A WELL-BEING LANE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

Fall 2021, NYC design studio

Instructor: David Vega-Barachowitz, Robert Daurio, Crystal Eksi

Teammates: Javier Lam, Shangkun Zhong

In East Flatbush, Broocklyn, NY lies Utica Avenue, an important north-south road that anchors many major roads. It is a commercial corridor, with a large variety of programs. Many of the stores are served for cars, although there is a good mix of different stores along the road. Along Utica Avenue is an intersection of Canarsie Lane, which was built in 1842. The combination of Canarsie Lane and Utica Avenue brought prosperity to the neighborhood. However, by 1980, Canarsie Lane had been abandoned, and are vacant till this day. This Canarsie Lane Revival project, a reintroduction of a once historic lane, seeks to provide health and overall wellbeing for the community.

Site Plan

Existing Conditions of Canarsie Lane (Remaining Traces)

Remaining Traces as Toolkits

Lifestyle of Surrounding Blocks

Rhinocerous/Arc GIS/Grasshopper/Adobe Illustrator/Adobe Photoshop

Vacancy Rate and Land Ownerships deeper blue area shows higher vacancy rate

C mark:company-owned

House: privately-owned

Pink:public-owned

Canarsie Lane Revival is split into four zones: Meandering Park, Canarsie and Utica Square, Art and Sculpture Path, and Family Lifestyle Zone. Most of the development around Canarsie Lane has occured before 1980, which was when the road was removed. Since 1980, the lots on Canarsie Lane are either vacant or under-utilized. Along Utica Avenue, there are buildings that will be removed and existing services will be rearranged. The lifestyles of the neighbors are integral to how the spaces work. The age, amount of exercise, and meal consumptions of residents are surveyed, and are taken into consideration of their needs, to provide adequate amenities to these people. Traces of art are also seen within the site. A park, gathering spaces, and the arts are integrated within the neighborhood. The proposal looks into the remains along Canarsie Lane and identifies these as traces.. Each zone speaks to transform an element along Canarsie Lane into the design, which are either trees, walls, or fences.

Four Zones Development/Design Processes

Existing Conditions

Existing Programs

Zone 1: Meandering Park

A piece of vacant land is used as a car entryway, while the other two pieces are fenced. Existing trees are kept and are used to guide the meandering park walkway. The

Zone 2: Canarsie and Utica Square

Many of the current commercial activities along Canarsie Lane and Utica Avenue’s intersection are either misplaced or already exist along Utica Avenue. These buildings at different heights along Utica Avenue.

Zone 3: Art and Sculpture Path

The Art and Sculpture Path goes across multiple gardens and garages along the former Canarsie Lane. The land is under-utilized and will be bought from the land owners the lanes.

Zone 4: Family Lifestyle Zone

A few schools exist around this area, but commercial activities are not beneficial to children and families. These buildings are taken down and traces are left behind and

Traces

Reintroduced Programs

Renders

The park preserves the car entryway and introduces a running trail, a low-intensity exercise zone, and a set of seats under tree coverage.

buildings are redesigned, keeping some walls as traces of previously existing buildings along the intersection. The ground is redesigned to allow users to walk, stand, and sit owners to develop a public path. The path, guided by fences, is redesigned to bring back art and life into the community. Cafes, art pavilions, and seats are integrated along and modified along the site. The Family Lifestyle Zone provides different amenities for group activities and gatherings.