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BQE 2053: Public Symposium
Saturday, May 20th, 2023 at 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Free
The Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) invites you to join in a full-day symposium, free and open to the public.
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is crumbling, and federal funding is on the table for repairs, but what about radically reconsidering the entire divisive and polluting highway? How can we use this opportunity to mitigate climate change, redress historic environmental injustice, and significantly improve quality of life for all New Yorkers? These and other questions will be addressed in a series of panels on highway removal, alternative transportation systems, community land trusts, and visions for the future, led by experts and community members.
Four diverse panels will focus attention on community engagement in deciding the future development of a potential ‘land bank’ between existing neighborhoods and a radically re-imagined Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE). If the BQE, with freight moved to rail and water, were to become a tree-lined narrower boulevard rather than a trenched or elevated highway, what would communities want to do with this newly available ‘land bank’ in the threshold between their vibrant existing neighborhoods and a de-carbonized sustainable multi-modal transportation network?
Supported in part by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the IPA BQE 2053 Symposium will bring all voices to the table, including government agencies, elected officials, policy makers, transportation, housing, and climate experts, and residents of Brooklyn and Queens, propelling this important conversation about the future of New York City to the forefront.