Across the City and Into the Trees - New Scenario for Brooklyn Sunset Park

Universita IUAV di Venezia

Project idea

The manifesto is based on the famous book written by Ernest Hemingway, Across the River and into the Trees. Instead of the river there is a very dense city: New York, Brooklyn. The project is going to be like a line connecting some of the main facilities and some of the main transportation stops to the waterfront. This line opens new opportunities for the housing neighborhoods and creates a new solution for the waterfront system.

Project description

Regeneration project in Sunset Park, Brooklyn New York, United States.
The project aims to respond to the key issues in Sunset Park such as to the lack of green areas and communal spaces, the poor role of pedestrians and cyclists, as well as to the lack of parking spaces. Sunset Park is known of its rich ethnicity, from Scandinavian people to Chinese and South American people. People there are proud of this diversity, as well as there appears a strong communal way of thinking.
Through the project, starting from one of the busiest streets continuing all the way to the waterfront, these facts are kept as main principles. Boarders and barriers are taken down along the way and making it more pedestrian friendly, more gathering and communal spaces are added so that the encounter of people can happen with ease.
Furthermore, front of the seashore, abandoned warehouse buildings are transformed to an autonomous village. This post-industrial village, has residential, productive, commercial, recreational areas. By this, people are brought closer to the waterfront area, which is turned to a park, where nature slowly is let to conquer and nurture the land back to life.
In Between
According to the survey, which we did on Sunset Parker’s Facebook group, people want Sunset Park to have more green areas, communal places as well as Sunset Park in overall to be more pedestrian friendly city.
The space between the housing blocks. This now privatized area is to be turned to a semi-public space. What was taken away from residents will be transformed to spaces where neighbors across the block will encounter. Spaces where neighbors can garden and cultivate their own vegetables. To paths where people can wonder peacefully and confront each other. To instances where children can play free.
The streets will be transformed public space, where cars speed is slowed down with traffic calmers and the residential parking to be moved to underground parking hall. This will release a lot space for other activities as well as for circulation.
Post-Industrial Village
In Sunset Park, there simmers a strong community. For this reason, the aim of the Post-Industrial Village is to provide for Sunset Parker’s an opportunity to take the communal spirit to another level, as well as bring people closer to the waterfront.
The building complex consisting mostly of abandoned and barely used warehouses which are right before the new waterfront park, will be transformed in longer period into a small but efficient autonomous village. The village is to be at the same time closed and open to the city. It provides the necessary privacy as well as all the essential facilities and services for its future residents.
Residential Area
Low Density Housing
Communal approach continues also at the residential area. This low-density housing complex for small to bigger families can accommodate circa 300 people. It consists of four different kind of flat types. Life is built around the courtyards and people are brought closer to each other. Shared terraces, rooftops and other open spaces are also spaces which connects people from every level as well as from other blocks together. This housing complex provides shelter from the noises of the city, yet it creates new intriguing spaces with its courtyards and with its openings to the street.
Waterfront Park
According to Sunset Parker’s, the waterfront area, is an area, which they’d like to use more, if it was more inviting.
Responding to the wishes of Sunset Parker’s, now poorly used desolated waterfront is to be transformed to a post-industrial park, with archaeological implementation principle. Pioneer trees are planted to this area, which will slowly conquer and nurture the land. This park, where nature can grow and spread wild, holds also inside historical marks of industrial time.

Technical information

The design provides a masterplan developed in various drawing scales (from 1:50.000 to 1:5.000) that analyzes the existing situation, showing how the project can be applied to all the waterfront of Brooklyn. Using the drawing scale of 1:500 a new solution for the street and the housing blocks is developed, providing new parking and public spaces axonometric drawings, plans, views and cross sections.
With the same scale also the design for a new village and for a new public building is provided.

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