BQE2053 Smposium: Towards a Decarbonized Sustainable Multi-Modal Transportation Network

May 20, 2023
@ The Harbor School

︎︎︎ View Recording
︎︎︎ BQE2053

Photos: Manuela Lourenço

On Saturday May 20 2023, the Institute for Public Architecture (IPA) hosted a full-day symposium, free and open to the public at the Harbor School on Governors Island. Read about the event below:

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 were 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 focused 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.

Program

The Symposium included a morning session and afternoon session. Speaker presentations were followed by a brief panel discussion and audience Q&A session. Panel moderators are indicated with *.