Revitalizing the Urban Extents

New York City was once a network of self-sustaining enclaves, each with an identity playing part to a whole. As the city evolves, those individual neighborhoods continue to lose some of their identity, growing more dependent on Manhattan’s Central Business Districts (CBD) and the transit networks that serve them. Through this competition entry, Dattner Architects explores and proposes deconcentrating our CBDs through strategies that catalyze and encourage development of underserved neighborhoods.

Everyone’s transit journey starts and ends beyond a transit station or stop; these are the “first- and last-mile” connections. Many communities that lack access to the larger transit network have insufficient first- and last-mile options, resulting in an inequity in the journey between home, workplace, and other destinations for too many residents.

Our plan identifies the gaps in this access, and recommends flexible, scalable, inexpensive infrastructure solutions to be deployed along vacant right-of-ways in coordination with available, automated technologies to link existing transit routes. With a more robust and resilient transit network, neighborhoods can thrive with more diverse job opportunities, local amenities, and scales of housing—supporting a life and identity apart from the CBD.

The City has committed to preserving and supporting job growth by revitalizing existing manufacturing districts. To further benefit the workforce and these underserved neighborhoods, we propose connection through the immediate deployment of small-scale, lower cost means of transit at the urban extents comprising:

A comprehensive waterway network resulting in 14 new ferry landings to provide access to all waterfronts.

High speed automated vehicle thruways using existing right of ways which will not contend with a more fluid pedestrian and vehicle movement.

Aerial ropeways as an urban ‘stent’ to immediately reconnect the urban extents to the existing transit network. The proposed system will include 220 new stops over approximately 165 miles of ropeway, totaling at an estimated $2 billion.

A comprehensive waterway network resulting in 14 new ferry landings to provide access to all waterfronts.

High speed automated vehicle thruways using existing right of ways which will not contend with a more fluid pedestrian and vehicle movement.

By implementing alternative systems, we are able to move methods of public transportation off the roads via waterways or ropeways, creating a more activated and engaging streetscape. These strategies are particularly vital to waterfront neighborhoods, where resiliency and environmental responsiveness are integral to future development, emphasizing existing infrastructure to solidify the waterfront as a crucial foundation to New York’s landscape and culture.

Simpler construction of transportation over shorter distances, coupled with app-based network technologies providing on-demand service, alleviates unnecessary, empty transit circulation. Reduced up-front costs and minimal operational responsibility create opportunity for Public/Private Partnership as a funding strategy, benefiting both the Municipality and private investors.