The People's Money (2022-2023)
Your Money, Your Community, Your Voice.
What problem would you like to solve?
Address the lack of open space and long-standing underinvestment in a "TRIE neighborhood" and "Environmental Justice Area" by creating a new community hub. Solve the economic impacts of the triple infrastructural burdens our local businesses face with the Brooklyn Bridge which lands like a wall between our neighborhoods separating us north-south, FDR Drive which separates us from the East River, and the street closures since 9/11 within the Civic Center Security Zone.
We formed a nonprofit called Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan to organize and advocate for open recreation space, a community hub, a library, arts and culture programming, and a common-sense idea for economic revitalization of our neighborhoods. We have been working all-volunteer for almost 2 years to form a neighborhood coalition, engage our elected officials and share our vision for the enormous potential locked in the Manhattan Anchorage. We need financial support so that we can continue our work, hire the consultants and staff we need (architects, engineers, wayfinding consultants, artists, etc...), hold larger community events, to get the project shovel-ready. Before you build anything, you need a really good plan. We have come a long way in our efforts as volunteers, but we can't do it all alone without funding.
Why is it important to solve? Why is it relevant for the community?
Our communities are over-burdened by large infrastructural projects, yet under-resourced when it comes to infrastructural community benefits like parks, playgrounds, libraries and community centers. We have 47,000 residents within a 1/2 mile of the Manhattan Anchorage in Lower Manhattan's east side, 64% BIPOC, 20% of our families are below the Federal Poverty Level, 20% of our residents are seniors over the age of 65. We have less than 1/2 the open space per resident than the west side, and 1/3 the open space compared to the Brooklyn Anchorage of the exact same Bridge just across the river. Being acknowledged as a "TRIE neighborhood" and "Environmental Justice Area" does not automatically result in projects that help the community, so we have organized to advocate for what we need.
What idea do you have to address the problem?
There are 9 acres of public land stretching from the East River to City Hall. We envision activating the Park Row Landing and Stair to create an entry point worthy of a singular landmark with over 7M annual visitors. We will create a new wayfinding plan to show the 19,000 daily pedestrians crossing the Brooklyn Bridge where they want to go (Chinatown for restaurants, drinks, shops, authentic Chinatown experience or Historic South Street Seaport District for museum, shops, restaurants, ships, FiDi for Wall Street, World Trade Center, Trinity Church, etc...) and how to get their easily. We will beautify Park Row so it doesn't look like a desolate forgotten part of the city, but a portal to a vibrant Chinatown only 5 minutes away. This will generate $150M in local business economic impact annually and save our slowly dying historic New York neighborhoods that are adjacent but disconnected from the tourist behemoth that is the Brooklyn Bridge.
We will revitalize the area with a legacy park project that re-opens what was once an iconic skate spot and cultural touchstone for the action sports community called the Brooklyn Banks. Where do our kids go once they age out of playgrounds? Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan will be the answer.
We will build the first public library south of Murray Street, in a neighborhood which has been advocating for a library for decades without success.
A strong arts and culture program will find a home and audience here, creating a new venue for our local schools, residents and artists, as well as showcase world class art by freeing it from the museums and bringing it to our public and streets, accessible and free to all.
A new museum within the Vaults of the Brooklyn Bridge will assemble the artifacts and drawings from the building of the Bridge, and create a new tourist and education destination highlighting the imagination and perseverance of the Bridge Builders to create a symbol of American ingenuity and pride known the world over, and teach them to try, try harder, try again, and yes you can do it!
Open flexible space that works for learning how to ride a bike, playing with a ball, having a farmer's market, a craft market, school playground, community movie nights, salsa classes, etc...
A community hub where we can all get together, share and learn, and access services.
Communities are not built in our apartments, on our streets where we are so busy passing each other by, or our cars. Communities are built in public spaces where we set aside the time and open ourselves up to meeting people who happen to be sharing the same space as us. We form connections through our children in the playgrounds, our dogs in the dog runs, our mutual appreciation for the natural world around us, the programming events that signify a shared passion. We don't have that in our neighborhood right now, but we have been dreaming and more importantly, planning for it.
https://brooklynbridgemanhattan.org/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14uprPLkm3Rq9ohtTMHxbFurNaMI66-wg/view?usp=drivesdk
Please note that our project encompasses: Arts and Culture, Climate Change, Education, Health and Well-being, Senior Services and Youth Services. But we filed under Parks and Recreation.
Who would that help?
Our work would help our residents, especially those who have mobility issues that make it difficult to access far away open recreation space, will finally have a space to relax, exercise and meet old and new friends in a space they can easily get to. Anyone who wants to go to a park. Anyone who wants to use a library. Sports enthusiasts, especially Skateboarders, BMXers, Parkour enthusiasts, Basketball players, children, seniors, anyone with a disability who want a place to play and may not have found a place that welcomes them. This will also help other parks that don't welcome skateboarders, etc... since they will gravitate here where space is built for them, rather than spaces that kick them out constantly. Chinatown/LES/Little Italy/South Street Seaport/Fidi businesses who desperately need foot traffic, especially from tourists who are in our city and want to enjoy authentic New York experiences. Our local schools and seniors centers who will collaborate on intergenerational gardening projects. Anyone who wants to learn about climate change and resiliency - since that will be the foundation of our design, with permeable ground planes, bioswales, rainwater planters, and showcasing NYC based climate technologies for public exploration and education.
What neighborhood would benefit from your idea?
Chinatown, Lower East Side, Little Italy, South Street Seaport, Fidi, Tribeca, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo.
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