’s video on designing public space along with Grist Reporter, Sarah Goodyear’s article on transforming infrastructure in cities, I was able to start envisioning what Gowanus could look like in the future.
ASLA suggested we create parklets instead of large-scale green space investments. What are parklets you say? Parkets are small and sometimes removable forms of public space. They are simple and ultimately help to revitalize the surrounding area and provide a way for a neighborhood to interact. Parklets in San Francisco, New York, and other cities have started to transform underused space into a more functional and aesthetically pleasing areas that are either permanent or movable. A lot of these parklets are made of recycled material and pair together seating, greenery, and bicycle storage. Parklets are all about resourcefulness and transformation of useless space to useful space.
By combining these two ideas of parklets and transportation I feel that there are many spaces around Gowanus that could prosper. Under the Gowanus Expressway? Outside the new Smith and 9th Street Station? These are all areas that could be transformed based on their necessity and proximity to public transportation.
To find out what vacant or unused areas are around Gowanus look no further than our office window where there is a 596-acre map that show all vacant lots around Brooklyn. From what this map shows, unused lots are scarce, which means that public space that takes up only minimal space will be the most efficient. Gowanus, let’s think big by thinking small!
This just in! We have created the Living City Brooklyn Facebook and Twitter accounts. It should be easy to find us. In fact we’re all over the place- Facebooking, Tweeting, and Blogging periodically throughout the week. Through our updates on these sites we hope to create even more interactions with the community. We hope that you will message us, follow our tweets, and participate in our causes page where you can actually donate to the national non-for-profit, Living City Block. There are now many more ways to keep in touch with our initiatives in Gowanus- I mean, besides the old fashion way of taking a walk down to our Court Street office and seeing for yourselves.
By Victoria Vele, Social Media and Water Quality Intern
As some of us start our second month at Living City Brooklyn Gowanus it seems that the office has tripled in size. Yes, all the boxes and giant notepads have been moved out so indeed it does look more spacious, but since the workshop two weeks ago we have welcomed five new interns. Run by our fearless leaders, David and Vanessa, we “old-timers” (Katie, Ben, and I) are thrilled to see some new faces in the office every day. We just hope that this gender divide doesn’t make Ben and David feel too uncomfortable.
One intern isn’t technically new, she is returning to us from Nicaragua; Anna was recently teaching English in South America for a month in an elementary school. She is excited to be back, continuing her research on energy issues for LCBG. Eliza and Barbara just started their summer internships at the beginning of the workshop and were immediately thrown into responsibilities and tasks to create a smoothly run community event. Since then Eliza has joined forces with Alexia to spearhead our urban agriculture research and work. The final member of our team, Kristin, just arrived today from Vienna where she was studying abroad. Before traveling back to Europe in August, she’ll be researching water quality issues with Katie and myself. That’s our team!
Before- Mid Painting and Renovations
After: David, Eliza, and Alexia working against our newly painted green wall
Anna, Vanessa, Katie, and Ben work around the conference table
Dedicated to getting to know the interns we posed the question:
Interns, what is your favorite part of Brooklyn?
“I love the small-scale architecture. It’s gives off a more intimate neighborhood feeling.”
- Eliza
“The tree-lined streets promote a walkable neighborhood for so many families here in Carroll Gardens. It seems like every other person here or in Park Slope is a baby or a pregnant woman.”
- Alexia
“I appreciate how each neighborhood has its’ own distinct personality.”
- Anna
“I like the multicultural diversity in Brooklyn. It’s a really interesting place to work.”
- Kristin
“Of course I would have to say the bike culture is my favorite aspect of Brooklyn.”
- Katie
“I love the main street-like feeling that Court Street gives off at night in the summer. There is such a sense of community.”
- Victoria
“My favorite part is the young people that live in downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Dumbo.”
The history of New York as a cycling city extends back to 1884 when the first bicycling path in the country was developed: the Ocean Parkway bike path in Brooklyn, which begins near the southeast corner of Prospect Park and ends in Coney Island. In the 20th century, however, parkway and bridge construction increased while the construction/use of bicycle lanes decreased. The truth of the matter was that automobiles were becoming a more popular option due to their affordability and timely convenience. Transportation was completely reinvented at this time and it can be assumed that since new transportation projects on highways and bridges did not allow for cyclists that their popularity dwindled in New York. However, there is still a strong cycling community today including commuters, delivery services, and messengers. New York, it turns out, has always been a bike town (Coyle 2010).
Although, paltry in numbers compared to other cities those who bike in New York are very strongly opinionated when it comes to advocating change in transportation laws, regulations, and a more integrated transportation system. It is this vocal group that is passionate about changing the way one can conveniently and efficiently travel through New York. Here is an example of what some envision as a safe and reliable design in a densely populated and built city such as New York. This improvement project on Allen and Pike Streets as presented by the National Association of City Transportation Officials shows just how New York can change in order to promote more cyclists.
Taken from NACTO.org
New York needs to work on not only includes having more reliable biking lanes, but also creating a more inclusive cycling community. Cycling should attract all different age groups and experience levels as well as a more respectful dynamic between automobiles and cyclists. The notion that there is tension between cyclists and drivers is a battle that has been aggravated due to less then consistent bike lanes. Streets are dominated by cars and parking and bikers can be seen as an independent group that refuses to conform to the most popular form of transportation. Is it then possible to change driver’s mindsets by changing the transportation plan and design of a city? Drivers react to their ability to safely navigate from one location to another without stressful scenarios that could potentially cause accidents. In that sense, New York drivers not only need to navigate around pedestrians and reckless taxi cab drivers, but also “unpredictable” cyclists.
“To drivers, cyclists are seen as outcasts, miscreants of the community.
But really, we’re just trying to pave the way for a more sustainable New York.”
Katie Murphy, Cyclist
There is evidence to suggest that just putting down paint to create bike lanes next to fast moving traffic may not get the job done when it comes to changing driver’s opinions. In fact, a few low biking cities did have extensive bike lanes on major arterials, however, these cities have not been successful and never saw the biking numbers, or the safety benefits (Garrick, Marshall 2011).
Cities, including New York, have experienced recent success in increasing bike use – have often taken steps to reduce motor vehicle speeds and volumes on streets with bike facilities or bike facility crossings (Garrick, Marshall 2011). They have done this by reducing space for cars and adding space for bikes, and focused on providing safe opportunities for people on bikes to cross the busier roads.
As a cyclist and a driver I am sympathetic to both sides of this argument, but I also feel that even though a city may adopt bike friendly policies and more reliable bike lanes, that does not automatically make that city bike friendly. It’s something deeper then just policy; it’s the total mindset of a society. Drivers, pedestrians, and commuters a like need to realize that biking is not just another mode of transportation, but a transformative tool promoting public health, safety, livability, and a more environmentally friendly urban environment.
By Victoria Vele, Social Media and Water Research Intern
One of the fun, idea generating activities that Llew (LCB Executive Director) facilitated towards the end of day one was the Headline Game. This was a time for people to take what they had talked about throughout the first day and create newspaper headlines around that. Some were funny, some were serious, but all of the headlines imagined a better, more livable Gowanus.
What do you see…5 years from now…10 years from now?
5 years
- Green Brooklyn Inspires New Delhi, India Plan
- Dream the Possible
- Model Community Continues to Innovate
- Gowanus Middle School Expands to 12th grade
- Resilient Community Turns Storm Surge into H2O Recycling System
- New York’s Most Livable Neighborhood Still Affordable
- People Seen Swimming in the Canal and Still Alive
- Sustainability Finds a Home in Brooklyn
- Last Car Leaves Gowanus
- Raw Oyster Bar Opens in Gowanus
- Bike Lanes Change Mobility in Gowanus
- Gowanus Small Businesses Alive and Well; Wal-Mart Very Disappointed
- Gowanus – Red Hook Commuter Ferry Implemented
- Glide Down the Gowanus in a Green Gondola
10 years
- Brooklyn Green Plan Restores Fisheries
- Brooklyn Neighborhood Model for Fighting Sea Level Rise
- All Energy Used Is Locally Generated
- Triathlon in Gowanus
- Revolutionary War Graveyard FoundTurning Place on Earth
- Spongepark Generates $1 billion in Revenue for Gowanus
- Gowanus Granted Special Designation from Historic Council
- Gowanus Green Roofs Provide Produce for All of Brooklyn
