Project for Public Spaces

Rethinking Grand Army Plaza

Brooklyn, NY (2006-present)

The Grand Army Plaza Coalition (GAPCo) was founded by PPS and a group of committed local residents in March 2006 to improve Grand Army Plaza and connect surrounding neighborhoods to what could be one of the most important public spaces in Brooklyn. PPS has worked closely with GAPco as it has evolved to be a strong grassroots group with a bold vision and agenda. In March 2007, to further build the coalition and articulate the issues and opportunities for the plaza, PPS facilitated a community workshop for GAPco called "Rethinking Grand Army Plaza".

GAPCo invited community stakeholders from many different constituencies--neighborhood residents, planning professionals, elected officials, and issue-oriented activists--to come together and rethink how Grand Army Plaza functions. Participants observed and assessed every element at work in the Plaza, brainstormed some creative solutions, and presented their thoughts to the larger group. (Read the summary of the workshop on the GAPCo website.)

The vision that evolved from the workshop was that Grand Army Plaza, as one of Brooklyn's most significant destinations, should draw on and highlight the cultural, institutional, historical and economic assets of surrounding neighborhoods. The experience of the plaza should be broadened by linking it to its surroundings, and local institutions and communities should be engaged as the improvement process proceeds. Below are the core ideas of that vision.

MAKE IT A HEALTHY HEART
Already known as "the heart of Brooklyn," work to make the heart more healthy—increase people presence and activity, reduce the noise and pollution from automobile traffic:

  • Increase the amount and variety of activities that happen on the plaza
  • Celebrate the area's present and past at Grand Army Plaza
  • Improve public safety

GET CONNECTED

  • Improve the links, both physical and programmatic, between the plaza and the surrounding neighborhoods, institutions, commercial areas, and Prospect Park

PUT PEOPLE IN THE PLAZA

  • Reduce the amount of surface area dedicated to automobiles and create more space for people

GAPCo continues to work with key stakeholders such as the Heart of Brooklyn and its members, the local Community Boards, the City Council, the Department of Transportation, and the Park Slope Civic Council to devise practical ways to realize this vision.

UPDATE: The Department of Transportation added several crosswalks, raised islands, and traffic flow reconfigurations to the southeastern corner of Grand Army Plaza, which is in line with the vision expressed in PPS's findings. These changes are a great first step as we build momentum to reshape Grand Army Plaza into a great public space for the heart of Brooklyn.