The Story of the BQE is a mini-documentary tracing the history of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway by Adam Paul Susaneck of Segregation by Design and produced by the Institute for Public Architecture and NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate in 2025. Using archival footage and photography, this 40 minute video shows how the construction of the 16-mile-long BQE demolished historic neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, divided communities, and displaced hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers across the two boroughs. The Story of the BQE film is available online.
Watch Now ︎︎︎
The IPA also regularly hosts screenings; check the What’s On page and subscribe to our newsletter to learn about future opportunities to watch the documentary, and read a writeup on these events at the Brooklyn Eagle.
Watch Now ︎︎︎
The IPA also regularly hosts screenings; check the What’s On page and subscribe to our newsletter to learn about future opportunities to watch the documentary, and read a writeup on these events at the Brooklyn Eagle.
About The Story of the BQE Project
“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 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.
-Segregation by Design (SBD)
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.
Urban Historian
