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November 3, 2008

New Visions of 4th Avenue & 9th Street

A "complete street" is one that "safely accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, trucks and cars," says Transportation Alternatives, and we don't have many of them. So they challenged folks in their competition "Designing the 21st Century Street" to reinvent the corner of 9th Street and 4th Avenue, "a crossing that exemplifies car-first design by encouraging speeding and reckless driving while all but ignoring the walking and biking environment." The result: over 100 submissions from 13 countries, and these three winners. "Shared Space" by Steven Miller of Somerville, MA, with a big ole bike lane and adequate bike parking; "Streets for Everyone" by Rogers Marvel Architects of NYC, which seems to have an express and local lane of traffic, interrupted by a plant-filled boardwalk; and "Streets Come Alive" by team LEVON, Philadelphia, PA, which turns the median strip into a park (notice only one car rumbles down 4th in this picture).




Posted by lisa at 11:40 AM | Comments (42)
Categories: 4th Avenue, Streets

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Comments

If these are the winners I'd like to see what the losing ideas looked like!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 11:43 AM

Noticeably absent from these fantasy renderings are 1) all the trucks that currently thunder down 4th Avenue, 2) all of the condos that are sprouting up.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 3, 2008 11:51 AM

The 3ed rendering shows only 1 car lane!

Posted by: troll at November 3, 2008 12:09 PM

Ok, I'm missing the point of the third rendering featured here.

They've taken 4th ave from 6 lanes down to 2 lanes and put grass in the middle for sunbathers.

I'll be the first one to drive my car on that grass to get from south brooklyn to atlantic.

They're missing the point, 4th Ave is an alternate to the highway. They need to address the issues with the BQE before they address 4th Ave.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 12:12 PM

BRG...don't run over those two guys cavorting on the grass!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 12:14 PM

ok, I'll only aim for stroller moms.

As I'm zooming by, do you want me to yell out your phone number?

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 12:35 PM

The hot air balloon in the third rendering is a nice touch.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 3, 2008 12:38 PM

They should make it like ocean pkwy.

Posted by: troll at November 3, 2008 12:41 PM

Anyone know what that huge development is at 4th ave and 12th st?

Posted by: edgeland at November 3, 2008 12:53 PM

Snark, I missed the hot air ballon, I'm still trying to figure out how to drive my car over the water fountain.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 12:56 PM

Get an SUV.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 1:01 PM

Or get a Duck Tour half-bus/half-boat as seen in the second rendering.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 3, 2008 1:04 PM

Yes Snark...that has to be the one submitted from Philadelphia!!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 1:13 PM

i second the ocean parkway recreation comment.

Posted by: new2hood at November 3, 2008 1:19 PM

"BRG...don't run over those two guys cavorting on the grass!!!"

If those are two guys, one of them needs a mansiere.

Posted by: Biff Champion at November 3, 2008 1:22 PM

Biff, leave it to you, to spot those things.

Could be two women.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 1:26 PM

How about the guy on the bike in the last picture on the far left with one child riding on the handlebars and another on the back; none with helmets? Someone please call the Children's Aid Society!

Posted by: Biff Champion at November 3, 2008 1:28 PM

"Could be two women."

NOW you're talkin'!

Posted by: Biff Champion at November 3, 2008 1:28 PM

The lack of helmets is certainly disturbing, but will somebody please get some faces for those poor people in rendering #1?

I'll go ahead and third the ocean parkway recreation comment.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 3, 2008 1:32 PM

Biff, I wouldn't fill up the Jacuzzi just yet. They don't look like they'd like your type...you know a man.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 1:32 PM

I was hoping for a mixed race gay couple. Biff you can try for those two women in the foreground with their backs to us.

I guess this is the point where the thread has been hijacked. I think BRG started it.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 1:32 PM

DIBS..you're 12:14 commment started it. My 12:12 was legit.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 1:35 PM

SnarkSlope, I missed that; I was too distracted by the pimpmobile to the left of the faceless guy on the bike and the poor stroke victim to his right.

But when did they invent see-through fruit stands and cars as shown in rendering #3?

Posted by: Biff Champion at November 3, 2008 1:39 PM

I love the pimp mobile. I wish my caddy was older, I would pimp it out. Hydraulics, red velvet, fringe, fuzzy steering wheel cover.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 1:50 PM

"But when did they invent see-through fruit stands and cars..."

I believe it is all part of our new era of transparency and accountability.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 3, 2008 1:59 PM

Ah, you nay-sayers have never been to Urban design school; any of these would get you a A+ grade. Typical academic excess.

I'm intrigued by the "[from] over 13 countries."...I didn't realize that 4th Av and 9th St were well-enough known world-wide that one could design a streetscape from afar.

Posted by: cmu at November 3, 2008 2:21 PM

What I learned in Desing School...90% of the design projects are never practical in the real world.

Have you seen thesis projects from architecture school? The comments are more like:
What the ef is that?
How the Heck do you....?
Who can live with that?
Is this person for real?
There's no way, that can be done?
and so on and so on.

Two men or women laying on grass in the middle of 4th ave is impractical.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 2:59 PM

Obviously, I didn't learn how to spell in Design School!

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 3:01 PM

"Two men or women laying on grass in the middle of 4th ave is impractical."

But a man and a woman laying on the grass is OK???? Blatant homophobia BRG. Shame on you. :)

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 3:07 PM

"Two men or women laying on grass"

Forget the blatant homophobia, isn't this grounds for a public indecency citation? Shouldn't laying be done in the privacy of one's own home (and in the bathrooms of certain New York City bars and discreetly on airplanes?)

Posted by: Biff Champion at November 3, 2008 3:16 PM

United flight between Hong Kong & Tokyo in 1991...upstairs in big top 747, a Vietnamese real estate agent from San Francisco!!! The real estate agent part keeps it on topic here.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 3:19 PM

DIBS, first you called me out on my racism and now my homophobia...what next??

Biff, don't forget the park and subway.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 3:21 PM

Time will tell, BRG. Time will tell. But I bet it won't be pretty.

The park is so 80s BRG. Everyone's done that.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 3:23 PM

1991...I was in high school..janitor's closet for me.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 3:26 PM

After I hit post, I regret the above.
It's not true, just a bad joke.
Hubby, I'm sorry.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 3:28 PM

Do you still remember the scent of that soap that the janitors used whenever you "reminisce" BRG??

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 3, 2008 3:29 PM

DIBS, I remember the scent of the janitor!

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 3:33 PM

Dear Penthouse Forum...

Posted by: SnarkSlope at November 3, 2008 3:52 PM

"Biff, don't forget the park and subway."

BRG, I know the park is a public location of choice for young, sexually charged couples (and George Michael), but Subway? As in Jared Fogle Subway? What did the others in the sandwich shop say? Did you go for the 6" Spicy Italian or were you up for the footlong?

Posted by: Biff Champion at November 3, 2008 4:05 PM

Biff, I can't seem to finish a footlong. It's too much for me. The 6" is fine, not too small, not too big. With a drink, I'm all set.

Spicy Italin, never. I'm not into cold cuts. I like the meatball hero.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at November 3, 2008 4:34 PM

2 lanes of traffic? and where are all the cars going to go?
The rendering looks cool, but not realistic. Like duh, who wants to set up a lounge chair and read a book in the median of 4th Ave.
I have to laugh now.


Posted by: STARGAZER at October 9, 2009 1:55 PM

2 lanes of traffic? and where are all the cars going to go?
The rendering looks cool, but not realistic. Like duh, who wants to set up a lounge chair and read a book in the median of 4th Ave.
I have to laugh now.


Posted by: STARGAZER at October 9, 2009 2:06 PM

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