Urban Design Forum New York Competition

URBAN DESIGN FORUM NEW YORK:
ONWARD: NEW IDEAS FOR TRANSPORTATION

What will these new habits and technologies mean for the shape of the city? Will ridesharing reduce the need for parking and unlock new opportunities for development? How will autonomous vehicles affect the design of our streets? Could our dense city become a bicycle boomtown? And will new transportation options pull support away from our historic transit network? Help us craft a vision for the future of mobility in New York City. How would you build a more accessible, equitable, and sustainable city? How would you improve New York’s streets, transportation networks, and built fabric in order to create a more accessible, sustainable, and equitable city?
Urban Design Forum Competition Link
onward-callforideas (PDF)

Imagine one of the most walk able streets where all dynamics are naturally controlled by pedestrians, tourists and local natives of the island of New York. No dependence on mass transportation necessary. All energy is reflected off of humans by walking and creating carbon footprint. Human-powered energy can definitely be the next best thing in powering the City. This streetscape would accompany several types of lanes for all kinds of people from all walks of life. This would be an excellent example of multi-functional infrastructure for the street of the future.

Lane number one: “Athletic, Anti-Aging Activists”: This lane would only be reserved for athletes training for the New York Marathon, triathlons, or other races. This route would include transition points in Central Park. Quick “down time” on the benches, watching dogs, and nature, while drenched from head to toe in buckets of ice water and Gatorade would be a runner’s dream come true.

Lane number two: “Low-Key Activists”: This lane would be developed for joggers and walkers, working up the ladder of success. During winter, the activists would still be inspired to jog under multiple-layers of North face and Under Armoire track suits. Already active during winters increases their mentality into maintaining consistent energy levels, mentally and physically, during any season.

These streets would accommodate all multi-generational groups of New Yorkers wanting to empower their soul and heart for long-term living, which would lead to another “Central Park” for living sustainably.

Lane number three: “The Dog Whisperers”: A lane embedded in natural grass or Kentucky bluegrass with permeable cooling layers for protecting the paws of all metropolitan city dogs would very accommodating. This lane would be the most trend-setting for the huge startup industry in NYC of dog-walking companies. These city dogs would be examples of long-term companions in utilizing natural resources.

Lane number four: “The Green Bikers Gang”: This lane does exist partially in random parts on Broadway and on old streets of NYC. Not only would these bikers reduce carbon footprint and gas emissions, but they also would use this lane as a natural energy source to charge their own gadgets. The energy of vibrations from its wheels would bounce off so quickly and bring Wi-Fi to all local Starbucks, commercial and retail all around.

This future “Central Park” could balance and offset the power of underground subway cars much more than the heavy impact of millions of streetwalkers energizing the City.
Trees could finally have less stress factors and have a longer lifespan outlining the City and in preserving our future.

These ideas bring in examples of multi-functional ways in strongly utilizing an existing streetscape, for long term benefits for our environment. The idea of customizing different lanes to all walks of life could possibly strengthen connections of goods and transport to the outer boroughs and cities outside of NYC. This would set an example for other cities to follow.

Headline Image Illustrated by Nathalie J Siegel

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ORIGINAL, UNEDITED VERSION________________________________________

Another Central Park in the City

Imagine one of the most walkable streets of Manhattan where all dynamics are controlled by pedestrians, tourists and local natives of the island. No dependence on mass transportation. All energy reflected off all human beings by walking the sidewalks can finally set a groundbreaking record in alerting the United Nations that global warming has finally surrendered. Human-powered energy can definitely be the next best thing in powering the City. This streetscape would accompany at least 5 types of lanes of all kinds of people of all sorts of culture and lifestyles. An excellent example of multi-functional infrastructure. The author of the Guinness World Records would record this nuclear reaction from electrifying to tranquil.

1. The Super-Fit, Anti-Aging Activists: This primary lane would only be reserved for athletes training for the ING New York City Marathon. This route would lead towards transition points at Central Park. Quick “down time” on the benches watching dogs and nature swing by, while drenched from head to toe in buckets of ice water and Gatorade would be a runner’s dream come true.

2. The Intermediate: Aligned to the most competitive, die-hard runners, this lane would only allow for runners at intermediate level, inspired to shadow the more advanced, and then calibrating their pace results with GPS tracking on the RunKeeper app.

3. Low-Key Activists: This lane would be developed for joggers and walkers, working up the ladder of success. During winter, the activists would still be inspired to jog under multiple-layers of Northface and Under Armoire track suits. Since New Yorkers are die-hard dedicators to their city, their mentality has trained them into maintaining consistent energy levels, mentally and or physical, during any season.

4. The Dog Whisperers: A lane embedded in natural grass or Kentucky bluegrass with permeable cooling layers for protecting the paws of all metropolitan city dogs would be just fantastic. Artsy kids in tattoos and more Apple than the explosion of its consumers, would start their mornings with their dogs in European messenger bags or in those oversized hobo Gucci purses, and then off to let them reign the lane. This lane would be the most trend-setting of the hottest self-startups of dog-walking companies. The “show” would signal out those pink-dyed, pom-pom-groomed poodles walking the catwalk with Isaac Mizrahi’s models during New York’s Fashion week. Those furry fashionistas love to steal the show, whether it is during Fashion Week or on 5^th Avenue in the middle of Midtown’s high-powered lunch hour. What a brilliant idea to showcase these city dogs as examples of long-term companions with a good heart and soul for incorporating nature at its finest.

5. The Green Bikers Gang: This lane, which does exist partially in random parts on Broadway and other old streets of NYC, would be ideal to complete the “Perfect Streetscape”. These kids would not only reduce carbon footprint and vehicle gas emission, but would also be considered as another “up and coming” energy source to use for charging their own gadgets. This energy source would travel so fast that it could reflect the vibrations of its wheels and bounce off into the atmosphere. This energy would improve WiFi and other e-communications hitting all Starbucks joints.

The 5 lanes of this new “Central Park” could balance and offset the power of underground subway cars so much more than the heavy impact of millions of streetwalkers energizing the City.

Perhaps, this “perfect” streetscape could also allow additional “Central Parks” to bring in more green spaces. Trees could finally have less stress factors and have a longer lifespan outlining the City and in preserving our nature for the future.

The NASDAQ would be absolutely speechless that there would be no Bull and Bear market to report and Mayor Michael Bloomberg can finally give a thumbs up to his dream in creating a “walkable” life for Manhattan.