The Story of the BQE
Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion
“What is the Future of Transportation for NYC’s Waterfront Neighborhoods?”
May 19, 2026
@ PAVE Academy Charter School
732 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
On May 19th we held a screening of The Story of the BQE documentary at PAVE Academy Charter School’s cool gymnasium on the hottest day of 2026 so far.
A lively discussion moderated by Karen Blondel (President, Red Hook West Residents Association and Executive Director, Public Housing Civic Association) with Thaddeus Pawlowksi (Director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia University GSAPP and IPA Fellow) and Marcus Wilford (Architect and IPA Fellow) followed the screening. With Marcus’ ‘frugal exuberance’, Karen’s ‘creative pragmatism’, and Thaddeus’ visionary ‘conveyor belt’ highway, the conversation established new frameworks for reimagining the future of transportation in NYC waterfront neighborhoods like Red Hook.
Gathering around IPA’s Sunset Park BQE model, attendees visualized alternative building typologies and community programs adjacent to a narrower, tree-lined boulevard in lieu of the six-lane highway.
Thank you to Karen Blondel, Thaddeus Pawlowski, Marcus Wilford, Pave Academy Charter School, and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for making this event possible.
A lively discussion moderated by Karen Blondel (President, Red Hook West Residents Association and Executive Director, Public Housing Civic Association) with Thaddeus Pawlowksi (Director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia University GSAPP and IPA Fellow) and Marcus Wilford (Architect and IPA Fellow) followed the screening. With Marcus’ ‘frugal exuberance’, Karen’s ‘creative pragmatism’, and Thaddeus’ visionary ‘conveyor belt’ highway, the conversation established new frameworks for reimagining the future of transportation in NYC waterfront neighborhoods like Red Hook.
Gathering around IPA’s Sunset Park BQE model, attendees visualized alternative building typologies and community programs adjacent to a narrower, tree-lined boulevard in lieu of the six-lane highway.
Thank you to Karen Blondel, Thaddeus Pawlowski, Marcus Wilford, Pave Academy Charter School, and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for making this event possible.
About The Story of the BQE
“It’s now been 70 years since the highway was completed and its age is showing. Now is the perfect time to reimagine the BQE and repair the damage it continues to inflict on the community.”
-Segregation by Design (SBD)
The Story of the BQE documentary, produced by the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) with NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, uses archival footage and photography to show how the construction of the 16-mile-long Brooklyn-Queens Expressway demolished historic neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, divided communities, and displaced tens of thousands of New Yorkers across the two boroughs. The Story of the BQE Film and Oral History project includes a web-based oral history archive comprising interviews with Brooklyn and Queens residents around the impact the highway has on their lives. This project expands IPA’s work since 2020 to highlight the institutional segregation and environmental impacts created by the highway and help raise awareness of the historical exclusion of underserved communities in decision-making about their physical space.
The project is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate; Sasaki Associates; KVL Audio Visual Services; Municipal Art Society Enduring Culture Initiative; and private donations.
