Prospect Heights Open Streets Strategy // Pratt Institute

CONTEXTUAL FINDINGS SUMMARY

Desktop Data and Mapping of from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

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PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Prospect Heights, Brooklyn NY

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Table of Contents Context

Analysis

Site Location

08

Introduction

09

Neighborhood History Demographics

11

Mapping & Documentation Field Notes

Recommendations 28

Community Engagement

36

Key Themes from Contextual Findings & Analysis

49

13

Study Area

18

Summary of Contextual Findings

25

Contributions & Acknowledgements

05

Sources

87

Appendix A - Resident & Visitor Survey Results

95

Appendix B - Community Engagement Synthesis

143

Appendix C - Printable Materials Mockups

149

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Guiding Principles for Recommendations

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Governance

53

Management & Operations

55

Long-Term Fundraising

56

Communications

58

Programming

61

Design

64

Metrics for Evaluation

82

Recommendations in Review

84

City-Wide Approach

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Lab Analysis of Public Space Spring 2022 Students Alexander Lipnik Alexandre Zarookian Allie Wertheimer Clay Grable Maithri Shankar Marium Naveed Robyn Stebner Semire Bayatli Walker Johnston Zein ali Ahmad Ziqing Feng

Professors Lida Aljabar Emily Ahn Levy

Urban Placemaking & Management Graduate Center for Planning & the Environment 5

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Acknowledgements

Street art on Vanderbilt Avenue, “Welcome to Vanderbilt.” Source: UPM students

This report was enabled because of the great efforts, time, and care of many people. The Urban Placemaking & Management (UPM) second-semester, first-year cohort (‘23) would like to thank the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council for inviting us to collaborate with them in reimagine the future of the Prospect Heights Open Streets. Additionally, we gratefully acknowledge the guidance, time, and insight from our professors, Emily Ahn Levy and Lida Aljabar, as well as Carlos Menchaca and Meg Walker. We are also immensely grateful for the community members who shared their opinions, knowledge, and lived experience through interviews, meetings, surveys and conversations—without which our recommendations wouldn’t have been possible.

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CONTEXTUAL FINDINGS

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Site Location Prospect Heights is a residential neighborhood in the northwest part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn (Figure 1) The neighborhood is bounded by Atlantic Avenue to the north, Washington Avenue to the east, Eastern Parkway to the south, and Flatbush Avenue to the west (Figure 2).

Manhattan Queens

Brooklyn

Prospect Heights is served by Brooklyn Community Board 8 (CB8), Council Member Crystal Hudson of New York City’s District 35, and New York Police Department’s 77th Precinct.

Figure 1. Prospect Heights Neighborhood

LEGEND Study Area Open Streets

Figure 2. Prospect Heights Neighborhood & Open Streets PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Introduction In the past two years, as the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted social inequities such as access to transportation and open green space, streets took on new meaning in cities as invaluable public spaces. In New York City, streets and sidewalks are the city’s largest public space, but more than 75% of that space is reserved for the movement and storage of cars.1 During the pandemic, however, things began to change.

The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Open Streets Program emerged as a way to reimagine streets for all people. The initiative began in April 2020 as an emergency response to the health crisis to provide economic relief for restaurants and businesses and give New Yorkers more open space to safely socialize. DOT began working with Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and other community partners across the city to temporarily close selected streets to through traffic and open them up to pedestrians, cyclists, and outdoor cafes.

Within the first year of operations, the City created 83 miles of Open Streets.2 With two years of the program underway, the Open Streets program has evolved beyond an emergency response to the pandemic; the initiative is seen by many as an important step in the fight against the climate crisis and traffic violence. Current challenges include streamlining the daily operations and long-term management of these public spaces, and ensuring community voices are centered in these decisions.It is within this broader context that the focus of this project—the future operations, design, and management of Vanderbilt Avenue 9

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Map of Open Streets across NYC in 2020. Image Source: DOT via Streetsblog.

(“Vanderbilt”) and Underhill Avenue (“Underhill”) Open Streets—operates. Located in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, Vanderbilt and Underhill are two Open Streets managed by the volunteer efforts of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council (PHNDC), a 501(c)(3) and civic organization that advocates for neighborhood-wide issues on behalf of the residents and businesses of Prospect Heights.3 Vanderbilt is a “Full Closure” Open Street,4 which is designed to support car-free activities, boost businesses, and enhance neighborhood programming. On weekends April through November, six blocks of Vanderbilt between Atlantic Avenue and Park Place are closed to vehicular traffic and parking and opened for pedestrian, cyclist, programming, and restaurant use.

1. Transportation Alternatives, “NYC 25 x 25,” under “An Inequitable Allocation.”

2. City of NY, “Streets Week!”

3. PHNDC, “About PHNDC.” 4. NYC DOT, “Open Streets,” under “Types of Open Streets.”

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Introduction Just a block over to the east, Underhill is a primarily residential street that operates as a “Limited Local Access” Open Street5 between Atlantic Avenue and St. Johns Place on weekdays year round. Local car traffic is allowed at 5 MPH. NYC’s City Cleanup Corps currently helps with day-to-day labor and operations, but the street is largely managed

by PHNDC volunteers.

Methodology Pratt Institute’s Urban Placemaking and Management (UPM) Studio Lab was invited

by PHNDC to help envision a sustainable, generative, long-term future for these two Open Streets. The purpose of this analysis is to understand the current Open Street dynamics and how these programs interact with the surrounding communities, gauge community interest in Open Streets infrastructure and programming, and offer recommendations for future management, programming, and design.

The studio began with individual site visits and mapping exercises to better understand the physical and social environment of Prospect Heights. In the following weeks, we conducted a desktop data analysis to ground our understanding of the neighborhood and Open Streets program in the context of social, environmental, and demographic data—with attention to the changes in the neighborhood over the last 20 years. This research included investigation of previous engagement conducted by the client and DOT, and accompanied additional field work and mapping activities conducted by student

One-point perspective sketch on Vanderbilt. Source: UPM students

With this background understanding of the neighborhood, we began engaging various stakeholders through different methods—seeking especially to hear from previously unreached and underrepresented groups, such as commuters, volunteers, schools and schoolchildren, and long-time residents. This work included intercept surveys, informal interviews, an online survey in English and Spanish, observational methods, among others.The insights gleaned from our engagement strategies led us to develop recommendations for governance, management, fundraising, programming, communications, and street design, with a focus on the long-term vision for the Vanderbilt and Underhill Open Streets.

5. NYC DOT, “Open Streets,” under “Types of Open Streets.”

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Neighborhood History Pre-Colonial Era through 19th Century Prospect Heights and the New York City area lie within Lenapehoking, the traditional homelands of the Lenape people. The Canarsee band inhabited much of western Long Island and established trails that ran near the present-day routes of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues around Prospect Heights; one of these trails (seen at right) may have crossed both Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues.6 Dutch colonists began to settle in the area in the early 17th century, founding the colony of New Amsterdam, which included the village of Breuckelen as of 1646. In the first decades of Dutch occupation, conflicts between colonists and local indigenous peoples escalated as settlers forcibly displaced the vast majority of Native inhabitants through warfare and encroachment into Lenape lands.7

Excerpt from Indian Villages, Paths, Ponds and Places in Kings County, James Kelly, 1946. Paths marked in red depict traditional Lenape routes across the borough.

New Amsterdam later fell under British rule, the American colonies revolted, and Brooklyn continued to expand. The burgeoning community owed much of its growth and prosperity during this time to the labor of enslaved persons, thousands of whom were held in bondage across the region until the State of New York outlawed slavery in 1827.8 The first half of this century saw the modern Prospect Heights area laid out; by 1850 the current street grid had taken shape.9 Nearby landmarks that are today associated with Prospect Heights came about in the late 19th century, including Prospect Park circa 1873 and the Brooklyn Museum in 1897.10 The Prospect Heights Historic District (designated 2009) preserves many buildings constructed between 1840 and the end of the 19th century across a variety of architectural styles.11 11

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Prospect Heights Historic District boundaries, via the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission..

6. “Indian Villages” The Story Behind a Map; Brooklyn Public Library 7. History of Brooklyn; Thirteen WNET New York 8. Ibid.

9. Map of the City of Brooklyn, L.I.; Library of Congress 10. Prospect Heights: A Brief History; Amelia George 11. Prospect Heights Historic District Designation Report; NYC LPC VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Neighborhood History 20th Century to Present Day In the early 20th century, Prospect Heights was considered a middle-class neighborhood and its residents represented a mix of ethnicities, mainly including European and African Americans.12 Racial segregation was formally and informally enforced during this time, including through federal policies and practices collectively known as redlining, which were used to deny mortgages for prospective Black homeowners and to justify civic disinvestment in neighborhoods deemed less “secure,” typically home to existing Black populations. A 1934 map of Brooklyn depicting “Residential Security,” seen below, shows that the neighborhood was redlined into three zones with areas closer to Prospect Park categorized as more “secure.”13 Following the trends of suburbanization and white flight (through federal policies such as the 1956 National Interstate and Defense Highways Act and others) in the mid-20th century, the neighborhood became predominantly Black until the early 21st century.14 Prospect Heights has changed greatly in the 21st Century, with property values increasing significantly and demographics changing dramatically, as shown in the following pages.

The ongoing construction of Pacific Park/ Atlantic Yards, which includes the Barclays Center, and its associated rezoning continue to alter the neighborhood. PHNDC formed in response to this project in 2004, leading a successful lawsuit to accelerate the deadline for the development’s affordable housing units by 10 years.15 This report will examine these changes in context of how the area relates to its newly implemented Open Streets.

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Excerpt from Hagstrom’s Map of Brooklyn, New York City - House Number and Transit Guide, 1934. Color coding denotes “Residential Security,” with blue indicating Second Grade, yellow Third and red Fourth (First Grade being most “secure”).

Barclays Center in 2019 with a Pacific Park tower behind, looking south towards Prospect Heights. Photo by Ajay Suresh via Wikimedia Commons.

12. Prospect Heights: A Brief History; Amelia George 13. Red Line Maps (1938), The Red Line Archive 14. US Census Bureau 15. PHNDC.org VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Demographics Population and Age Composition Prospect Heights16 has a population of 24,855 people with a median age of 36.5 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey). The largest age group in the neighborhood are adults between 30–39 years, followed by 20–29 years and 40–49 years (Figure 3). Children under the age of 10 comprise the next largest group, and which notably is larger than children between 10–19 years by approximately 1,000 children. The smallest groups are residents 80 years and older, followed by adults 70–79 years. This age breakdown in Prospect Heights indicates that a large number of young professionals and young families live in the area. In Prospect Heights, residents aged 30–39 comprise 25% of the total population in Prospect Heights, which is significantly larger than Brooklyn and New York City by approximately 8% (Figure 4). In addition, Prospect Heights residents aged 10–19 is notably smaller than Brooklyn and New York City by approximately 5%.

Under 10

2,798

10 - 19 years

1,732

20 - 29 years

3,959

30 - 39 years

6,195

40 - 49 years

3,691

50 - 59 years

2,221

60 - 69 years 70 - 79 years Over 80

2,525 1,208 526

Figure 3. 2019 Age Composition (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey)

Figure 4. 2019 Age Composition of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and New York City (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey) 16. The Prospect Heights neighborhood is comprised of the following Census Tracts: 129.02, 161, 163, 203, 205, 207, and 215.

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Demographics Vietnamese

Languages

Spanish

The most common language spoken in Prospect Heights is English; 80% of Prospect Heights residents only speak English. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey). The remaining 20% of residents speak an additional language at home, such as Spanish (8%); French, Haitain, or Cajun (3%); and Other Indo-European languages (3%), among other languages (see Figure 5).

In Prospect Heights 5% of residents have limited English proficiency, which is low in comparison to New York City which has a limited English proficiency of 25%.

Korean

German or other West Germanic

French, Haitain, or Cajun Other & Unspecified

Chinese

Tagalog

Arabic Russian, Polish, or other Slavic

Other Indo-European Other Asian & Pacific Island

Figure 5. 2019 Languages Spoken at Home (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey)

35% Own Home Tenure 65% Rent

Tenureship In Prospect Heights, roughly 2:1 households rent (65%) rather than own (35%) their homes (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey) (Figure 6). This is generally on par with Brooklyn (70% rent, 30% own) and New York City (67% rent, 33% own).

Figure 6. 2019 Prospect Heights Tenureship (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey)

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Demographics Median Household Income

Figure 7. Median Household Income from 2000 - 2020 in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and NYC (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census, 2010 American Community Survey, and 2019 American Community Survey)

Over the last 20 years, Prospect Heights has seen a significant increase in the median household income—what was $50,603 in 2000 has more than doubled to $118,831 in 2020 (see Figure 7). In contrast to Brooklyn and New York City, the median household income of Prospect Heights has grown at a much larger rate. Brooklyn and New York City have had a comparable median household income between 2010 to 2020, and had a median household income of $68,080 and $67,046 in 2020 respectively. In 2020, the median household income of Prospect Heights was nearly double the median household income in both all of Brooklyn and New York City. For data on median residential property values see Figure 13.

Residential Longevity

Figure 8. Year Householder Moved into Unit (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey)

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In addition to the increase in median household income in the last 20 years, the number of residents moving into Prospect Heights has paralleled this. Between 2000 and 2020, 75% of residents moved into their unit (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey) (Figure 8). Only 25% of existing householders moved into their units in 1999 or earlier. This indicates that the majority of residents are not long-time residents and have lived in the area for approximately 20 years or less. Most notably, 54% of residents have moved into Prospect Heights within the last 10 years.

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Demographics Race and Ethnic Composition Over this time period the racial and ethnic composition of Prospect Heights has considerably changed as well, with the White and Black populations experiencing the most change. In 2000, Prospect Heights had a white population of 36%, which increased to 54% in 2020 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census and 2019 American Community Survey) (Figure 9).

The Black population comprised 45% of the neighborhood in 2000 and decreased by more than half to 19% in 2020. This change is especially notable in comparison to Brooklyn overall, whose white population increased marginally by 2% between 2000 and 2020, whereas the Black population decreased from 34% to 27%.

Overall the Hispanic/Latino and Asian populations have been much lower in Prospect Heights as compared to in Brooklyn. In Prospect Heights, the Hispanic population decreased from 12% in 2000 to 10% in 2020, while the Asian population grew from 4% in 2000 to 9% in 2020. These trends in Prospect Heights have been consistent with the trend across Brooklyn for the Hispanic/Latino and Asian populations, which have slightly decreased and increased, respectively.

Figure 9. Comparison of Race Composition in Prospect Heights and Brooklyn between 2000 - 2020 (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census; and 2019 American Community Survey)

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Demographics Educational Attainment The current community’s educational attainment is high for adults 25 years and older—over 90% of residents have a high school diploma at a minimum, and over 70% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey) (Figure 10). This is significantly higher than Brooklyn and New York City, in which 39% and 40% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, respectively.

Figure 10. 2019 Educational Attainment in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and NYC (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey)

Conclusion Between 2000 and 2020, the Prospect Heights area has experienced a remarkable amount of demographic change. Beginning in 2000, changes have been observed in median household income and race composition of the area. The median household income in Prospect Heights has more than doubled and the median household income is now twice the amount of the median household income of all of Brooklyn and New York City during this twenty year period. The white population has increased to 54%—much higher than that of the borough—and the Black population has decreased to 19%, which is lower than Brooklyn overall. The significant increase in new residents, rise in median household income, and change in race composition within a 20 year period as well as the current educational attainment levels reveals that the Prospect Heights neighborhood has become increasingly gentrified.

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Study Area Land Use

Figure 11 . Prospect Heights Zoning District Map | NYC Planning ZOLA Maps

Prospect Heights is zoned as residential districts with manufacturing and commercial uses along the northern border of the neighborhood. Manufacturing is limited to light industrial uses such as storage facilities and repair shops. Commercial zones include C4 districts, which are for regional commercial centers, and C6 districts, which typically require central locations and serve a metropolitan area.

A large portion of Prospect Heights is also designated as a Historic District by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, and as such, those areas are subject to special zoning regulations.

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Figure 12 . Historic District in Prospect Heights | NYC Planning ZOLA Maps VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Study Area Residential Land Use The majority of housing is medium-density, two-to-four family units, with increasing density in coops with elevators near Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park (Figure 14).

There are three main residential district typologies, which are characterized by: 1.

2.

3.

R6B: Traditional row houses and four-story attached buildings, typical of Brooklyn’s “brownstone” neighborhoods.

R7A: Seven-to-nine story apartment buildings designed to blend in with the existing architecture.

R8X: Fifteen-to-seventeen story apartment buildings.

Figure 13. Prospect Heights Home Values Over Time | (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census; 2010 American Community Survey; and 2019 American Community Survey)

As the median household income has increased over the last 20 years (Figure 7), the median home values have followed a similar trend across all census tracts (Figure 13).

According to Property Shark’s 2022 Real Estate Market Trend Overview Report for Quarter 1, “The median home sale price in Prospect Heights was $1.2M, a 24% increase year-over-year. The median price per square foot as of Quarter 1 was $1,182, a 12% YoY change. In Brooklyn, the median home sale price was $800K.”

Figure 14. Prospect Heights Residential Building Typologies Map | PropertyShark.Com

Additionally, there are very few mandatory inclusionary housing areas within the neighborhood (Figure 15) These factors have contributed to the neighborhood becoming more exclusive and expensive to live in over the past 20 years.

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Figure 15. Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Areas in Prospect Heights | NYC Planning ZOLA Maps VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Study Area Commercial Land Use Although the area is primarily medium-density residential development, commercial overlays along major avenues enable commercial use within residential districts to serve local retail needs. The overlays on Flatbush, Vanderbilt, and Washington Avenues enhance the pedestrian experience and quality of life for residents in the neighborhood. These sites are plentiful with restaurants, bars, shops, and services, which define Vanderbilt as a bustling commercial corridor and create opportunities for partnerships and events for Open Streets programming.

Notably, Underhill does not have commercial overlays, which limits commercial use, and maintains a residential neighborhood typology with less consumer-based traffic. This difference in zoning impacts the types of use, needs, and activities for Open Streets Programming.

The North Flatbush Business Improvement District (BID) is dedicated to maintaining Flatbush Avenue as a vibrant commercial district. The organization manages the area along Flatbush Avenue between 8th and Atlantic Avenues, and is the only Business Improvement District in Prospect Heights.

Figure 16. NYC Planning Zoning and Land Use Land Use Map with Commercial Overlays

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Study Area Landmarks, Green Spaces, Cultural Institutions, & Historic District The study area encompasses many local assets as well as cultural institutions, schools, and regional destinations. Major cultural landmarks that anchor the study area and drastically increase traffic from tourists and residents throughout all five boroughs, include, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Museum, Central Library, Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza, and the Barclays Center. Lowry Triangle, Dean Playground, Prospect Heights Community Farm, and Underhill Playground provide additional green spaces for the community. In addition to regional institutions, the area has many local nonprofit organizations and programs focusing on arts, performance, and education.

Figure 17. Green Space, Landmarks and Cultural Institutions Map

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Study Area Key Intersections & Transit The study area is well-served by public transit, making it a major corridor for people traveling in and through the neighborhood. In addition to Vanderbilt attracting local use for businesses and residents, it is also commonly used by commuters traveling to and from adjacent neighborhoods.

Where multiple transit lines meet, there are high levels of activity and density. Due to increased usage, these areas need additional planning and resources to ensure efficient traffic flow and safety of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Figure 18. Public Transit Map (Source: NYC Open Data)

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Study Area Bike Lanes & Citi Bike Stations The study area has a variety of bike lane types as well as multiple Citibike stations. Vanderbilt serves as a major cyclist commuter pathway through the neighborhood. Both Vanderbilt and Underhill have high levels of cyclist traffic during the Open Streets Programs. Street design opportunities should include bike infrastructure that accommodates substantial use, keeps cyclists safe, and maintains sufficient distance between cyclists and pedestrians. This is of particular importance on Underhill, where there is a playground, a school, and large number of children in the area.

Figure 19. Bike Lane and Citi Bike Station Map (Source. NYC Open Data, Citibike)

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Study Area Education Services & Childcare Facilities The study area is within School District 13, which includes much of Prospect Heights and Clinton Hill, to the north. District 13 has several public and private educational institutions ranging from Pre-K to High School. Additional programs and post-secondary education institutions can be found in the neighborhoods surrounding Prospect Heights.

There are a number of childcare facilities within the study area, many of which accept NYC childcare vouchers. There are no NYC Head Start programs within District 13 or the surrounding neighborhoods. Kids Orbit, which offers year round day camp and after school programs (5–12 yrs), as well as PS9, which serves PK–5th Graders, are both located directly on Underhill. These provide opportunity for kid-friendly open streets programs and activities.

Figure 20. Educational Services and Childcare Facilities

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Summary of Contextual Findings The Prospect Heights neighborhood has many prominent community assets: bustling commercial areas on Flatbush, Vanderbilt, and Washington Avenues; many schools and cultural institutions; a historic neighborhood designation; access to quality public space, with many playgrounds in the site and Prospect Park on the southern border.

With this in mind, the demographic research prompts some important questions: who has continued access to these assets and this neighborhood, and what community assets that once existed have been driven out? One major takeaway from the demographic data reveals that the neighborhood has increasingly witnessed the forces of gentrification over the last 20 years—evidenced in the significant racial demographic changes, increases in cost of housing and property values, and an upward surge in median household income.

These stark demographic and infrastructural changes are important context in which to think about Open Streets and the impacts they may have on the neighborhood and surrounding areas. Furthermore, in approaching this work, we want to be sensitive to the unintended harmful consequences that often accompanies neighborhood revitalization, while also acknowledging that this neighborhood has and continues to experience gentrification and exclusion. With the Open Streets being a relatively new and evolving program, we believe there is a critical opportunity to create long-term strategies to increase community agency, involvement, and access to decision-making throughout the program.

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With this deep dive into the history, demographics, and mapping work, the UPM Lab aims to build a holistic understanding of the study area and suggest recommendations for improvement and sustainability of the Vanderbilt and Underhill Open Streets. Of course, this narrative is not complete without additional field work and engagement with diverse stakeholders in the community. The next section detailing our analysis, field work, and community engagement efforts and process helped us further conceptualize the operations, management, challenges, and opportunities of the two Open Streets, and greatly informs our final recommendations for the client.

Photograph of Open Streets barrier and sign on Underhill, taken January 2022. Source: UPM students

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ANALYSIS

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Mapping & Documentation Field Notes Field Observation Methodology Our fieldwork took place during the months of February and April, once the Vanderbilt Open Street season began again. Methodology included a street infrastructure audit, a Place Audit, and mapping based on the Kevin Lynch “Image of the City” method (further explained in the following pages). The the mapping and documentation field notes section includes the most important and relevant findings from all of our fieldwork. Specifically, the street infrastructure audit focused primarily on mapping existing public seating and lighting fixtures in the neighborhood. The Place Audit on pages 31 & 32 highlights current assets and challenges of the streetscapes of Vanderbilt & Underhill, and is based on work we conducted following the Gehl Public Space Survey Manual.

Overall Findings The streetscapes of Vanderbilt and Underhill have many notable amenities: both offer ample tree coverage and despite Vanderbilt having much more commercial activity than the primarily residential Underhill, both benefit from fairly active street frontages and sidewalk realms. One area needing improvement on both streets is the quantity and quality of public seating options. The challenges detailed in the Place Audit come largely from observations of the Open Streets in operation. The community engagement section of this report will further substantiate some of these challenges we observed.

The 12 Key Quality Criteria in measuring quality and accessibility for pedestrians. Image Source: Gehl Public Space Survey Manual

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Mapping & Documentation Field Notes Street Features: Seating Vanderbilt and Underhill both have minimal public seating options, and the options that exist are primarily CityBenches, both backed and unbacked. The Open Restaurants program offer additional seating options with benches, dining sheds, and expanded dining seating on the sidewalk and street; however, these are reserved for commercial use and are thus not truly public.

UNDERHILL

VANDERBILT Figure 21. Map of Existing Seating (Underhill)

Images Source: UPM students

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Mapping & Documentation Field Notes When the Vanderbilt Open Street program is activated, the amount of public street furniture increases, although it is sometimes unclear which furniture is reserved for private business use or public use. We did not observe additional street furniture added to the Underhill during Open Street hours.

UNDERHILL

VANDERBILT Figure 22. Map of Existing Seating (Vanderbilt)

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Mapping & Documentation Field Notes Street Features: Lighting On Underhill Avenue there is street lighting, some lights around the school, and ambient light from nearby businesses and residences. Commercial spaces predominantly toward the southern end of the side that are still lit at nighttime provide some additional soft lighting. These lighting sources provide overhead light and increased perception of security; however, the site would benefit from additional soft, ambient light in select areas to improve the pedestrian experience.

UNDERHILL

VANDERBILT Figure 23. Map of Existing Lighting Fixtures (Underhill)

Images Source: UPM students

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Mapping & Documentation Field Notes Being a commercial corridor with residential buildings, Vanderbilt benefits—even more so than Underhill—from ambient lighting from businesses and residences. Similarly to Underhill, Vanderbilt has a good amount of street lighting.

UNDERHILL

VANDERBILT Figure 24. Map of Existing Lighting Fixtures (Vanderbilt)

Images Source: UPM students

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Mapping & Documentation Field Notes Place Audit: Assets on the Open Streets

Bike Infrastructure Tree Canopy

UNDERHILL

VANDERBILT

Active Sidewalk Realm Educational Communities

Long-time Small Businesses Playgrounds and Open Spaces Figure 25. Place Audit - Part I

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Images Source: UPM students VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Mapping & Documentation Field Notes Place Audit: Challenges on the Open Streets

Inactive, Underutilized Block Busy Through Traffic

UNDERHILL

VANDERBILT

Confusing Path for Cyclists Construction

Images Source: UPM students

Figure 26 Place Audit - Part II PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

Permeable Barricades VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Mapping & Documentation Field Notes Street Features: Kevin Lynch mapping

FIgure 27. Kevin Lynch Mapping Analyis

Urban planner Kevin Lynch describes his methodology for analyzing the built environment of a city in his groundbreaking 1960 book, The Image of the City, as such: “The contents of the city images so far studied, which are referable to physical forms, can conveniently be classified into five types of elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks… Paths… may be streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads… Edges are… the boundaries between two phases, linear breaks in continuity: shores, railroad cuts, edges of development, walls… Districts are the medium-to-large sections of the city, …which the observer mentally enters ‘inside of,’ and which are recognizable as having· some common, identifying character… Nodes are points, the strategic spots in a city into which an observer can enter, and which are the intensive foci to and from which he is traveling… Landmarks are another type of point reference… usually a rather simply defined physical object: building, sign, store or mountain.”

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Community Engagement Stakeholder Groups and Methodology Our process for community engagement began by imagining everyone who uses or could use the Prospect Heights Open Streets. We determined these groups with the intention of hearing from previously unreached and underrepresented groups, such as commuters, volunteers, schools and schoolchildren, and long-time residents. We identified the following stakeholder groups:

Residents and Visitors

Cultural and Faith-based Communities

Educational Community, Youth, and Caregivers

Management & Governance Stakeholders

Business Community

Street Traversers

We utilized three main outreach methods: informal interviews, observation mapping, and a robust online survey. Interviews took the form of in-person planned, in-person intercept, and zoom interviews. Observation mapping complimented intercept surveys where appropriate to better understand certain stakeholder groups, namely street traversers. In total, we engaged approximately 215 people.

Images Source: UPM students PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

Flyer created by UPM students VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Open Coding

Community Engagement Grounded Theory During and at the end of the engagement process, the UPM cohort began sorting through the qualitative data that we had gathered from all stakeholder groups using a method called grounded theory. Grounded theory is a systematic way to analyze qualitative data that allows trends and themes in the data to emerge through a coding process, which lets the data speak for itself.17 Grounded theory is an inductive approach that helps to buffer against confirmation bias, and the findings are closely tied to the data. The following pages explore the findings that emerged from the qualitative data—analyzed through grounded theory—from each stakeholder groups, as well as quantitative data pulled from the online survey in the resident & visitor stakeholder group. For the full boards created by the UPM Lab based on the grounded theory coding method, see Appendix B.

Axial Coding

Selective Coding

Image Source: Delve 17. Delve Tool, “A Practical Guide to Grounded Theory.”

UPM Lab Mid-Review with guests. Image source: UPM students

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Community Engagement Resident & Visitors Resident & Visitor Survey An online survey was created to gain an understanding of the views of Prospect Heights residents and people who visit the Vanderbilt and Underhill Open Streets program. The survey was made available online in both English and Spanish.

The survey was promoted to the community through PHNDC’s social media channels, flyers posted throughout the neighborhood and inside of businesses, and through conversations with residents and visitors on the Open Streets.

The survey was broken into four main sections, covering questions about the Open Streets Program in general, Vanderbilt-specific questions, Underhill-specific questions, and demographic questions. Responses provided qualitative and quantitative information about resident and visitor perceptions, experiences, and preferences regarding the Open Streets programs. All of the questions were optional, and all responses were anonymous. The analysis on the following pages provides key findings and metrics produced by the survey. Appendix A provides a full copy of the survey questions and results.

FIgure 28. Resident and Visitor Survey Dashboard (Source: UPM students) PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Community Engagement Key Finding #1: The perception of the Open Streets program is varied and inconsistent between Underhill and Vanderbilt.

Through the survey it was found that respondents had different perceptions of the Open Streets program on Vanderbilt and Underhill in a number of different ways. These areas include: the feeling of welcoming within the space, the perception of safety, the sense of community established through the Open Streets program, and the people the Open Streets program is meant to serve.

It was found that respondents felt the Vanderbilt Open Streets was very welcoming, is safe, is inclusive and fosters a sense of community, and is utilized by the broader community beyond Prospect Heights. There was a difference of opinions however when asked about the Underhill Open Streets, which were viewed as less welcoming, less safe, was meant primarily for local residents, and was not inclusive and did not foster a sense of community. The discrepancy in views between the two Open Streets stems from the difference in ratio of commercial to residential uses, levels of programming and events, and management of bicycles and vehicles even with barricades in place. For a more detailed insight of responses please refer to Appendix 1.

Figure 29. Sense of Perception Results ( Source: UPM Residential & Visitor Survey)

Figure 30. Sense of Safety Results (Source: UPM Residential & Visitor Survey)

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Community Engagement Key Finding #2: Underhill and Vanderbilt have a different perceived function.

A second key finding that emerged through the survey results is that both avenue’s have a different perceived function. In the survey, respondents were asked what brought them to Vanderbilt and/or Underhill during the Open Streets program. Respondents were able to select as many options that were applicable.

Based on responses, it was determined that most people went to the Vanderbilt Open Street to go to an eating establishment, partake in the Open Street activities, patron a store or business, or were passing through. In contrast, the majority of people who went to the Underhill Open Street were primarily passing through, while a small minority came to go to an eating establishment, open street activity, or retail or business use.

In this regard, Vanderbilt is a destination where people go to partake in different uses and activities, whereas Underhill is primarily used as a corridor for mobility. Additional responses can be found in Appendix A.

Have you ever been to Vanderbilt Avenue when the street is open to pedestrians and blocked to non-emergency vehicle traffic (i.e. the Open Street program)? If yes, what brought you there?

VANDERBILT

UNDERHILL

84%

65%

24%

79%

Restaurant, Cafe, or Bar

Passing Through

Restaurant, Cafe or Bar

Passing Through

62%

56%

22%

20%

Open Streets Activities

Retail or Business

Open Streets Activities

Retail or Business

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Community Engagement Key Finding #3: There is a desire for a year-round & permanent complete street design for Vanderbilt.

Respondents were asked questions about their opinions on Vanderbilt as it relates to the Open Streets seasonal schedule and future street designs. The majority of respondents want to see the Vanderbilt Open Streets program operate on a year-round basis rather than the current schedule of April to November. Additionally, there is a strong preference for a plaza block design to be incorporated into the future design, where the block is closed to vehicle traffic and prioritizes pedestrians, which allows for larger and contiguous public spaces that can be utilized by pedestrians, for programming, and incorporates green infrastructure.

Which of the following designs would be best for Vanderbilt Avenue moving forward?

(7% answered “None of the Above”) Source: UPM Residential & Visitor Survey

5%

4%

18%

66%

Conceptual Street Typology Designs. Images Source: ARUP

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Community Engagement Key Finding #4: The majority of respondents are dissatisfied or indifferent to the current schedule and operation of Underhill.

In contrast to the Vanderbilt Open Streets, respondents felt differently about the Underhill Open Streets. There was a general consensus that the Underhill Open Streets should no longer operate on a year-round basis, but should rather occur on a seasonal basis or not at all. The goal of the Underhill Open Street was unclear and many felt that there was not enough programming, too many cars, and that not enough people used the street during the operating hours. In the future during the Underhill Open Streets there is a desire to incorporate traffic calming measures, remove non-local traffic, establish pedestrian-only zones, and provide additional plantings and greenery.

Should the Underhill Avenue Open Street continue to operate year-round?

Figure 31. Underhill Operations Schedule Results (Source: UPM Residential & Visitor Survey) PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

Top Rated Street Features & Amenities for Future Underhill Avenue

74%

73%

Traffic Calming Measures

Pedestrian-only Zones

74%

71%

Additional Plantings / Greenery

Permanent Bike Lane

Would you support the use of more permanent barriers on the Underhill Avenue Open Streets to better prevent non-local through traffic?

Figure 32. Permanent Barriers (Source: UPM Residential & Visitor Survey) VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Residents & Visitors Candid, Personal Interviews In addition to the general survey for residents and visitors, our team made deliberate efforts to capture the perspectives of long-time Black residents—folks living in Prospect Heights for more than 20 years—as this demographic has been significantly displaced in the last 20 years.

We spoke with 3 self-identifying Black men who have lived in Prospect Heights for well over 20 years; their perspectives helped fill in gaps in our outreach and added richness to our understanding of the site because they experienced the neighborhood pre-gentrification. One of these residents we reached out to and scheduled a Zoom interview, and the other two residents were interviewed informally on the Vanderbilt Open Street.

Key findings & takeaways: These residents expressed that the Open Streets—specifically Vanderbilt Open Street and its programming—was not for them, as older, long-time residents. Instead, they felt the program was for restaurants, (predominantly white) residents who recently moved into the neighborhood, and tourists and visitors.

Additional key themes included frustration about the lack of agency in terms of programming as residents and the lack of democratic decision-making and management of the program.

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“30 years ago, there used to be more kids playing in streets and people on stoops…”

“I did not vote for them [PHNDC]. There was no election for who was in charge of the Open Streets.”

“[Vanderbilt Open Street is] very white and very privileged.

I’d rather bike 20 minutes to the Tompkins Open Street in Bed-Stuy.”

“There needs to be a comprehensive approach for anti-displacement and investing in community.”

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Cultural and Faith-Based Communities Conversations and Informal Interviews The team reached out to 8 representatives from various cultural and faith-based organizations in the area. Many of them have been in the neighborhood for about a decade, and have been actively engaging with the community during their time here.

Interviews were conducted on an informal, conversational basis, and recordings and transcripts were made. We heard different perspectives from the representatives, but they had similar underlying themes. There is a strong sense of appreciation for Open Streets, as well as a desire to make the spaces less programmed. There were questions about autonomy, bureaucracy, and economic equity.

“There needs to be less bureaucracy and more options for non-economic activities”

“The sense of community for me has always been strong here. And what I mean by that is, everyone, even on the street has felt really welcoming…”

Key findings & takeaways: 1.

2.

3.

How can we provide a strategy to ensure that the streets remain a democratic commons?

How can the management evolve to sustain the Open Streets Program?

How can we ensure that Open Streets provides equal opportunity to everyone using the street?

“Open Streets worked during the pandemic, but not anymore…”

Photo during engagement. Image source: UPM students PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Educational Community, Youth & Caregivers Informal Interviews and an Activity Suggestion Board To gather opinions from school staff, parents, caregivers and children, 29 people were engaged in informal interviews. All interviews were in person, many of which took place at playgrounds (James Forten Playground, The Sarah Smith Garnet School, and Greene Playground) across four visits.

Parents (12 people) expressed their views on safety, traffic and Open Streets activities.

These parents, who are also residents, who drive commented more about the traffic while non-drivers talked more about the sidewalk experience on open streets.

Some of the school staff consulted (6 people) were also residents and drivers which informed overlapping opinions greatly. School staff expressed more critical opinions about Open Streets not meeting their schools’ needs, as well as how they relate to education and students in general.

Children (11 people) were shown an image board with activities to learn about their preferences. This board included activities like dancing, drawing/painting, and sports/games.

The children gave stars to their preferred activities that they would want to experience on Open Streets.

Key findings & takeaways: School staff was concerned about liability, while parents frequently mentioned traffic safety concerns.

Parents also reported having fun on Open Streets with their kids and enjoying the added outdoor space during nice weather. Benefits for schools are questionable since they do not typically need extra space and specifically want to avoid backed-up traffic around the school area, a concern echoed by parents.

Kids gave the most stars to dancing. Some parents also suggested more performances specifically for kids.

To keep the Open Streets as they are, particularly Underhill, schools would request to receive more tangible benefits and accessibility. Parents request more social programs, concerts and performances and not over-designed spaces for their own use.

Activity Suggestion Board for Kids

Mock-up of activity board presented to children

Photo during engagement. Image source: UPM students

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Street Traversers Unstructured Intercept Interviews and Observation Mapping For the purpose of the study, street traversers were described as Open Streets users who were passing through or using the street to get from one place to another. This target audience included delivery drivers (on trucks and ebikes), cyclists, and pedestrians. Brief unstructured interviews and observation mapping were the two methods used to collect data and understand the experience of street traversers on Open Streets.

Parking space remained a major contention for delivery drivers on Vanderbilt. This issue becomes more pronounced during Open Street hours when the wait times increase for delivery drivers and the crowds on the street obstruct the road. Cyclists, who are passing through, also claimed to prefer biking through alternate routes instead of busy and crowded Open Streets as the foot traffic on the street slowed them down.

Underhill uses barriers to close the street for through traffic, however these barriers remain permeable to cars and delivery bikes.

Pedestrians mostly kept to the sidewalks,

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despite the street being open throughout the day, because the street’s permeability to some traffic makes them feel uncomfortable and unsafe to walk on the street.

The Open Street on Underhill has resulted in three involuntary, invisible islands being formed: the sidewalk, where most of the pedestrian activity happens; the street, which is permeable and largely being used by cars; and the cross-streets, which carry vehicular traffic at all times. The three islands become more pronounced with the edge created by rows of parked cars on either side of the street.

Key findings & takeaways: These findings and observations reveal that street space is still contested, despite being open for pedestrians and public gatherings. There is a desire for the street to be used for uninterrupted mobility as well as a contest for the street to be transformed into a social gathering space.

The challenge for the Open Streets lies in balancing the two through thoughtful design and management.

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Businesses Informal and Formal Interviews, Observations, and Field Notes Streets design guidelines, and impact on business activity.

Key findings & takeaways: The operations and maintenance of Open Streets were a consideration that came up frequently. Staff and owners were consistently unclear on the party responsible for setting up and taking down the Open Streets, particularly as it related to the barricades. This left businesses to bear the responsibility, often requiring employees to work irregular or extended hours.

The chart above represents the breakdown of the 8 different categories of businesses on Vanderbilt and Underhill from Atlantic Ave. to Saint Johns Pl. Source: UPM students.

To properly account for business stakeholders in the affected area, each of the business on Vanderbilt and Underhill from Atlantic Ave. through Saint Johns Pl. were categorized by type. Food and drink establishments collectively made up the majority of businesses at a total of 57.7%.

Moving forward, the sampling of 16 business owners, managers, and employees interviewed during the community engagement process corresponded to the percentages of business types found in the full count. Of the 16 stakeholders interviewed, 3 key themes were identified: Operations and maintenance, Open

“We have to stay late after close to help take down the barriers when there is Open Streets.”

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Businesses on Vanderbilt and Underhill, especially restaurants, were looking for more guidance with regards to design. They were particularly interested in understanding what type of furniture was allowed, how they should lay out streets and tables, what size structures were permitted, and whether they could use space in front of nearby businesses after they closed.

The majority of business stakeholders expressed the Open Streets had a positive impact on their businesses and brought more foot traffic (customers) to their establishments. Many have hired additional labor to meet the increased demand and some are even considering extending their hours during the Open Streets for current and future seasons.

“We want to know what type of furniture to use for outdoor dining and how to layout tables & seating in the street.”

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“There are more visitors and we are thinking of staying open later during them, but it requires more labor.”

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Management & Governance Stakeholders Candid, Personal Interviews The Prospect Heights Open Streets community includes not just visitors and street-users, but the organizations that manage the Open Streets’ both in policy and in practice, as well as entities that hold power over the decision-making process for the Open Streets’ ongoing operations.

This includes, naturally, PHNDC and DOT as well as local elected and appointed officials like Community Board 8 (CB8) members and City Council Member Crystal Hudson. To reach the appropriate members of these organizations, we reached out directly to our contacts in DOT’s Public Space Unit and at PHNDC. Many PHNDC members work on various aspects of the Open Streets; to reach them, we asked our contacts to connect us with the appropriate members. To reach more PHNDC volunteers in general (who may not be voting members), PHNDC allowed us to make a general request to interview volunteers during a PHNDC town hall meeting.

Volunteers were told the purpose of our project and asked to sign up for an interview time slot.

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A member of CB8’s Environment, Sanitation and Transportation Committee was reached by email. Council Member Hudson’s office was reached by social media, but no staff members were available to speak with us.

Interviews were conducted over Zoom and were guided conversations lasting roughly 30 minutes to one hour. In total, 3 DOT employees were consulted, 8 PHNDC members and volunteers were interviewed, as was 1 member of CB8’s Environment, Sanitation and Transportation Committee.

Key findings & takeaways: Several themes emerged from this outreach, echoed by members of all three organizations. Concerns about the sustainability of the current management structure were frequently mentioned, in terms of the significant effort, resources and funding required and where to source them. PHNDC volunteer over-work was frequently cited as an issue. Each organization also reported that the community is not accurately represented within its own membership.

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Key Themes from Contextual Findings & Analysis Based on our contextual findings and community engagement analysis from all stakeholder groups, eight key themes emerged: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

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There has been a significant amount of displacement of Black residents in the last 20 years.

Prospect Heights is now home to a predominantly white, high-earning, highly educated population.

Everyone approached Open Streets differently: one person’s Open Street is another person’s “closed street.”

Current management and operations is unsustainable due to the reliance on volunteers.

Safety (physical, emotional, sense of belonging, psychological) is of concern to most users.

The community’s ambition for a democratic commons is disrupted by current management, funding, operations of the Open Streets, as well as street design & amenities.

There is a lack of communication regarding intention, mission, and values of the Prospect Heights Open Streets.

There is a lack of system-wide strategy and intention behind the Open Streets program as a city-wide initiative.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

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Guiding Principles for Recommendations From these key themes described in the previous section, we’ve developed seven guiding principles that form the basis of our recommendations: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

The street should facilitate comfort and be usable without concern for safety.

The stewardship of the Open Streets should be community-led and participatory.

The Open Streets should celebrate and preserve the history and diverse cultures of the neighborhood and should incorporate anti-displacement strategies.

The Open Streets program should be inclusive of the needs of all users and should have an equitable impact.

The management, operations, and fundraising should enable a scalable and sustainable model.

Climate resilience should be incorporated into the street design, programming, and communications.

The Open Streets program should have accessible, transparent, and consistent messaging and communications.

Community-led & Participatory

Safety & Comfort

Equity & Inclusion

Sustainable & Scalable Model

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Cultural Preservation & Anti-Displacement

Climate Resilience

Transparency & Consistency

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Governance Scalable, Equitable Distribution of Power The recommended governance model was created to achieve four primary goals, which are as follows: The Governance Model for the Prospect Heights Open Streets Program should: 1.

Establish a diverse, inclusive group of decision makers that represent all community members 2.

Equitably distribute power across all stakeholder groups 3.

Be scalable and adaptable within the Prospect Heights Neighborhood 4.

Be scalable and adaptable to other Open Streets Communities To meet these goals, we recommend creating the Prospect Heights Open Streets Community Advisory Board, which will be comprised of members of a variety of stakeholding groups in the community.

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) will both advise PHNDC on Open Streets management, operations, design and programming as well as approve or deny any major changes to such proposed by PHNDC. A selected member of this board should also be given a voting seat on PHNDC’s board.

Members of the CAB were deliberately chosen to ensure currently underrepresented groups, such as long-time residents, have more decision-making power in the Open Streets program. Because the Prospect Heights neighborhood continues to rapidly change and gentrify, we recommend one of the PHNDC representatives is a member of PHNDC's Housing Committee. Along with the Community Liaison, this representative’s role would include leading affordable housing and antidisplacement efforts and strategizing how to incorporate this into the Open Streets program.

EDUCATIONAL & CULTURAL COMMUNITIES

PROSPECT HEIGHTS OPEN STREETS COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD A cohesive and transparent governance model for an equitable, inclusive, and collaborative public realm.

3 Cultural Organization Representatives 1 Public School Administrator 1 Parent Currently Serving on Public School PTA LOCAL AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS, & ELECTED POSITIONS

RESIDENTS 2 Long-Term Residents 1 Recent-Term Resident

15 MEMBERS BUSINESS OWNERS

1 DOT Employee 1 CB8 Member 2 PHNDC Representatives: -Community Liaison -Housing Committee

1 Restaurant/Bar 1 Service 1 Retail

Figure 33. Governance Model

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Governance Scalable, Equitable Distribution of Power Relationship of the CAB to PHNDC The CAB will advise PHNDC on the management, operations, design and programming of the Open Streets. It will approve or deny any major changes to these, which must be presented by PHNDC as proposals for review before implementation; PHNDC will be bound to their decision. If denied, PHNDC may revise their proposal and present it again for another review. Votes will be decided by simple majority. The Board may also make its own recommendations on the aspects of the Open Streets it oversees.

PHNDC must make a good faith effort to follow these recommendations to the best of its ability according to its available resources.

Creation and Election Process It is recommended that PHNDC hire a consultant to facilitate the process of appointing members to the CAB. PHNDC can create an equitable process by promoting the Advisory Board’s mission, vision, structure, and opportunities to the entire community through multiple channels. Additionally, the organization can utilize an online election platform that allows any resident over the age of 18 to apply, providing a transparent and inclusive process. Interested applicants will be able to create their own profiles on the platform, and will all be asked the same questions. Their profile photo, provided information, and responses to the questions will be visible to the public for voting. PHNDC will also need to have accessible opportunities during Open Streets for interested individuals to create a profile in person, and vote for candidates.

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After the election, the consulting firm will review the results, ensure all votes are from residents within the neighborhood of Prospect Heights, and announce the Prospect Heights Open Streets Community Advisory Board. To ensure that all board terms do not expire in the same year, the board will have alternating election years. Positions will be limited to 2 years after the first round of terms served, during which 8 positions will serve an initial 3-year term, chosen by the consulting firm.

Ongoing Board Operations The CAB will meet monthly and will review current progress and plans for the Open Streets programs, policies, and designs. They will also review and discuss issues, questions, and/or concerns of stakeholders regarding the open streets program. The board will publish reports following each meeting with data, reports, and information reviewed, and the resulting decisions and/or recommendations made. The Prospect Heights Open Streets Community Advisory Board will foster trust between stakeholder groups, and will ensure a transparent decision making process for the program. After the first board is convened, the CAB may make its own community agreements and bylaws.

Additional Notes for Board Operations: -Diversity of race, age, gender, tenure recommended -Long-Term Residents: recommended 20+ years residing in the neighborhood -Recent-Term Resident: recommended less than 10 years residing in the neighborhood VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Management & Operations Paid roles, Varied Involvement Opportunities To better administer the Open Streets, respond to community wants and needs, provide quality Open Streets experiences for all users, and alleviate volunteer workload, we recommend creating the following four paid positions within PHNDC that will work collaboratively with each other, DOT, and community stakeholders. Each would be a part-time employee, working 20 hours per week compensated at $32.00 hourly (based on the existing PHNDC rates for Executive Director and Program Manager). We recommend these four part-time positions instead of two full-time ones in order to employ more members of the community.

New hires should ideally represent groups currently underrepresented within PHNDC. Development Manager ● Set revenue targets, creating development plans and raising funds through: grants, donations, sponsorships, advertising, crowdsourcing, DOT, other sources ● Identify and pursuing additional long-term funding models (e.g. PILOT program, other methods to drive revenue) Programming Manager ● Head the Programming Committee that administers PHNDC Planned & Managed Programming (as proposed in the following pages), which may include festivals, events, markets, integration with existing programs in the community, and community engagement programs such as a Green Team ● Administer the new Community Planned & Managed Programming initiative (as proposed in the following pages) 55

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Programming Manager (continued) ● Work with Community Liaison to ensure community-led integration of programming ● Oversee Tactical Urbanism approaches including deployable furniture, public art, etc.

Community Liaison ● Support all external PHNDC initiatives by serving as a conduit for communications between community members and leadership ● Assist the Programming Manager with community program proposals and permitting ● Gather community feedback ● Support ongoing street design initiatives with community and expert workshops ● Maintain external relationships with city agencies and community organizations ● Support all external functions with communications, branding and marketing including social media and web presence ● Create proposed new website and web tools ● Work with Housing Committee to tap into community-led advocacy efforts on affordable housing and anti-displacement Resources Officer ● Support team by managing finances and coordinating with PHNDC treasurer on budgeting, bank accounts and payments, insurance and legal needs ● Build a diverse and inclusive group of volunteers to support the operations of the Open Streets through a variety of functions including cleaning, barrier deployment, program staffing and more ● Recruit and hiring Street Marshals to oversee the operations of the Open Streets ● Maintain inventory of physical assets VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Long-Term Fundraising Envisioning a Long-Term, Sustainable Future Long-term fundraising methods should focus on securing sustainable funding sources and using them to hire part-time staff members.

Responsibilities of these newly created positions will include ensuring PHNDC secures funding each year for their Open Streets initiatives, such as ongoing maintenance and operations, programming, and community engagement.

This funding can come from a variety of sources. One source may be Ongoing Maintenance Grants from corporate sponsors like Barclays, Citi, Bloomberg or others.

Additional grants may be secured from private sources or foundations, and funds can be sought from discretionary funding and participatory budgeting funds supplied by local elected officials.

Local politicians, such as City Council Members, are often critical champions in the management of new public spaces. Many of the successful plazas developed through NYC DOT's Plaza Program in New York benefited from financial support of local politicians.

Examples include Corona Plaza in Queens, supported by City Council Member Julissa Ferreras, and the 78th Street Play Street, supported by City Council Member Daniel Dromm. Recruiting elected officials to support Prospect Heights’ Open Streets through funding would help to ensure they become a reliable resource for the community for years to come.

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SUGGESTED OPERATIONS BUDGET ALTERATIONS: 2022 PHNDC Open Streets Budget: Vanderbilt Avenue expense total: $215,334.00 Anticipated total support from private sources, corporate/advertising, DOT and SBS funds, and cost sharing assessment among Vanderbilt Avenue businesses: $215,334.00 PHNDC has indicated that Underhill Avenue’s Open Street funding is supplied by DOT separately.

Proposed expenses and fundraising goals: Total staffing salary requirements: $133,120.00 (4 positions at 20 hrs/wk, year-round) Potential breakdown of funding sources: Ongoing Maintenance Grant: $91,000.00 (200% current corporate/advertising contributions) Discretionary Funding - Council Member Funds: $10,000.00 (equivalent to similar grants by Council Member Hudson to various community organizations and BIDs in 2022, 200% contribution to PHNDC in 2022) Participatory Budgeting - Council District 35 Funds: $15,450.00 (equal to Equipment & Supplies plus Printing and Postage listed expenses, funds for which could be redistributed if PHNDC obtains Participatory Budgeting funds that would apply to physical goods and needs) Private sources or foundations: $16,670.00 (additional 83% of already expected private funds)

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Long-Term Fundraising Envisioning a Long-Term, Sustainable Future Another source of funding could be through adapting the Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) model employed by public spaces such as Brooklyn Bridge Park. This model redirects a portion of already existing taxes paid by a business or property owner to a designated use, in this case to the ongoing maintenance and operations of a public space. While in Brooklyn Bridge Park’s case, PILOT program participation is mandatory for all business or property owners in designated buildings bordering the park (again, only redirecting portions of existing taxes, not creating new ones), in Prospect Heights’ case, this program could be implemented on an opt-in basis for business or property owners on the two Open Streets. No one would be obligated to participate; only those who choose to do so will see their taxes diverted.

Entities opting into the program would effectively earmark their own tax dollars to support the Open Streets program adjacent to their business or property. Of course, this would require significant bureaucratic support to implement. DOT has explicit interest in the success of the program in Prospect Heights, indicating that Vanderbilt Avenue is seen as one of the prime implementations of Open Streets. With enough institutional buy-in from DOT, they could ensure the actual operating organization of the Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues Open Streets, PHNDC, receives the financial support it needs by championing this model, thus securing the continued existence of these Open Streets.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park via newyorkcity.ca SUGGESTED PHNDC BUDGET ALTERATIONS: 2022 PHNDC Open Streets Budget: Vanderbilt Avenue expense total: $215,334.00 Anticipated total support from private sources, corporate/advertising, and DOT and SBS funds, excluding the listed cost sharing assessment among Vanderbilt Ave Businesses: $130,500.00 Funding shortfall in this scenario: $84,834.00 Proposed expenses and fundraising goals: Total staffing salary requirements: $133,120.00 (4 positions at 20 hrs/wk, year-round) Total funding needed from new opt-in PILOT program: $217,954.00 (staff salaries plus fundraising shortfall) With 100 entities participating, $2,179.54 of each one’s annual taxes would need to be diverted to reach this goal. This could be lowered by seeking additional grants and funding as detailed on the previous page.

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Communications Accessible, Inclusive, Transparent, & Consistent Our community engagement across multiple stakeholders revealed gaps in communication between PHNDC and the community. A comprehensive communications plan is crucial to accurately articulate the values behind the Open Streets program to both residents and visitors. It will also ensure that the Open Streets remain welcoming to everyone.

In developing our strategy for communications, two guiding principles deeply influenced our recommendations: transparency & consistency, and equity & inclusion. These principles relate to our overall mission and evolved out of what we heard from community members. Many stakeholders shared that they felt disconnected from the decision-making of the Open Streets and perceived PHNDC as inaccessible and a gatekeeper.

Taking this into account, we took a two-pronged approach in our recommendations, emphasizing input from the community to PHNDC and output from PHNDC to the community.

Input: Ongoing feedback from the community

Output: Continuous messaging to the community

COMMUNITY

Figure 34. Ongoing Communication and Feedback

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Communications Input: Ongoing Feedback from the Community to PHNDC Community Liaison Our primary recommendation is the creation of a paid Community Liaison position through PHNDC, as discussed in previous pages. Roles and responsibilities for this position would include building trust with community members, facilitating dialogue, and being available to answer questions or field suggestions about the Open Streets. The Community Liaison would also be a voting member of the Advisory Board.

Suggestion Box Our second recommendation is to implement a suggestion box for feedback from the community. This includes both a physical box that would be present on the Open Streets, and a digital version that would live on the PHNDC website and the websites for each individual Open Street. These tools, overseen but the Community Liaison, would help bring the community into the decision making process and make their voices heard on issues relating to the Open Streets.

Ongoing outreach Our third and final recommendation is to create an actionable plan for ongoing outreach with the community. This could include participatory workshops on the Open Streets, intercept interviews, online surveys, and offering office hours with the Community Liaison. The feedback received could be presented to the community to keep them informed. All outgoing communication should be translated into Spanish as well.

Image Source: unsplash.com

Image Source: unsplash.com

Open Street in Brooklyn. Image Source: unsplash.com

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Communications Output: Continuous Messaging from PHNDC to the Community Street Messaging Our primary recommendation is to reinvigorate street messaging. While a rebrand of the entire Open Streets program is an unrealistic undertaking, we wanted to reframe what “open” means in the context of Open Streets to clear up confusion around the naming and alleviate contentiousness around the concept of open vs. closed streets. Therefore, we suggest a campaign called “Open For _______” that will emphasize who and what the Open Streets are for (Open for Programming, Open For Shopping, Open for Everyone, etc.).

This campaign will help better convey the values of Open Streets—such as community, openness, and climate justice—and communicate what is accessible on the Open Streets (e.g. businesses to visit, programming available, and cultural institutions nearby). Street messaging could also serve as a wayfinding guide to help visitors orient themselves as they move through the neighborhood.

Brand Enhancements Our second recommendation is to make brand enhancements, including a new website that includes information about both Open Streets.

This would create a more cohesive visual identity and clearer messaging to visitors of the Open Streets. It would also make information easier to locate and create a better overall user experience.

Printable Materials Our third and final recommendation is to create printable materials. These materials could be pamphlets to mail to the community, flyers to hand out on the Open Streets, posters to put at local businesses, or even a Holiday Gift Guide. We believe it is important to use physical communication assets to include those that may not have access to a computer, smartphone, or the internet.

For accessibility and inclusion, all materials should be translated into Spanish as well.

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Figure 35. Messaging Posters. Source: UPM students.

Additional mockups found in Appendix C.

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Programming Centering Community Agency & Preserving Opportunities for Organic, Informal Programming The programming goals for the Prospect Heights Open Streets focus on serving the community within close geographic distance, recognizing that a wide variety of sub-groups make up this community. These goals prioritize equitable outcomes by recognizing the neighborhood’s early and recent history, celebrating and preserving the diverse cultures in nearby neighborhoods, and inviting community members to determine programming to a significant degree and to exercise power over ongoing programming decisions. Particularly, this approach focuses on extending agency over Open Streets programming to members of the Prospect Heights community who are underrepresented within PHNDC. Programming on the Open Streets could also better integrate with the surrounding community by bringing existing nearby events and activities like the West Indian Day Parade to Prospect Heights, if parade organizers and participants share this interest.

This programming approach encourages a permanent and more sustainable Open Streets. This is meant to be an evolving and living approach, and further community engagement is strongly recommended for the success of Open Streets programming.

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West Indian Day Parade. Image Source: AMNY

Columbus Circle Holiday Market. Image Source: urbanspace

Underhill Open Street. Image Source: NYC DOT

Vanderbilt Open Street. Image Source: 2nd Ave Sagas

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Programming Primary Recommendations This mission for Prospect Heights Open Streets programming can be supported by creating three strategies or approaches to programs in the area: Community Planned & Managed Programming, PHNDC Planned & Managed Programming, and Unprogrammed Space & Time.

Community Planned & Managed Programming Community-led programming will allow anyone to propose programs, events or activities to hold on the Open Streets and to reserve time and space for free, at least 3 weeks in advance. PHNDC will administer a publicly visible calendar to see these programs and add new ones, approving proposals on a weekly basis. PHNDC (with support from DOT where necessary) will also support these programs with basic equipment like chairs, tables, tents, sports equipment, etc., or other materials as needed, and by assisting with any necessary permits to hold approved programs. This process will be accessible online through a reimagined Prospect Heights Open Streets website (including Vanderbilt and Underhill), and can also be accessed in-person by approaching the PHNDC Community Liaison during established hours when they are present at the Open Streets. Besides the Community Liaison, new website and calendar web tool, this strategy also requires enhanced communication efforts by PHNDC to make this process and their role more widely known to the community, including materials to explain what may be required for individuals or groups to hold their own programs.

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PHNDC Planned & Managed Programming PHNDC-led programming will include major events and holidays as well as ongoing community engagement programs. These may include a spring concert to kick off the season, July 4th events and activities, a Fall Festival with seasonal activities and special events, and more. One recommended program is a Winter Market to drive business and encourage use of the Open Streets during the holiday season. This approach also includes integrating Open Streets programming with existing events in the area, such as the West Indian Day Parade/J’Ouvert. Ongoing Community Engagement activities could include a neighborhood greening and cleaning group that meets regularly to foster community connection and stewardship over these shared spaces. The PHNDC committee responsible for these programs will hold public meetings for suggestions and feedback from the community, and will also follow recommendations from the new Advisory Board.

Unprogrammed Time & Space Finally, leaving room for dedicated, Unprogrammed Space & Time will allow for the organically emerging uses of the Open Street that so many know and love and are frequently associated with the Open Streets program as it exists today. These unprogrammed spaces and times will be clearly marked on the community calendar so those proposing programs will not be able to select them for their programs.

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Programming Community Planned & Managed Programming Mock-Ups These mockups show examples of how the community programming calendar and online application tool may appear.

This diagram represents how community planned and managed programs go through the proposals process. PHNDC review and approval is not meant to curate programs, only approve or deny based on feasibility.

Activity Diagram Due to the nature and proximity of Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues, we imagine the proposed programming approach will create a more unified programming environment between the two streets. This Activity Diagram illustrates the overlap between the two streets. The next section examining design possibilities elaborates on how the interstitial streets may also support greater connectivity between the two avenues.

VANDERBILT AVENUE

UNDERHILL AVENUE

Figure 36. Activity Diagram

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Design Connectivity, Safety, Sustainability and Community Well-Being Goals for street design were developed primarily from our observations of the Open Streets and the community’s suggestions and opinions of the Open Streets. Some things we heard from the community were that they wanted the Open Streets to become a cultural destination, but they also wanted to “normalize” the Open Streets; a large number of stakeholders felt the Open Streets should be usable everyday, not only as an event or celebratory space. Similarly, people wanted the streets to transform into plaza streets, but quite a few of them also envisioned a shared block concept for the Open Streets. These opinions from the community guided our design thinking. The objectives are as follows: 1.

Social gathering spaces become a permanent part of the street infrastructure of Vanderbilt and Underhill.

2.

Open Streets transform into dynamic multimodal streets that balance and satisfy both needs: streets as vital public spaces and streets that allow for uninterrupted mobility.

3.

Proposed street design facilitates traffic calming and prioritizes pedestrian and cyclist safety on the Open Streets.

4.

The Open Streets program becomes sustainable in the long run, requiring minimal manual labor from the management, and the street design becomes a replicable precedent for similar streets in the city.

5.

Characteristics of the Prospect Heights Open Streets are reflected throughout the neighborhood through key intersections (points of interests, including plazas, parklets, and playgrounds).

6.

The historic and cultural character of Prospect Heights is preserved and reflected in the proposed street designs.

7.

Green infrastructure is encouraged and preserved in the proposed street designs.

Connectivity

Community Wellbeing

Sustainability

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Safety

Scalability

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Design Neighborhood Connectivity Plan To establish a connected network of streets and spaces within Prospect Heights, beyond the Vanderbilt and Underhill Open Streets, an analysis of the neighborhood’s streets and assets was completed to form a Neighborhood Connectivity Plan, inspired by the Barcelona Superblocks.

To reclaim space from vehicles ‘Superblocks’ were established consisting of a nine-block street grid, three blocks wide by three blocks long, where internal streets became public spaces dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists, and non-local vehicular traffic is restricted to outer perimeter streets.

The Neighborhood Connectivity Plan for Prospect Heights includes three street typologies, and designates major points of interest. The first street typology is the “Multimodal Commercial Street”; these streets are predominantly commercial corridors that have a high volume of vehicular traffic. The second street typology is the “Shared Residential Streets,” which are those that are generally residential in nature but also support other uses to a smaller extent such as parks, schools, and some businesses, restaurants, and cafes. The third typology is the “Priority Connector Street.” This street typology connects designated major points of interests with the Multimodal Commercial Streets and Shared Residential Streets. The designated major points of interest are those that are existing public spaces and or key intersections in Prospect Heights.

The Priority Connector Streets serve to connect and integrate these spaces throughout Prospect Heights while focusing on pedestrians and providing opportunities for active street life.

Legend KEY PUBLIC SPACES MULTIMODAL COMMERCIAL STREET SHARED RESIDENTIAL STREET PRIORITY CONNECTOR STREET

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Figure 37.

Neighborhood Connectivity Plan VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Design Green Infrastructure In New York City, Green Infrastructure is described as an array of practices that use or mimic natural systems to manage stormwater runoff. Green Infrastructure controls stormwater by using it as a resource rather than a waste.

Stormwater is either directed to engineered systems for infiltration or detained at a slower rate before it enters the Sewer System. The DEP Green Infrastructure Program Map below highlights existing green infrastructure projects that have been completed in Prospect Heights.

In conjunction with the Neighborhood Connectivity Plan, it is proposed to further increase the number of green infrastructure projects in Prospect Heights to provide additional greenery, mitigate urban heat island effects, provide cooling, and assist in the management of stormwater. Strategic partnerships could be formed with community groups such as the Prospect Heights Community Farm and Prospect Park Alliance to assist in engaging the community about climate resiliency and sustainability goals, if interests align.

Community Garden (Source: Prospect Heights Community Farm website)

Sidewalk Gardens. Image: Source: NYC Environmental Protection

Median Greenspace. Image Source: The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Stormwater Insets. Image Source: NYC Environmental Protection PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

DEP Green Infrastructure Program Map. Image Source: NYC Open Data

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Design Vanderbilt Existing Conditions Vanderbilt is a Full Closure type Open Street as categorized by DOT. It supports 4 lanes of traffic, two lanes traveling in a northerly and two lanes traveling in a southerly direction. There is a bike lane and a central median on the road for some portions of Vanderbilt. During the Open Street hours, the street is closed to through traffic by barricades but remains open to cyclists and people on delivery bikes.

The designs propose changes that will help Vanderbilt become a multimodal street; the proposed designs will have the following features: ● ● ●

Increased space for social gatherings Slowed down traffic A permanent bike lane throughout the street

Figure 38. Existing Vanderbilt Avenue Road Pattern

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Design Precedents to Inform Vanderbilt Design The primary concern people identified with Vanderbilt was that the social gathering spaces remained concentrated outside of bars and restaurants. Moreover, the community felt the reasons for closing the street to through traffic were not strong enough. Our observations also revealed that putting up barriers did not automatically make the street safe and welcoming for people to gather.

After researching these issues in depth, we found the following precedents that inform the proposed design for Vanderbilt. The increased median and sidewalk space can be utilized as programming and gathering spaces, while the street can still remain open to slow moving traffic.

This is a culmination of of plaza as well as shared street design that fits the Vanderbilt context.

Monon Boulevard Corridor Plaza, Carmel, Indiana.

Image Source: CNU

Monon Boulevard Corridor Plaza, Carmel, Indiana.

Image Source: REA

Napoleon Avenue, New Orleans, LA. Image Source: Myelisting

Pike Street, Manhattan. Image Source: NACTO

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Design Proposed Design for Vanderbilt

Figure 39. Proposed Vanderbilt Avenue Conceptual Design

The proposed design for Vanderbilt has taken into consideration what we heard from our community engagement, as well as demonstrates how the street can be welcoming for all.

The flex zone is designated for vehicular parking, open restaurant uses, and loading areas for businesses. Parking, loading, and open restaurant uses have not been designated to allow each block and their restaurants, businesses, and other uses to allocate based on their needs, recognizing that each block will be different. The current median is narrower, but with the proposed design, we will be used two lanes on either sides of the avenue to enlarge the median and have it become a plaza zone with urban furniture and/or accommodate activities such as fitness sessions and concerts during Open Streets season.

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Design Cross-Section of Vanderbilt Proposed Design

S

Flex Zone

Car Lane

Bike

Plaza Zone

Bike

Car Lane

Flex Zone

S

Figure 40. Vanderbilt Cross-Section

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Design Vanderbilt during Open Streets

Figure 41. Conceptual Vanderbilt Open Streets

During Open Streets season, Vanderbilt Avenue with our proposed design, will host numerous events, and the above configuration is one of many different options that could be done. The flex zone, as seen above, can accommodate urban furniture, greenery and activities such as kids play area, dance floor, concert and much more. The median could be a source of outdoor fitness exercises such as yoga sessions and salsa classes especially during the day in the weekends.

This flexibility in the design will allow Vanderbilt Avenue to accommodate all and any times of activities and allow Open Streets to be open to all.

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Design Underhill Existing Conditions Underhill is a Limited Local Access type Open Street as categorized by the Department of Transportation. It supports 2 lanes of traffic, one lane traveling in a northerly and one traveling in a southerly direction. Limited Local Access streets are designated for pedestrian and cyclist use, and no through traffic is permitted. Despite Open Streets being in-effect year round, locals do not have clear indications on usage of the street and are heavily reliant on programming by PHNDC. Taking into consideration the community engagement responses, the new street design would address various concerns of users of the street. It would enhance pedestrian experience, but also ensure that mobility is not restricted.

The figure below illustrates the existing conditions of Underhill between the intersections of Prospect Place and Park Place, with James Forten Playground.

JAMES FORTEN PLAYGROUND

Figure 42. Existing Underhill Avenue Street Design

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Design Precedents to Inform Underhill Design The main concern for people using Underhill was that the designation of the Open Streets was not clear, and that the traffic management needed to improve. Residents felt the need for safer streets, and better signage. To inform the future redesign of Underhill numerous precedents were examined. The following precedents indicate a ‘chicane’ design.

Offset curb extensions on residential or low volume downtown streets create a chicane effect that slows traffic speeds considerably. Chicanes increase the amount of public space available on a corridor and can be activated using benches, bicycle parking, and other amenities.

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Downtown Evansville, Indiana (Source: Visit Evansville)

Downtown Evansville, Indiana (Source: Deb Turner)

Souce: NACTO Urban Street Guide

Source: NACTO Urban Street Guide

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Design Proposed Design for Underhill

Figure 43. Conceptual Underhill Avenue Street Design

A new street design is proposed for Underhill, taking ideas from existing precedents. The design for Underhill has the following considerations: ● ● ●

Chicane design used for traffic calming function, which will naturally slow down traffic.

Wider areas on the sidewalk that can be programmed for green infrastructure, activity areas, gathering spaces, and play areas.

The sidewalk is broadly categorized into four zones. They are activity-based and can be fleshed out in detail at a later stage.

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Design The following provides an overview of the four sidewalk zones:

Play Zone

Specific to the playgrounds and school blocks with elements designed for play (for all ages but mostly for kids). They would be elevated at a higher level so they are safe.

Play Zone Precedents

Images Source: Underhill Open Streets [@underhilloscc]; Street Lab [@streetlab]; Vanderbilt Open Streets [@vanderbiltopenstreets]; Street lab [@streetlab]

Activity Zone

Spaces for designated programming, possibly organized by PHNDC, during unprogrammed days still act as a space for any type of use.

Activity Zone Precedents

Images Source: Underhill Open Streets [@underhilloscc]

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Design

Gather Zone

Judicious distribution of urban furniture and other creative ways for the residents to come together and socialize—almost acting like an extended living room.

Gathering Zone Precedents

Images Source: urbanNext; Sport & Impianti; Arquitectura Viva; and Project for Public Spaces

Green Zone

These are sprinkles of green spaces that could be planters, buffers, pollinator gardens, rainwater collecting spaces that also add to the vibrancy of the street and are taken care of by the neighbors.

Green Zone Precedents

Images Source: NJ Future; Seattle DOT; Vermont Urban & Community Forestry

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Design Proposed Cross-Section for Underhill Proposed Design

Green Zone

Vehicle Lanes

Gathering Zone

Figure 44. Underhill Avenue Cross-Section

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Design Priority Connector Streets: Pacific Street as An Example

Ave

Underhill Ave

Pacific St.

on ngt shi Wa

Vanderbilt Ave

Atlantic Ave

EXISTING Figure 45. Existing Priority Connector Street Design

LEGEND

Atlantic Ave

PAVING PLAZA TACTICAL URBANISM OPPORTUNITIES HISTORICAL LANDMARK

Ave ton

ing

Underhill Ave

sh Wa

Vanderbilt Ave

Pacific St.

PROPOSED Figure 46. Proposed Priority Connector Street Design

For the typology of Priority Connector Street, serving as the connectors of the neighborhood, it is also streets that connect the key intersections of the the area physically.

The proposal recommends interventions that can be incrementally implemented. As the proposed street plan (Figure 46) shows, he recommendations include a system of: paving, plazas, historical landmarks and Tactical Urbanism opportunities.

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The paving, together with the plazas and historical landmarks are aiming to reflect the feeling of the historic district of Prospect Heights, while the Tactical Urbanism opportunities are offering and equipping the community to build, to make their own spaces and places.

On the next page the recommendations set up a design palette showing some detailed examples of these. With the elements recommended, the rebranding of the area will be enhanced and processed.

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Design Design Palette for Priority Connector Streets

Source: Pinterest

ART | SEATING | LIGHTING | WAYFINDING | PAVING | GREENSCAPE | SIGNAGE 79

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Design Tactical Urbanism As the Tool

Bringing Tactical Urbanism (TU) as the physical toolkit is also a part of the connector streets. Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper is a frequently quoted vision of TU. To extend a bit, the implementation of tactical urbanism actually is a challenge of outreach & resources, manage & maintenance, and also recycling and sustainability are aspects that should make efforts, which urges the

synthesizing and collaborations of the whole placemaking project. To make the vision of TU come true and long-lasting, easy to source, to maintain, to recycle and to remove are crucial.

However, in a general vision, TU is not only for Priority Connector Streets, but just showing the concern of quicker, cheaper and more flexible implementation for these connectors.

How to make it come true and long-lasting?

Easy to source Easy to maintain Easy to recycle Easy to remove Illustrations Source: http://tacticalurbanismguide.com/

Precedents of implementations of the toolkits of Tactical Urbanism. Images Source: Pinterest

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Design Tactical Urbanism As the Tool Simple tools, towards gorgeous effects. This is what the Tactical Urbanism toolkits hope to achieve. With simple unique street elements of the community of Prospect Heights, unique street scenes of the neighborhood will be created.

Simple Tools Source: Pinterest

Gorgeous Effects

Figure 47. Tactical Urbanism (Source: UPM students)

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Metrics for Evaluation To evaluate the impacts and proper functioning of the Open Streets, it is important to make use of technology, data collection, and to establish a feedback loop with community responses. We recommend taking time to create this in order to better understand the impact of the Open Streets within the Prospect Heights community, and learning what can be done better. Below is a sampling of suggested metrics to evaluate some of our guiding principles described earlier, including: safety & comfort, community-led and participatory, cultural preservation & anti-displacement, equity & inclusion, sustainable and scalable model, climate resilience, transparency & consistency.

These metrics can be a starting point for PHNDC and the Advisory Board to co-develop and review their own comprehensive metrics based on their own guiding principles. More broadly, we also recommend that the City develops metrics for evaluation to measure the impact of the Open Streets program at large across the city. Thus, we see this as being a model that could be scaled up and used across various NYC Open Streets communities.

Metric

Description

Data Source

The street becomes an outdoor social gathering space

Residents of Prospect Heights frequently come out on the street, interact with neighbors, and participate in outdoor activities happening on the Open Streets

Observation mapping, conversations with residents, intercept surveys

Open Street attract diverse crowds from inside and outside of Prospect Heights

Percentage of people enjoying Open Streets programming coming from surrounding neighborhoods, people of different ages, people of color, people from different social classes

Observation mapping, conversations with participants for programs, intercept surveys

The street becomes an outdoor playground/classroom for schools

Number of school programs and attendance by students

PS 9 and other educational institutes event schedules

Metric

Description

Data Source

Prospect Heights becomes a slow driving zone

Decrease in number of pedestrian, cyclists and motor vehicle collision

NYPD Motor Vehicle Collision Reports

Community members feel safe traversing and gathering on the Prospect Heights streets

Number of people out on the streets during Open Streets hours and otherwise

Pedestrian/Cyclist Count Surveys

Fewer and slower through traffic

Number and speed of vehicles

Speed-o-meter readings, car counts

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Metrics for Evaluation

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Metric

Description

Data Source

Increased green space in the neighborhood

Percent of neighborhood covered by tree canopy; addition of planters, etc.

i-Tree Canopy by the USDA Forest Service

Neighborhood carbon dioxide sequestered annually

Tons of carbon dioxide sequestered annually in trees located in the civic commons neighborhood

i-Tree

Increase in active modes of transportation

Amount of trips made by an active mode of transportation or by vehicle, and the change over time

Vehicle counts, pedestrian & cyclist counts

Metric

Description

Data Source

Diverse programming partners

Number / percentage of programming partners who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or otherwise historically disempowered

Physical survey

Community members included in decisions about the Open Streets, management, and programming

Community members are well-acquainted with PHNDC management have a say in changes regarding the design, management or programming of Open Streets

Accessible Toolkits, surveys in a continuous feedback loop, regular PHNDC correspondence with community stakeholders

Stable rent & property values

Change over time of rent and property values

American Community Survey & Decennial Census

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Recommendations in Review Guiding Principles and Recommendations Comparison Chart The chart below illustrates the relationship between our guiding principles and our recommendations. From here you can see which guiding principles were the most influential in determining our proposed concepts and strategies across each area of recommendation.

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Governance: Scalable, Equitable Distribution of Power Mgmt & Operations: Paid roles; Diverse Involvement Opportunities Fundraising: Envisioning a Long-Term, Sustainable Future Communication: Accessible, Inclusive, Transparent, Consistent Programming: Preserving Opportunities for Organic, Informal Programming & Centering Community Agency Street Design: Strategies for Connectivity, Safety, Sustainability, & Community Well-Being

Figure 48. Guiding Principles and Recommendations Chart

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City-Wide Approach Toward a widespread investment in public space Because our client is the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, our scope of work is narrowed to the neighborhood level. As such, our recommendations are tailored to the Prospect Heights community, and specifically, PHNDC. Still, it’s important to zoom out to explore how this work fits into what we believe the city-wide approach ought to be.

Ideally, much of the management and operations of the Open Streets could be better supported by the City, namely DOT’s Public Space Unit, as they currently oversee the program. This would allow for a more equitable distribution of resources to Open Streets across the city. In fact, the role of the Community Liaison position we proposed would be an important asset to all Open Streets in order to ensure the local community’s needs surrounding the program are centered and their desires actualized.

As such, we strongly advocate for the creation of full-time, paid Open Street Liaison positions through DOT. There could be multiple Open Street Liaisons for every borough who work with a number of community partners to: better engage the community; help measure impacts of the Open Streets through standardized evaluations; and help communicate planning, permitting, programming processes of the Open Streets program to local residents.This role could work with or eventually replace the Community Liaison position through PHNDC that we proposed.

Thinking even more broadly, the Open Streets program demonstrates the City’s continued interest in investing in public space. However, the City needs to make a more concrete investment in order for the program to be successful city-wide and not perpetuate inequities by requiring community partners to take on the majority of fundraising responsibilities and costs of running an Open Streets program. Furthermore, organizations like the Design Trust for Public Space and Open Plans have proposed policy changes at the city-wide level to create an agency dedicated to public space.18 Based on our research and analysis, we support the creation of a new agency, inter-agency, or an office that sits within the Mayor’s Office dedicated to public space management to enable a long-term investment in all the Open Streets programs across the city.19 Creating a more equitable Open Streets program relies on widespread investment from the City and better distribution of resources to Open Streets across NYC. Our vision for the future of the Prospect Heights Open Streets in particular relies on coupling support from the City with a truly community-led and driven governance, management, and operations. For everyone to feel ownership over this important piece of public space in their community—for Open Streets to really be open—it is essential to democratize the governance and expand who is included in decision-making.

18. The Design Trust for Public Space. “Neighborhood Commons.”

19. Open Plans, “A Proposal for the Office of Public Space Management.”

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Street Lab (@streetlab). 2021.”Street Lab on an NYC Saturday: deploying play streets in Harlem” Instagram Photo, October 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUiL3RplHet/ Street Lab (@streetlab). 2021. “Over at our website, we've posted a year-end letter…” Instagram Photo, December 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXeVC5iPG6v/ Suresh, Ajay. Photograph of Barclays Center. Taken June 9, 2019. Wikimedia Commons. Accessed February 23, 2022. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BarclayCenter-2_(48034233762).jpg “Tactical Urbanism: Milan from Open Squares to Open Streets.” 2021. Sport&Impianti - Sport e Impianti (blog). November 2, 2021. https://www.sporteimpianti.it/en/main/tsport-en/tsport-index/reportage-en/tactical-urbanism-mila n-from-open-squares-to-open-streets/.

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Sources Turner, Deb TurnerDeb. n.d. “Reconnect with Holiday E-Connnect Evansville December 27th.” My 1053 WJLT. Accessed May 11, 2022. https://my1053wjlt.com/reconnect-in-downtown-evansville-with-welcome-home-holiday-e-con nect/ URBANSPACE. “COLUMBUS CIRCLE HOLIDAY MARKET.” Accessed May 6, 2022. https://www.urbanspacenyc.com/columbus-circle-holiday-market.

U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2000 Decennial Census, Table DP3; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1400000US36047012902,36047016100,360470163 00,36047020300,36047020500,36047020700,36047021500&y=2000&tid=DECENNIALDPSF32 000.DP3> (22 February 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2000 Decennial Census, Table DP4; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1400000US36047012902,36047016100,360470163 00,36047020300,36047020500,36047020700,36047021500&y=2000&tid=DECENNIALDPSF32 000.DP4> (22 February 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2000 Decennial Census, Table H010; generated by Robyn Stebner, using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?t=Hispanic%20or%20Latino&g=1400000US360470129 02,36047016100,36047016300,36047020300,36047020500,36047020700,36047021500&y=2 000&tid=DECENNIALSF32000.H010> (22 February 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American 5-Year Estimates, Table DP03; generated by Robyn Stebner using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=DP03&g=1400000US36047016100,36047016300,36 047020300,36047020500,36047020700,36047021500&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP03&moe=false> (21 February 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American 5-Year Estimates, Table DP04; generated by Robyn Stebner using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?t=Housing%20Value%20and%20Purchase%20Price&g= 1400000US36047012902,36047016100,36047016300,36047020300,36047020500,36047020 700,36047021500&y=2010&d=ACS%205-Year%20Estimates%20Data%20Profiles&tid=ACSDP5 Y2010.DP04&moe=false> (22 February 2022).

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Sources U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American 5-Year Estimates, Table C16001; generated by Robyn Stebner using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?t=Language%20Spoken%20at%20Home&g=1400000U S36047012902,36047016100,36047016300,36047020300,36047020500,36047020700,36047 021500&y=2019&tid=ACSDT5Y2019.C16001&moe=false> (22 February 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American 5-Year Estimates, Table DP03; generated by Robyn Stebner using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?t=Income%20%28Households,%20Families,%20Individ uals%29&g=1400000US36047012902,36047016100,36047016300,36047020300,3604702050 0,36047020700,36047021500&y=2019&d=ACS%205-Year%20Estimates%20Data%20Profiles&t id=ACSDP5Y2019.DP03> (22 February 2022).

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U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05; generated by Robyn Stebner using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=DP05&g=1400000US36047012902,36047016100,36 047016300,36047020300,36047020500,36047020700,36047021500&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP0 5&moe=false> (22 February 2022).

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U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2010 Decennial Census, Table P2; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US36047&y=2010&d=DEC%20Redistricting %20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2> (22 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2020 Decennial Census, Table P2; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US36047&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting %20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2> (22 March 2022).

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Sources U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table DP04; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=new%20york%20City,%20new%20york&tid =ACSDP1Y2010.DP04&moe=false> (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP04; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Brooklyn%20borough,%20Kings%20County, %20New %20York&t=Homeownership%20Rate&tid=ACSDP5Y2010.DP04&moe=false> (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP04; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=new%20york%20City,%20new%20york&t= Homeownership%20Rate&tid=ACSDP5Y2020.DP04&moe=false> (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP04; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Brooklyn%20borough,%20Kings% 20County,%20New%20York&t=Homeownership%20Rate&tid=ACSDP5Y2020.DP04&moe=false > (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table S2503; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=new%20york%20City,%20new%20 york&t=Income%20%28Households,%20Families,%20Individuals%29&tid=ACSST1Y2010.S25 03&moe=false> (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S2503; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=new%20york%20City,%20new% 20york&t=Income%20%28Households,%20Families,%20Individuals%29&tid=ACSST5Y2020.S 2503&moe=false> (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table S2503; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Brooklyn%20borough,%20Kings% 20County,%20New%20York&t=Income%20%28Households,%20Families,%20Individuals%29& y=2020&tid=ACSST5Y2020.S2503&moe=false> (23 March 2022).

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Sources U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2000 Decennial Census, Table DP3; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=new%20york%20City,%20new%20york&t=Income%2 0%28Households,%20Families,%20Individuals%29&y=2000> (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2000 Decennial Census, Table DP4; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Brooklyn%20borough,%20Kings%20County,%20New %20York&t=Homeownership%20Rate&y=2000&tid=DECENNIALDPSF32000.DP4> (23 March 2022).

U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, 2000 Decennial Census, Table DP4; generated by Robyn Stebner; using data.census.gov; <https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Brooklyn%20borough,%20Kings%20County,%20New %20York&t=Homeownership%20Rate&y=2000&tid=DECENNIALDPSF32000.DP4> (23 March 2022).

Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Come celebrate the first day of fall!” Instagram Photo, September 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUIN7KBFlQ3/ Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Yoga on the #openstreets tomorrow night 9/7!”

Instagram Photo, September 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTfduqDFoOS/ Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Bike repairs in full swing.” Instagram Photo, June 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJ9mHCDku_/ Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Join us on the Underhill #openstreets btwn Sterling and St. John’s from 12-2PM today!” Instagram Photo, June 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CP25pT0DP1f/ Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Yoga on the #openstreets tomorrow night 9/7!”

Instagram Photo, September 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CTfduqDFoOS/ Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Bike repairs in full swing.” Instagram Photo, June 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJ9mHCDku_/ Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Thank you @crownsoulfashionista for a low-impact fitness class on #underhillopenstreets today!” Instagram Photo, June 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQMFdT3DYc9/ Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Join us on the Underhill #openstreets btwn Sterling and St. John’s from 12-2PM today!” Instagram Photo, June 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CP25pT0DP1f/ 93

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Sources Underhill Open Streets (@underhilloscc). 2021. “Come celebrate the first day of fall!” Instagram Photo, September 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CUIN7KBFlQ3/ “UrbanNext » BEEKMAN_AERIAL_FIELD-OPERATIONS.” n.d. Accessed May 11, 2022. https://urbannext.net/beekman-st-plazas/beekman_aerial_field-operations/.

Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets (@vanderbiltopenstreets). 2021. “Happening now between St. Marks and Bergen: the avenue comes to life thanks to young artists and #colormevanderbilt!”

Instagram Photo, November 2021. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWRExYLFrqw/ Visit Evansville. “Niche Neighborhoods,” June 20, 2019. https://www.visitevansville.com/blog/niche-neighborhoods.

“Zoning: District Guide - About Zoning Districts - DCP.” Accessed May 11, 2022. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/zoning/districts-tools.page.

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APPENDIX A Resident & Visitor Survey Results

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Resident & Visitor Survey Survey Landing Page: Introduction & Details Welcome to Prospect Heights Open Streets!

The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council is working with Pratt Institute Placemaking students to further understand the needs and wants of the community, as well as imagine possibilities for the future of Vanderbilt and Underhill Open Streets. This survey is intended to gather feedback, questions, and concerns from community members and visitors.

Oprima aquí para español: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wcDwGghGkt2oH5lNvIE_iCI_YeMeRZtyGuzozizyPUk/ The survey is broken up into 4 main sections and will take 2-7 minutes to complete in total. It is written and managed by Pratt Placemaking students. All responses are 100% anonymous and none of the questions are required. We appreciate you taking the time to share your opinions and experiences!

2.5x3.5” Mini Flyer Handed out on Open Streets and at FoodTown PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

5.5x8.5” Flyer Posted throughout Prospect Heights VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 1: General Questions

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

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VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

Responses Over 60%

Responses entered with the selection of “Other”.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

101

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

102

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions Do you feel the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is welcoming or unwelcoming, and why or why not?

WELCOMING BECAUSE… ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Everyone seems to be having a good time, it feels sweet I think it is dangerous for kids because of the electric bikes that speed through It’s a great way to enjoy the neighborhood!

Invites a sense of community, brings people together Open spaces, people on the street when you get rid of cars, you make room for people People are outside and you can meet your neighbours The Open Streets, even during the pandemic, were the liveliest and closest this community has ever been. It has something for everyone of all ages, and is a great family-friendly place to spend the day just the vibe the businesses and people in the streets give off Music, open space, art, kids events, cultural events, food!

It is very chill More opportunities for organic talk, less stressful when not having to listen to or react to cars.

It fosters such a sense of community!

It’s welcoming, but I don’t want my neighborhood becoming a major destination for people who don’t live here. Open streets helped local businesses and residents hold on during the pandemic. It let us support and use our community space as we needed and gain much needed social interaction. I question what it’s becoming though - I don’t need children at bars, regardless of whether or not the tables are outside, for instance. I also don’t need to be solicited by energy suppliers every day.

Not sure there is a more welcoming street in the world. Diverse and inclusive. Fun. I’ve met my neighbors and had to chance to meet business owners, something that would have never happened before.

The street is open, innit?

Lots of neighbors Outside of the speeding cyclists/electric bikes and loud bands, I’ve never heard a complaint about the people patronizing the venue and the businesses along the way.

Nothing exclusive I think it’s welcoming for the kind of people who like this kind of thing. But a little bougie. I’m a little bougie so works for me, but I kind of feel like an asshole enjoying the ‘preciousness’ of it all Open streets is awesome and I love seeing the neighborhood hanging out on blankets, in camp chairs, and every other way people can enjoy the space. I’m a little hesitant to say it’s primarily for residents of the neighborhood, I mean, it absolutely is, but anyone can enjoy it and I’ve definitely had friends come from as far as Manhattan to check it out.

Lots of variety of activities for different walks of life.

Friendly volunteers and ability to connect with neighbours It is like a big magical block party! Everyone makes their own area, whether it’s at a bar or bringing down a table from their apartment.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions Do you feel the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is welcoming or unwelcoming, and why or why not?

Continued…

WELCOMING BECAUSE… ● ● ● ● ●

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I love all the events on open streets and always feel welcome there Everyone has space to do their thing A lifeline in the neighborhood during HG COVID when everything felt scary, and a great way to celebrate with friends and neighbors once the world started opening up It's totally open to anyone In addition to the events programming and the restaurant spaces, it's nice that there is plenty of open space for people to use however they please: for learning to ride a bike or skateboard, for picnicing, for chalk drawing, etc. This allows individuals to decide how they would like to utilize the space.

Free activities, diverse programming It is exponentially more welcoming to walk down a street covered with people enjoying the beautiful weather than one where cars whiz by. The programming brings beautiful music to the neighborhood. Children play and families gather. It is truly beautiful.

There’s something fun for everyone with a major party atmosphere on warm weekends What could be unwelcoming about a street party full of nice people?

Various events for all ages, Ability to enjoy without buying anything There is a strong sense of community when people can safely gather there The restaurants and bars on Vanderbilt, along with Prospect Park, serve as a destination for New Yorkers from all over. Open Streets enhances this welcome and invites people to stay longer.

Feels like community Always seems fun and warm It’s a great place to be. It’s open and accessible to everyone; for free. I meet people from all over the city, state, country, world there.

I find it welcoming, but I think it would be more so with non-commercial seating available.

All restaurants and businesses provide goals to go to in a relaxed manner by taking over the street I think it’s very welcoming and open to everyone for many different activities Very friendly Vanderbilt Open Streets is too welcoming and NOT what Prospect Heights Residents want.

It disrupts our quiet neighborhood. Blocking Vanderbilt Avenue creates unnecessary traffic on residential streets & makes difficult parking even more difficult. It encourages droves of people to come into to the neighborhood & not all of them are respectful of the neighborhood. The trash that's left behind is ridiculous & with trash comes rodents. Outdoor dining is sufficient we do not need open streets. If people want to sit around, congregate or ride their bikes they can go to Prospect Park which is less than a 5 minute walk away.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions Do you feel the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is welcoming or unwelcoming, and why or why not?

Continued…

WELCOMING BECAUSE… ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Mostly but more seating for people not eating at a restaurant or bar is needed Has variety of activities it feels like an injection of genuine public life into the neighborhood. even if you're just passing through there's a party vibe that doesn't turn people away (unless they are in a car) People can enjoy public space without being threatened by drivers Friendly people.

Opening the streets to pedestrians allows for more mingling among people and better communication.

The opens streets provide an incredible sense of community during the warmer parts of the year. It is what single-handedly saves my mental health during COVID summers I hate cars People are eating, drinking, and mingling.

Anything is better than a street filled with cars. HOWEVER- motorists often transit through vanderbilt anyway, and cops do not enforce open streets that I've seen It is a lovely atmosphere and so wonderful to have all that space free of cars.

I love it, so do my children.

Communal setting Friendly welcoming signage It is bustling and feels safe.

There's every sort of business, type of food, type of people around. Everyone can do what they want/need - bike through, listen to music, eat dinner with friends and family, or just sit and take it all in. It's the most welcoming place in Brooklyn!

I think it’s largely welcoming as far as being able to chill on the street but there is little diversity in food pricing to allow more to enjoy There is typically something for all people.

Between the added seating for bars and restaurants, the music/performances and various other activities, I feel people are generally there to social and meet people from the area It’s a public street that’s open to all it's nice It's so nice to bring the local community together to enjoy the wonderful sites and scenes the neighborhood has to offer!

It’s great Everyone is there to have good time.

I think they advertise to everyone The overall vibe is friendly. I don’t see a lot of events posted in the community

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions Do you feel the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is welcoming or unwelcoming, and why or why not?

Continued…

UNWELCOMING BECAUSE… ● ● ● ● ● ●

Idk Because there is a lot of disturbance and people that come to this neighborhood just to make trouble As a person with a disability it makes it very difficult to navigate the area when this is blocked off Gentrification exclusively with certain people and push out people who’ve been living there for years.

It’s noisy, pointless, pretentious, and snarls traffic Can’t get to the stores I need to get to on weekend when I am not working

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions Do you feel the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is safe or unsafe, and why or why not?

SAFE BECAUSE… ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 107

Blocked off to cars and managed by volunteers When Open Street is happening It is extremely safe compared to the normal traffic. There could be improvements to the bike setup and barriers. its as safe or safer as any other comparable program it's safer than most city streets, i don't worry about my kid running around, the community feels like one more than at any time of the year Could be safer if cars were permanently banned Safe but bike traffic could be regulated better. Speeding bikes/motorbikes have almost kid a few kids on our block.

Pedestrian traffic.

Friendly Cyclists need to chill though. I am one, but some people just tear through like it's a velodrome.

Except motorized bikers - which often drive too fast Mostly safe, Nourish Thai takes up a lot more space than is allowed, forcing pedestrians and delivery drivers into very small choke points.

Broadly safe. Electric bike traffic can seem alarming, but that’s an issue open street or not.

No cars!

Well marshalled and busy.

It’s busy so it feels safe Kids are openly playin on the streets safely and into the night Kids can run around or scooter and or sit on the road without worrying about cars and they have so much space to play I haven't had any safety issues It is protected by a lot of linked barriers. I do think, however, that safety would be improved by more permanent, less easily moveable barriers.

Generally safe - concern, however, about bicycles It is safe because cars are not on it, there are clearly defined cycle lanes and pedestrians have plenty of room to spread out.

I would say mostly safe. Delivery drivers whip down the road even when it’s closed in a way that is dangerous for pedestrians and scary when you have small children.

Bikes are less dangerous than cars being in the road.

Though sometimes bikes flying through was stressful.

No threat of traffic violence The barriers and street presence is vibrant and strong.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions Do you feel the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is safe or unsafe, and why or why not? Continued…

SAFE BECAUSE… ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Lots of ppl out & about It’s mostly safe. People still drive and park on it which is a real bummer. Channeling the significant volume of bicycle use, which is a huge plus, is nevertheless a logistical challenge.

Safe in the sense of having more people out brings safety, but also, the plan for bikes (especially motorized) needs to be improved.

Barriers and signals seems to bring sense of safety but ones has to be mind full of cyclist and deliveries riding thru. (i am myself an avid cyclist).

I think it’s a little disruptive for traffic but think it adds to the neighborhood Mostly safe - but i have a toddler and there are so many bikers No cars I don’t feel unsafe by the bike lane it should 100% be there but the way the barriers are set up forces conflict between bikes and pedestrians there are so many people around at any given time that it doesn't feel likely anyone would attempt a violent crime. the most dangerous part is bikes that zip through too fast. could maybe make it more clear where the bike lanes are because I often see people sitting in them without realizing it No one tries to kill me with their car when the street is open Fewer cars Many people are community members or come to meet up with friends. I have never felt unsafe walking around in any capacity. no/fewer cars Safe but a little crazy with the bike lanes No cars Closed to cars, lots of eyes on street My blood pressure/anxiety is lower when their aren't cars moving through the street.

There's no cars! It's an urban policy professional's dream :) Mostly safe but the bike/moped situation can get hairy The only safety concern I have is the e-bikes and mopeds that regularly speed through the closed sections (especially revel scooters) Safe mostly, bike traffic and pedestrians meandering is a challenge.

Streets are blocked sufficiently blocked off because theres no cars No cars It’s lit Feel like there is a joyous, celebratory feel to it.

The pedestrian side is safe. The E bikes & regular cyclists need to slow down.

I think it’s a safe neighborhood Cars aren’t allowed Less cars

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions Do you feel the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is safe or unsafe, and why or why not? Continued…

UNSAFE BECAUSE… ● ● ● ●

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Bicycles (which i love generally, but make the open streets dangerous with young kids who wander around) See above Bicycle traffic and crowds and rats As a person who primarily uses a bike to commute to work (5 miles each way), the bike lane is very challenging. Pedestrians don’t look for it, bikers go way too fast and are sometimes aggressive. I have a mother with dementia and it's impossible to take her to Vanderbilt bc she is so afraid of these fast moving nimble objects. I also have a child with ADHD who has been hit multiple times. The bikes have to be made to slow down potentially w/ a zig zag entry to each block. Bikes are welcome- but should be slowed down. As someone who used to volunteer, there are also STILL a lot of angry drivers and bikers who scream at us. Some sort of enforcement of rules would be nice. I have had bottles and trash thrown at me by bikers and drivers who don't like being asked to slow down or not drive through the middle of a resto. Some business owners also do not like OS and will drive their cars on the sidewalk to illegally park on the street. They do this every week since there is no enforcement. Also as a child to two disabled parents, not having a bus on vanderbilt is very hard to manage. We have an aide but between my parents and the aide, they are all technophobes and cant use the phone/etc to find new routes. they can't go to prospect park when the bus isn't running and it's sad.

I almost get run over by bikes every day Speeding cyclists and delivery electric The bike traffic redirects are very dangerous for stroller traffic Too many electric bikes and scooters zigzagging. I have also seen motorcycles zoom past kids.

Many kids playing but bicycles do not abide by 5mph idk So many random people passing by and looking for an opportunity to do something Not safe because it back of the traffic and then cyclists ride recklessly Having droves of people flock to a quiet neighborhood to hangout & drink in the streets is not safe for the residents of the neighborhood.

Because many of time causes excessive traffic back ups starting from Washington Avenue all the way down to Flatbush Avenue which is unfair to the public living in the neighborhood.

The bikes and delivery people on scooters I care for someone with health issues and have on many occasions been unable to get home quickly Bikes and e-bikes make it dangerous for little kids playing in the street No enforcement of the prohibition against thru traffic There is confusion with the bike and walking lanes. When I ride my bike there are constantly groups of people walking in the bike line. It would be best if one side was designated for biking and one for walking.

Have to park illegally to get there to do my errands on Sat

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “INDIFFERENT” to the question, “Do you think the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street should operate year-round, instead of the current operations schedule of April November?” (14.3%) ● ● ●

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Weekends 8am to 11pm. Fridays 3pm to 11 pm.

Weekends 10am - 11pm It should be on Saturday or Sunday (maybe both, from 11am to 8pm or 9pm. Having it on Friday night when commuters are going southbound (home) by bus and car creates massive bottlenecks from the Grand Army Plaza area to the Brooklyn & Manhattan bridges.

I don’t know. Weekends all day. Summer weekday evenings would be nice.

Daily 11am to 7pm Weekdays 7pm-10pm, fridays 4pm-11pm sat/Sun 11am-midnight Great as is Weekends noon to 10pm Every weekend 10am-10pm weekdays 5-9pm, weekends 9am-9pm Fri: 6 pm 12 am, Sat - Sun: 9 am to 12 am, So many variables, including what’s possible re: staff/volunteers! weekdays 12-9 weekends 10-10 Saturday and Sunday 10 am - 10 pm.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “YES” to the question, “Do you think the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street should operate year-round, instead of the current operations schedule of April - November?”

(50.4%) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Every day from 11-8 Weekdays - 4:00PM - 11:00PM; Weekend 8AM - 11:00PM Weekends noon to 10pm, Friday 5pm to 11pm I think it should close at 10am on Thursdays and stay fully closed until Sunday at 10pm.

5 - 10 fridays and 12 - 11pm weekends. If we HAD to reduce, I would remove fridays Earliest possible to latest possible!

Weekdays 4pm-10pm weekends 9am-10pm Permanent open street.

24/7 9:00 am - 8:00 pm on weekends and 8:00 - 7:00 on weekdays At least: every day 12pm-10pm. That is, the current weekend schedule, but for all days Ideally: 24/7/365 with time window exceptions for delivery trucks to use loading zones that would replace parking spaces 9am to 11pm Earlier in the morning for families on weekends, weekdays are good as is Thursday and Friday evening and Saturdays and Sundays as is I would prefer it to be open 7 days per week, 7am to 11pm (or even 24/7) I would prefer as many hours of Open Streets as possible. It is exponentially more enjoyable when cars are not in the street, and as someone who lives right on Vanderbilt, I would prefer open streets to the sound of cars with loud horns and their exhaust.

I like the current hours.

Weekdays from 3pm on Weekends noon on Everyday 8am- 10 pm Thursday through Sunday 11am - 10pm (maybe earlier close on Thursday and Sunday) Thursday and Friday, 7pm-midnight. Saturday 8am-midnight, Sunday 8am-10pm Noon - 10pm 24x7. Only local delivery, emergency, and ADA access should be accommodated. The planet is burning and Open Streets can have real impact on how to adapt Brooklyn for the future AND pilot designs for other cities.

Friday-Sunday 24 hours, Monday-Thurs 5-11pm

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “YES” to the question, “Do you think the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street should operate year-round, instead of the current operations schedule of April - November?”

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24 hours 5pm friday through sunday 10 pm I don't have a strong answer here, want to use this field to expand my thoughts on year round open streets. I would support it but I'm unsure of how popular it would be in the cold Every day 8am - 12am weekdays 11-9, friday-sunday 11-10 Fridays 5pm-12 midnight; Weekends 9am-12 midnight Friday 5pm to midnight, and then Saturday and Sunday 9am to midnight Weekdays - open as long as restaurants and bars are open. Weekends: until 1am (or when bars close).

All evenings after 4pm; all weekends and holidays after 10am Frankly, all the fuckin time As much as possible. At least a chunk of the afternoon every 2-8.

24/7 - the street should be totally closed to traffic and street parking should be prohibited Close the steer to cars on weekdays during commuting hours (7-10am and 4-7pm) and weekend mornings (9-noon). Maybe April-November keep the streets closed to cars into the evening on Friday or Saturday nights as well, from about 4-10pm.

Current schedule is good All days 8am to 8pm Mon-Thur 4p-9p Fri-Sun 7am-Midnight.

I'm torn here - I don't like cars (yes I own one and have one for my commute to NJ), so I'm likely to say 24/7, but: I recognize the retailers, restaurants, bars, and businesses need to get deliveries, and those who live on Vanderbilt may have accessibility needs that require front door vehicle pick up. So I think this is particularly tricky! If I can't have 24/7, then: Fridays 3-11 pm, Sat & Sun 10 am - 11 pm. I think that's far more likely, anyway.

I don’t think it’s realistic to have it closed everyday, but Friday to Sunday seems fair Weekdays 11am to 8pm and weekends 10am to 10pm 24 hours 24/7 no cars allowed Permanent Yes I like the schedule as is

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “NO” to the question, “Do you think the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street should operate year-round, instead of the current operations schedule of April - November?”

(35.3%) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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11-10 Sat and 11-8 on sun 5pm-10pm on Fridays. 11am-10pm on weekends.

As it is 12 pm - 12 am Friday - Saturday 12 pm - 9 pm Sunday I would prefer if it went past midnight each night.

Weekends Fri & Sat 4-10p I like the current hours (Fri 5-10, Sat&Sun 12-10) It’s ok as it was Sunny days, 4-11 Friday, 11-11 Sat/Sun Friday through Sunday. Friday 4-11pm, Saturday/Sunday 11am-11pm Friday through Sunday noon until 11pm I think last year’s hours worked well for summer. In the early spring and late fall, closing hours should be earlier esp on Sunday I like it as it is now- Fridays-Sunday closing at 11pm.

Happy with current hours In different but 7 is a little early for some popular summer nights. But it impacts parking so ending earlier also had benefits to the neighborhood Friday 6PM to 10PM, Saturday and Sunday 10AM to 10PM. 4PM Friday street closure is too early and creates major issues during rush hour traffic and also prevent late school bus drop offs on Vanderbilt.

Should end by 9pm on Sundays

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “NO” to the question, “Do you think the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street should operate year-round, instead of the current operations schedule of April - November?”

(35.3%) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Definitely NOT weekdays. Traffic on side streets is heavy enough week days without more from the closing of Vanderbilt daily. Weekends Noon to 11PM seems more than adequate .

Current schedule is appropriate.

Fridays 5pm to sundays 11pm Friday 4pm-Midnight Saturday 8am-Midnight Sunday 8am-Midnight Never o’clock to never o’clock Never Not at all. There should be NO open streets.

Weekends only from 12 to 7 PM. Weekends (Saturday & Sunday) from 11am - 11pm Thursday evening thru Sunday evening Never Weekends only The times it was work well.

Thursday- Sunday 1-8pm Weekends 9am - 12 Am It should be non stop Friday night until 9/10pm Sunday Thursday 5pm-10pm Friday 4pm-10pm Saturday & Sunday 12pm-11pm.

Stop Open Street program Weekends noon-10pm and Fridays staring at 4pm

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

Responses Over 60%

Responses entered with the selection of “Other”.

115

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

Responses Over 60%

Responses entered with the selection of “Other”.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

Enhanced Block (vehicle access, curb extension with furniture and street seats)

Share Block (vehicle access, public space improvements, openable gateways, temporal programming)

Slow Block (vehicle access, raised sidewalk, reduced speed)

Plaza Block (green space, play space, outdoor event space, shelter structures, art)

None of the above

Responses entered with the selection of “Other”: ● A mix of Plaza Block on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and either Slow Block, Enhanced, or Share the rest of the week. ● Not Sure ● Remove all private vehicles. Make travel route for limited timed deliveries and buses. ● Remove the motor right of way. Plaza block is the closest. ● Somewhere between shared block & plaza block. Only public transit allowed. ● Vanderbilt Open Streets is NOT what Prospect Heights Residents want. It disrupts our quiet neighborhood.

Blocking Vanderbilt Avenue creates unnecessary traffic on residential streets & makes difficult parking even more difficult. It encourages droves of people to come into to the neighborhood & not all of them are respectful of the neighborhood. The trash that's left behind is ridiculous & with trash comes rodents. Outdoor dining is sufficient we do not need open streets. If people want to sit around, congregate or ride their bikes they can go to Prospect Park which is less than a 5 minute walk away.

117

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

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As a resident of Vanderbilt Avenue it does get quite loud outside with music and screaming kids. I’m not saying we can get rid of all of that but it’s something to consider especially later in the evening and if I want to open my window I have to consider that.

Bike traffic needs to be addressed Charge for street parking Designate a separate bike lane that cannot be accessed by pedestrians.

Ensure restaurants don’t take up the entire street‚ it can be hard to pass through when they stretch seating to the median (and strollers and wheelchairs can’t easily traverse the center traffic island). R&D is the worst culprit of this (good food though-ha!) figure out a way to address concerns of long time residents who feel they are impacted by bus being somewhere else, etc. and address concerns of local biz who feel it negatively impact them either by finding a solution (i.e. a safe way for delivery access) or by showing them data of increased foot traffic, etc. generated by the program.

Get rid of the Green Mountain energy. The people who run that are snakes.

Get the bikes under control; don’t hold it on Friday, and see if something can be worked out for the businesses on Vanderbilt bet Park Pl & Prospect Pl, who say they are losing money.

And maybe get the B69 to come down Vanderbilt and make a right on Park Place (then left on Washington Ave) so as to be closer to the residents.

Have an off hours commercial delivery program so businesses can get deliveries without trucks parked in the roadway/bus stop/bike lanes during the morning (before street opens) I adore it. I live on Franklin, and would love to replicate it here. I think there are several challenges around that, but Vanderbilt has a fantastic model! I'd love to see it more places in the city - it seems like the others are all gone now, and Vanderbilt is one of the last remaining.

I don’t think that Vanderbilt needs any additional alteration. Further restrictions or alterations will affect delivery trucks, especially to Food Town, which are constant. Already these trucks block bike lanes on a regular basis and have started double parking on side streets. Unless an alteration is going to make the deliveries situation better, I would not be in favor. Narrowing streets while expanding sidewalks does not allow that in my opinion.

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

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I like it. I do. But keep it local. I don’t want trash everywhere every night. I don’t need people from all over coming and crowding local places. Encourage other neighborhoods to provide similar options for others. Let’s keep it local for us and our guests.

I love it I miss the open street in the winter, I come to Vanderbilt Ave much less and don’t visit local businesses because it’s so unsafe I would like the plaza treatment to “normalize” open streets. Right now it’s so celebratory every time it’s open that going into the noise and crowds raises my blood pressure. I like it in theory, but I don’t actually enjoy my time there. I want it to feel more relaxed and everyday.

Less of an event, more of an amenity I would love to go with option 4 but I’d be worried it would make it difficult for businesses on Vanderbilt who need two way street access to operate.

It created a public space when there was limited and safe options for gathering It feels as tho its too much with the schedule as it has been. Less might be more: more appreciated by locals.

It is a blessing to have open streets in our neighborhood.

Keep it up!

Make events more visible and publicized Need to find a way not to flood Underhill and Washington with traffic.

Pearl Street in Boulder is a good model of what Vanderbilt can be -- completely pedestrianized with a lot of programming and local businesses. We should also have much more public seating to be able to enjoy the area without having to use a businesses' seating.

We should have containerized trash and ideally public restrooms.

Plaza is ideal but unrealistic Please get rid of the outdoor dining structures that are not in use Please keep it going! And ban cars permanently :) Realize this is about Vanderbilt, but if any connection would be great to stop with open street on underhill. There is no benefit to anyone and causes more traffic jams, especially if Vanderbilt is “open” Remove all the parking from Vanderbilt and make space for restaurant seating, activities, green space. It can be a model for the city!

Shut it down I cannot find a parking space

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 2: Vanderbilt Avenue Questions

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Slower bikes. A way to integrate buses. Less car noise.

Stop closing the street The pro-car contingent will be the loudest, but they are not the majority! Thank you for all you do to make this neighborhood more livable and enjoyable for so many people.

This has been such an incredible boon for the neighborhood and makes me so grateful to live in the neighborhood.

This is a dumb idea. I’d love to get rid of all the outdoor dining as well. I can’t believe anyone is considering an enhancement This past year, the open street on the weekend started at 11am/Noon. however, lots of people are out and walking by 8 or 9am on the weekends. It should open sooner (and stay open slightly later).

Those images were hard to see and the text was fuzzy. I can't answer because I don't get the proposed options Traffic around Brooklyn is already too difficult. This just makes it worse. Also think about how disabled people can access the area and go frequent businesses on Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Ave is a traffic sewer disaster when Open Streets are not in place. The “bike lane” is a cruel joke. DOT should take it off of their map/lane mile tally. The sidewalks are inadequate.

Vanderbilt can be the best street in the world.

Vanderbilt Open Streets is NOT what Prospect Heights Residents want. It disrupts our quiet neighborhood. Blocking Vanderbilt Avenue creates unnecessary traffic on residential streets & makes difficult parking even more difficult. It encourages droves of people to come into to the neighborhood & not all of them are respectful of the neighborhood. The trash that's left behind is ridiculous & with trash comes rodents. Outdoor dining is sufficient we do not need open streets. If people want to sit around, congregate or ride their bikes they can go to Prospect Park which is less than a 5 minute walk away. would love a dog park Would love to see center median with plantings and seating all the way up to Pacific. Really need a safe solution for delivery bikes that gives them access to restaurant adjacent pull-up and bike parking, but keeps them OFF sidewalks. Also really need bike speed reduction when street is closed to cars. Peds hit with speeding bikes can also cause serious injury to both parties.

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions

Responses Over 60%

Responses entered with the selection of “Other”.

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Do you feel the Underhill Avenue Open Street is welcoming or unwelcoming, and why or why not?

WELCOMING BECAUSE… ●

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It's so steeped in gentrification and other socio economic issues. I used to run the school program for PS9 for the street and felt like we were suddenly brought into the middle of a fight. We've had more than one area resident under the mistaken feeling that our school was the reason the street was closed and march into the school and scream at teachers/admins/etc. One resident defaced the school and threw barriers at parents. It was drama that kids didn't need. I repeatedly voiced my concerns about how the program was run to the organizers and was ignored or told to call the police. The school should never have been put in that position. I advised PCNH that on our first day of school we expected 200+ cars and please can they have someone there to open the street as so many of our kids who drive come from out of the neighborhood and don't understand that they can drive on underhill. we were ignored and traffic was AWFUL and led to many near misses on vanderbilt. The organizers never reached out any of the schools on st marks (there are three). Aggressive drivers are everyone's problem. I do not blame PCNH for creating aggressive drivers, but forcing 200+ cars in a one block space with confusing signage during the 30 mins of drop off for the first week of school when parents were LEGALLY REQUIRED to escort children to the school to provide health check forms.... I mean- come on. Be responsive.

The street is open, innit?

It’s available for everyone, but closed off way too long Hesitant to say welcoming only because cars constantly ignore the barriers. Just yesterday I saw a Mercedes ignore multiple blocks worth of gates and proceed to make a right on red.

Very calm Last year welcoming. This year, less so due to construction I think Underhill could be better utilized as an open street. It is so nice to have as a walkway but there are so few businesses that take advantage.

This is a stupid question The concept is welcoming, but the barriers are often moved and cars still come through. A more permanent and green solution would be great. it's more subdued than the Vanderbilt open streets. I don't see many people taking use of it in the daytime or many outdoor events, but I like that it's there.

Creates better senses of community.

Gold star is great cars bad There isn't much there so i don't feel unwelcome Not as many businesses Lots of activities I don't know about events and I live around the corner

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Do you feel the Underhill Avenue Open Street is welcoming or unwelcoming, and why or why not?

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It is totally useless unless there is a specific event or activity. Otherwise it's just a regular street except cars have to drive around the barricades.

Who is the open street for? Literally no one ever uses it for open space. I'm an urban planner, ask for more open space, but closing Underhill makes no sense. Because it's so underutilized, cars ignore the barriers, making it even more unusable for pedestrians.

Cars need to park there and are still driving in the street and then drive recklessly when they can’t get through Cars disrespect the barricades and its really unsafe Nothing there Cars moving the barriers all the time Not much going on, cars drive on it anyway Definitely a sense that many in the neighborhood don't like it or respect it. Often feels like an afterthought.

Cars disregard the closed off streets so it never feels really safe Needs better/more barriers and more beautification and traffic calming infrastructure Not heavily used other than residents directly on the block There is nothing on Underhill Ave. It has very few businesses, no events or activities during Open Streets. It is just a few gates blocking local traffic.

It’s a great idea, but too many people speed through in SUVs despite the vehicle restrictions.

It’s just a closed street. It’s only welcoming to bikers & runners as there is no traffic. There are 2 large playgrounds (at the schoolyard on St. Marks & the corner of Prospect Place) that are highly utilized by the neighborhood kids. In my observations (I am on Underhill a lot) the street is largely vacant during week days when it is closed, with the exception of the occasional biker (of which I am one) and runners.

I don't think it has the same use as Vanderbilt and seems to "punish" more the car owners.

Many cars seem to go thru the avenue and move the barriers. It seems that there is not enough users in the street to justify the full closure. (I don't own a car myself) There is no purpose for this open street. Provides zero benefit and causes unnecessary detours and traffic.

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Do you feel the Underhill Avenue Open Street is welcoming or unwelcoming, and why or why not?

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Backs up traffic in the neighborhood.

Underhill Avenue Open streets is unwelcomed, unnecessary & makes no sense. The street is blocked in the middle of the weekdays when most people are at work & kids are in school. It makes navigating the neighborhood unnecessarily difficult & does not serve the community in a positive way. If people want to sit around, congregate or ride their bikes they can go to Prospect Park which is less than a 5 minute walk away. There is no reason why people can't use the sidewalks like they did before open streets.

Again, gentrification and close out of the original people living in the neighborhood and fostering the special people for their needs.

The parked cars and cars that fly through the barriers make it a far less welcoming space not much going on. just closed. mostly residential When I’m looking for parking, I drive around the barricades, noticing that virtually no one uses the pedestrian only streets No one seems to be using the Open Street on Underhill. The street is usually empty of pedestrians or children playing. It is not utilized and just impedes traffic and parking.

Creates too much traffic Frequently flaunted by motorists Cars still drive on the street; signs are not posted consistently For the most part it’s pointless and when there is use of the street for an event it’s geared towards people with children only.

I think it's the lack of commercial zoning - there's not a ton to bring someone here, so it's more of a "if you live and have kids and want to hang out" - it feels more intrusive to the neighbors if there's nothing to *draw* people there. Just folks sitting outside their apartments/houses for what? Maybe if that culture was changed with programming, it would be more welcoming.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Do you feel the Underhill Avenue Open Street is safe or unsafe, and why or why not?

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its safe but could be 'feel' more safe / have some things done on the margin to prevent the one off incidents with bad vehicular behavior Pedestrian traffic.

No one’s gonna mug me.

See above- safer whenever there are fewer cars, but the fact that cars ignore the restrictions makes me wary.

Still too many cars and needs permanent traffic calming, but it's safer than it was.

Mostly safe but I have often seen cars drive on the road, in spite of the barricades Cars are slow but would better if there were even less cars Safe only when cars are not driving around barriers.

Of course it’s safe with limited traffic. safe but need to keep an alert eye. safe, though I know there have been a couple of incidents of cars busting in.

Fewer cars No one is using it. cars bad Seems fairly safe.

Eh, no cars. I've seen a few disregard, but usually people are good about it. Fewer enforcers of the no-car-streets concept in the area.

People mostly obey the closure Reasonably safe. A little too easy for vehicles to enter.

Safe area No danger

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Do you feel the Underhill Avenue Open Street is safe or unsafe, and why or why not? Continued…

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Keeping the street open to traffic while placing large metal obstacles in the middle of the street is extremely unsafe. Cars drive around them recklessly, and visibility is reduced. It's safer on the sidewalk.

Who is the open street for? Literally no one ever uses it for open space. I'm an urban planner, ask for more open space, but closing Underhill makes no sense. Because it's so underutilized, cars ignore the barriers, making it even more unusable for pedestrians.

Cars passing Cars and residents are really hostile and unaccepting of the program and make their own rules which makes it dangerous. There's also limited businesses and no pull to get people to visit too many cars ignore the barriers No enforcement of fast bikers. Cannot really use the street for much given cars can and do drive at all times. Lots of drama with residents moving barriers. Not reactive to school requests to reopen street for drop off first week of school. Massive traffic backup down st marks due to three schools having hundreds of cars and a half dozen school buses drop off.

Vanderbilt and St Marks was very dangerous.

Cars ignore the signs. People fight over the temporary barriers.

Cars go through and don’t pay attention to the signs so kids who are playing cannot play because cars drive through Drivers frequently disregard the speed limit and the rules about through traffic Cars Doesn't feel consistently managed. Angry drivers. I see nasty convos about it online Cars are constantly driving on the street even with barriers up. The open street ends up being less safe this way.

The barriers are insufficient protection -- drivers remove them or circumvent them constantly! It makes people less likely to use the open street.

Cars sometimes speed around the barriers Cars, motorcycles and electric bikes & scooters often bypass the Underhill barricades. I often see the barricades out of place and allowing cars to easily pass through.

Cars frequently move barriers Vehicle traffic isn’t mitigated. Free parking should be removed.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Do you feel the Underhill Avenue Open Street is safe or unsafe, and why or why not?

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Because nothing is happening people still drive around barricades and that seems unsafe The rules are unclear Cars routinely pass through Excess traffic jam in surrounding streets Underhill Avenue Open streets is unsafe & unnecessary it forces local traffic to navigate around barricades. The street is blocked in the middle of the weekdays when most deliveries are made, people are at work & kids are in school. It makes navigating the neighborhood unnecessarily difficult & does not serve the community in a positive way. If people want to sit around, congregate or ride their bikes they can go to Prospect Park which is less than a 5 minute walk away. There is no reason why people can't use the sidewalks like they did before open streets. There is no need to have the streets open for kids to play when there is a playground that is blocked & safe. A child playing with a ball can easily run into an intersection chasing a ball that will definitely roll downhill when playing on Underhill Avenue.

There are playground rules that exist that protect children from predators, why would anyone not want their kids playing in a space that has specific rules to protect their kids? Last & not least, 98% of people do not walk or play in the middle of Underhill Avenue during open streets.

Always a problem to park or even emergency vehicles to get through because of those aluminum barricades put up by the special people.

People confront me for driving around the barricades Frequently flaunted by motorists Because of the above it’s not actually safe to walk on the street Causes congestion everywhere, especially during school drop off/pickup. People drive through red lights, dangerous maneuvering around fences, bicycles and scooters still zooming down the “closed” streets.

Lots of cars ignore the barriers In the last week I’ve noticed several cars and trucks simply driving around the barriers. One driver of a large, moving sized truck got out, moved the barrier, and drove through not bothering to put it back. This is not for deliveries - this is simply for the convenience of using the street. Unfortunately no one seems to respect the barriers any more, making it unsafe for pedestrians

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions

What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Underhill Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “INDIFFERENT” to the question, “Should the Underhill Avenue Open Street continue to operate year-round?” (14.8%) ● ● ● ● ●

no preference Indifferent- I don't use it much. Less cars and noise is always good.

I am always going to prefer fewer cars so I’d like it to be closed all the time.

Weekends 10am-10pm I'm very indifferent to this. If there was more of a commercial vibe on the block, I think I would feel differently. The weekend situation that exists now is fine by me.

For respondents that answered “NO, IT SHOULD OPERATE SUMMER ONLY” to the question, “Should the Underhill Avenue Open Street continue to operate year-round?” (6.8%) ● ● ● ●

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Don’t know. not sure. This is not a destination of mine and I don't know there is enough local residents using the street to enforce such a restricted access.

Summer only. Weekdays 9:00 - 6:00; Weekends 8:00 - 7:00 Friday night through Sunday 9/10pm. Maybe when school is out operating during the weekday could be good for a section for kids

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Underhill Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “NO, IT SHOULD OPERATE SPRING / SUMMER / FALL ONLY” to the question, “Should the Underhill Avenue Open Street continue to operate year-round?” (13.6%) ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

7 am to 8 pm in summer 24 hours 7 days week Every day during the afternoon (2-8) and all day on the weekends.

Weekends after 11am During the daylight hours when Vanderbilt open streets are closed Weekdays 10am to 8pm Weekdays 8am-5pm

For respondents that answered “NO, IT SHOULD NO LONGER OPERATE” to the question, “Should the Underhill Avenue Open Street continue to operate year-round?” (19.3%) ● ● ● ● ●

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No, it shouldn't operate, especially since most parents drive their kids to school. it's actually more dangerous to hold NA It definitely should not operate on the weekends or coincide with Vanderbilt Open Streets because it causes traffic jams and drivers become aggressive.

With Vanderbilt Open Streets one block away, the Underhill Open Streets seems redundant.

If the goal of Underhill OPen Streets is for the safety of PS 9 students, it seems more crossing guards and/or police during school hours makes more sense.

It should be discontinued. It served a purpose initially but with the 2 playgrounds nearby it is vastly underutilized and not needed. It has created significant traffic on the cross streets between Washington & Vanderbilt as one has to drive extra blocks to reach destinations. It. Is particularly bad on St Marks between V & W because of the charter school bus situation which backs up traffic every school day into Vanderbilt, creating more pollution & noise in that area. Underhill allows drivers to avoid this situation, which I believe is more beneficial to the neighborhood. If people actually used Underhill I might feel differently but, despite the fact I enjoy biking on it, it is essentially closed for the benefit of a few people everyday while creating traffic, noise & pollution problems on the surrounding streets.

Never open None There should be No Underhill Open Street. The pandemic is over please stop disrupting the neighborhood.

Saturday only from 12-5pm Never None Only weekends

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions What would be your preferred daily and hourly schedule for the Underhill Avenue Open Street?

Please be specific with opening and closing times (e.g. weekdays 11am to 7pm, weekends noon to 10pm, Thursday through Sunday 1pm to 8pm, etc.)

For respondents that answered “YES” to the question, “Should the Underhill Avenue Open Street continue to operate year-round?” (45.5%) ● ● ● ●

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24/7 As early to as late as possible At least: every day 8am-8pm. That is, the current weekday schedule, but every day Right now, with all of the infrastructure work and occasional Vanderbilt Open Street happening in the area, the closure on Underhill makes it difficult for essential business and emergency vehicles to navigate. Have it Underhill Open Street maybe between 2pm and 5pm when the kids get out of the two schools nearby, and once on the weekend for a full day. The street work going up and down the blocks from Flatbush Avenue to Washington is making navigation insane.

Daily 11am to 7pm All the time 8 am - 10 pm every day Ideally 24/7, or at the very least, weekdays from 7am to 10pm (so that it can be used by kids going to/from school and by the bars and restaurants on Underhill) 24/7 24X7. Whatever it is, it should be built permanently. Volunteers moving feckless barriers is not a long term plan.

7am-7pm all days Current hours are appropriate until street improvements can be delivered I'd add a 5 PM to 11 PM block on top of whatever already exists.

Friday 5pm-Midnight; weekends 9am-midnight Friday 5pm to midnight, Saturday and Sunday 9am to midnight Weekdays should be open later (7/8pm). Weekends it should be closed in the summer as it a great way to get to and from the park 24/7 Constantly. Why not?!

24/7 - the street should be permanently closed to all motor traffic It would be far better if it operated in the late afternoon and evening. The morning causes a lot of inconvenience and uneven results. I’d also like to see it extended to the weekends when residents can actually use it.

7 days/week. Not specific hours but rather travel with the seasons, at least Dawn to dusk +1 hour.

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions

Responses Over 60%

Responses entered with the selection of “Other”.

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Would you support the use of more permanent barriers on the Underhill Avenue Open Street to better prevent non-local through traffic? Why or Why Not? 47 responses YES (67.1%) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

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Absolute yes If it would be effective in preventing cars from entering The current barriers are frequently ignored and require a lot of effort to set up.

Underhill is a wasted open street given the barriers are easily moved or knocked down.

The temporary barriers are no good.

The city is for people, not for cars.

Drivers frequently disregard the speed limit and the rules about through traffic Current system is inconsistent and often disregarded See above—cars flaunt the existing barriers all the time.

More pedestrian space matters The current barriers do not provide adequate safety, and they are unsightly and unwelcoming Permanent barriers would be more attractive, might be greater deterrence to cars Redesign, different paving, more green, Would approve of anything that will reduce through traffic on Underhill Free parking is climate arson The current barriers are often dragged aside and/or cars drive around the gaps. Could also be more aesthetically pleasing.

Clarity There are too many cars everywhere I have a toddler and crossing the street often fees dangerous with him safety for children and dogs Cars can knock over the wood barricades, which look like just anyone could put them there.

More official barricades would be better.

As long as they don't create problems for local residents & businesses, more permanent barriers would be better looking and easier As long as they don't create issues for local businesses People move the temporary barricades all the time. And by people I mean drivers.

Current barriers get moved, do not prevent dangerous speeding during the rush hour It's clear that the current barriers don't stop motor traffic from flaunting open streets As long as local access continues, I'm all for anything that limits cars :) Cars ignore the current barriers Replace those metal barricades I think it would be nice to have more community space People drive around the barriers. On rare occasions- at dangerous speeds

PRATT INSTITUTE, UPM 609 LAB ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SPACE, SPRING 2022

VANDERBILT AVE. + UNDERHILL AVE. OPEN STREET PROGRAMS

Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions Would you support the use of more permanent barriers on the Underhill Avenue Open Street to better prevent non-local through traffic? Why or Why Not? 47 responses NO (20%) ●

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This should not be an "Open Street." Vanderbilt makes sense as an Open Street because it is a commercial strip. Closing this residential Street post-covid is unnecessary and makes no sense.

That barriers are already annoying for local traffic Traffic on Vanderbilt Ave is at an all-time high and will continue increasing with the additional buildings/residents in the area. Closing Underhill Ave adds to traffic and noise on Vanderbilt Ave. School drop off As above, I don't think it should continue at all.

I don't think there is a strong use of the street when the program is open to justify the closing of the street. The closing also sends all traffic to Washington Ave and clogs up the avenue. But if Underhill is not part of the same street closing as in Vanderbilt, lots of traffic will be diverted there and potentially irate drivers thus creating dangerous condition. So better barriers on Underhill at the time of Vanderbilt closings should be implemented.

See above. No reason to have underhill as an open street.

Creates traffic and parking nightmare. There are still substantial number of people in the neighborhood who still used cars and taking away all of the rights is not necessarily fair either There should be No Underhill Open Street. The pandemic is over please stop disrupting the neighborhood.

Unsafe conditions for emergency vehicles in case anyone needs to get to the hospital or medical care is needed.

See above answers No one is using the Open Streets on Underhill.

Too much traffic Mobility in my car It’s a waste of time and just causes problems for people who need to use the streets for what they’re intended for, to DRIVE ON. The program was good during Covid, but it’s time to get back to normal.

INDIFFERENT (12.9%) ● ●

If we want to eliminate all car traffic forever on Underhill, that's one thing. But the goals of this current project are unclear and is more of a safety hazard than anything else.

I don't think there is much non local traffic anyway. Although having Vanderbilt closed might cause more non local traffic on underhill

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 3: Underhill Avenue Questions

Responses Over 60%

Responses entered with the selection of “Other”.

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Traffic calming would be great, but stop closing the street to vehicles Meaningful and permanent change is needed. Right now, there is not enough effort to keep it going without resources It seems like a waste of time, nobody really uses it Focus should be on the more commercial Vanderbilt for open streets.

I do not.

Bike lanes would be ideal but this would sacrifice parking for residents, not a lot of space to give unfortunately Go big or go home I mean, there’s a school on this street, fewer cars should be a no brainer! I don't have children but it seems to me that Vanderbilt has tons of businesses and stuff for adults, so underhill could totally be used to emphasize less commercial and more youth oriented uses.

Was never as successful as Vanderbilt- too many cars to let kids roam free, not enough programming to make it a destination. Summer 2020 there were amazing dance parties in front of Blue Marble- more of a block party than an open street- that provided an amazing sense of community during the pandemic.

We should have flexibility to close some blocks fully on some days to allow for use by playground, school.

Pedestrian zones or shared streets aren’t rocket science I think DOT should consider a bike lane on Underhill or making it primarily a road for bikes. If cars are allowed, more daylight is needed at corners. Change the street to one-way with protected bike lane.

Designs should connect from Lowry Triangle to Eastern Pkwy.

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No more barriers.

Speed Bumps No There should be No Underhill Open Street. The pandemic is over please stop disrupting the neighborhood. Underhill Avenue was fine before open streets & the weird traffic pattern at the intersection of Atlantic, Washington & Underhill. I really wish people would stop trying to reinvent the wheel. ?????

A permanent *protected* (with more than paint) bike line on Underhill and/or Vanderbilt would make me so much more likely to actually bike I do not currently feel safe biking when it would be way easier to get around that way. we need a dog park that is inviting, clean 8-4 is not long enough!

Permanently remove barriers From September to May the Open Streeon Underhill is not being used.

If Vanderbilt ave is open then no Underhill Permanently converting the street into a pedestrian plaza would be fantastic Reduce cars but make it easy for local traffic early in the day.

Should only be on weekends, if at all.

Enhance, beautify, and activate the triangle at Atlantic. A potential “Gateway” to Underhill. As is, it feels forgotten and unloved. And certainly underutilized and a missed opportunity for the Community.

Make events more accessible to the community through outreach and visibility

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During the original COVID emergency, this made sense since there was an urgent need for more open pedestrian space. With parks and playgrounds reopened and less need for social distancing, the objectives of the program seem to have shifted to just make it more inconvenient to drive on Underhill. Fair enough, but the existing setup is more dangerous than nothing.

I think Underhill is effective at making the street safer, especially near the school, but the way it is set up is ineffective. There should be infrastructural improvements made, not just barriers. if underhill remains open to cars, it should at the very least be one way Clearer signage on asking bikes to slow down or to advise what local traffic is (do not assume people know what that means) would be good. Do not forget that the first few weeks of school every year are very difficult as families get to the routine of drop off.

Good luck Long live open streets.

Although I live on Underhill, My primary motivation is not traffic coming, but the opportunity to have more open space for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the creation Of a safe corridor connecting neighborhoods.

We need more of it Just to reiterate it is vastly underutilized while creating additional traffic congestion & safety issues on surrounding streets.

Open during school hours Against the idea There should be No Underhill Open Street. The pandemic is over please stop disrupting the neighborhood. Underhill Avenue was fine before open streets & the weird traffic pattern at the intersection of Atlantic, Washington & Underhill. I really wish people would stop trying to reinvent the wheel.

Are you people really going to listen to anything from the Surgery? But I figure you people Only Care about your self since you people have the money to buy every body !

The open streets is a bad, pretentious, pointless idea Underhill Ave Open Street should only be during the summer months.

If Vanderbilt ave is open then no Underhill We should start charging people for street parking in general Are these initiatives being done in other neighborhoods across Brooklyn? I see these in predominantly white neighborhoods and not neighborhoods that are majority people of color.

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Resident & Visitor Survey Section 4: Demographic Questions

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APPENDIX B Community Engagement Synthesis

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Community Engagement Qualitative Analysis Grounded Theory Boards

Residents and Visitors Stakeholder Group. Source: UPM students

Cultural and Faith-Based Communities Stakeholder Group. Source: UPM students

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Community Engagement Qualitative Analysis Grounded Theory Boards

Educational Community, Youth, & Caregivers Stakeholder Group. Source: UPM students

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Community Engagement Qualitative Analysis Grounded Theory Boards

Street Traversers Stakeholder Group. Source: UPM students

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Community Engagement Qualitative Analysis Grounded Theory Boards

Businesses Stakeholder Group. Source: UPM students

Management and Governance Stakeholder Group. Source: UPM students

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APPENDIX C Printable Materials Mockups

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“Open For” Posters

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“Open For” Posters

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“Open For” Posters

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Proposed Logo

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