Press & Media
Zach Mortice for Landscape Architecture Magazine writes about The 606, Chicago’s first elevated park, as a neighborhood connector and provider of green transportation. Mortice ties the boons of this linear park to The QueensWay:
“For a relatively new landscape typology, elevated rail parks suffer from no shortage of claims about what they can do for cities. Namely, they can renovated decaying infrastructure, add green space to dense urban areas, improve public health by offering more opportunity for exercise, and honor, rather than demolish historic industrial landscapes in neighborhoods under immense pressure to remove them…”
Read the full report here.
New York, NY – Two leading design organizations this week recognized the firms behind the QueensWay for their work on the project’s conceptual design plan – the QueensWay Plan. DLANDstudio Architecture + Landscape Architecture and WXY architecture + urban design received a Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects, New York Chapter (ASLA-NY), and a Merit Award for Urban Design from the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter (AIA-NY).
The Annual Design Awards held by ASLA, New York recognizes design excellence in the field of landscape architecture, and AIA-NY’s annual Design Awards recognizes outstanding architectural design.
The Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay congratulated the design teams for their award winning work on behalf of the project.
The Trust for Public Land’s Marc Matsil said: “We are proud to have worked along side DLANDstudio and WXY on the QueensWay Plan, and congratulate them on these two very distinguished awards. It’s a great honor to be recognized by your peers, and we look forward to their work helping to pave the way towards building New York’s next great park.”
Friends of the QueensWay said: “We congratulate DLANDstudio and WXY for these well-deserved awards. We witnessed firsthand their incredible talent, professionalism and expertise and there is no question that the future success of the QueensWay – and its extraordinary public benefits – will be the result of their impressive work.”
The QueensWay Plan was the result of a yearlong community engagement process, which resulted in a study that serves as a blueprint for the QueensWay. The 3.5 mile long QueensWay will follow abandoned railroad tracks and will provide safe, easy access to Forest Park; new recreation opportunities for the 322,000 people living within a mile; a boost to local businesses, and a high-profile showcase for the most culturally diverse borough of New York City.
Susannah Drake, FASLA AIA Founding Principal Dlandstudio PLLC Architecture and Landscape Architecture, said: “The QueensWay is a grass roots initiative that leverages the many strengths of surrounding neighborhoods with a new park that is all about connecting diverse communities to share great food, culture, recreation and nature.”
Adam Lubinsky, Managing Principal of WXY architecture + urban design, said: “It was an honor to work with the Trust for Public Land, the Friends of the QueensWay and our design partner DLANDstudio in unlocking the potential of one of New York’s hidden gems. The QueensWay will be a place unlike any other in the five boroughs, and will open up Queens to a variety of new experiences and opportunities.”
The QueensWay has been endorsed by a large number of community groups, civic-organizations and Queens elected officials, including Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx); Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Queens); New York State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing); New York Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Queens); and New York City Council Member Karen Koslowitz (D – Queens).
For more information and the view the QueensWay Plan in full, visit www.thequeensway.org.
Ben Huff for Untapped Cities, “a community of over 400 contributors uncovering the best of urban life from cities around the globe,” joined the Trust for Public Land’s Andy Stone on a tour of the QueensWay.
Ben wrote: “As the chill winter weather begins to settle on New York City, an exciting project is heating up in Queens. Advocates for the rail to trail project The Queensway have had a string of recent victories, including a grant to design a portion of the trail as well as a nod of approval from The New York Times editorial board.”
“At Untapped Cities, we’ve been following the project for the last three years and got a recent behind-the-scenes scoop of the Queensway, with a private tour by Andy Stone and the Trust for Public Land to highlight their goals and the next steps in the project.”
Read the full article here.
The QueensWay rung out 2014 with a bang with a New York Times editorial “A Green Line Through Queens,” proclaiming the merits of the QueensWay, calling it a “boon to the borough [of Queens.]”
The New York Times wrote: “The abandoned Rockaway Beach line of the Long Island Rail Road cuts a shaggy green swath through southern Queens. Trees have thickly colonized the railbed. The rusty rails run parallel through the shadowy underbrush and — where the tracks are elevated by concrete and steel — overbrush. The line has been rotting since the 1950s, though a group of park advocates say the result is not ruin but wild perfection. They want to make it a three-and-a-half-mile park and call it the QueensWay.”
“The question is not whether a new park in Queens is a good idea. It’s a spectacular one.”
Read the full article here
The QueensWay Plan received a $443,750 grant last week to be allocated to the design of the first phase of the project. As anticipation for the QueensWay builds, so does press coverage of the project–check out the articles below for updates:
By the Trust for Public Land – New York – 12/12/2014
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Friends of the QueensWay today joined local elected officials and economic development leaders in touting the $443,750 award the QueensWay project received through Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York City Regional Economic Development Council (REDC). The project planners thanked Governor Cuomo and the State for their commitment to the QueensWay as a transformative park and local economic development project.
The funds will be allocated towards the design of the first phase of the QueensWay. This is the project’s second award through the New York City REDC. The first helped fund the QueensWay feasibility planning study, which was formally released this Fall.
“This vital grant brings us one step closer to making the QueensWay a reality,” said Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx). “I thank Governor Cuomo and the New York City Regional Economic Development Council for their steadfast commitment to building a unique park in our borough that will not only provide great health and environmental benefits to the surrounding communities but also the potential to spur significant economic growth in the area.”
“The Governor’s Regional Economic Development Council grants are a significant effort that understands the impact locally developed projects have on economic development,” said Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi. “The QueensWay is one of those projects and I’m glad to support the great effort of the Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay to bring this transformative project to our community.”
The funding will be used to design the “Northern Gateway” section of the QueensWay in the Rego Park neighborhood, adjacent to Forest Hills. This site, at the north end of the QueensWay, is an ideal way to begin to connect the residents to a portion of this 47-acre corridor. The section will retain and feature a large number of mature trees, and will include a nature-themed adventure playground, large bioretention basins and other green infrastructure that can absorb large quantities of stormwater, and access paths to adjacent streets.
Project planners noted the QueensWay plan has been endorsed by over a dozen leading economic development, environmental and transportation organizations, many local community organizations and five elected officials including Reps. Joseph Crowley and Grace Meng, both of whom are from Queens; New York state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky of Queens; New York Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi of Queens; and New York City Council Member Karen Koslowitz of Queens.
“We’d like to thank the Governor and the New York City REDC for acknowledging, yet again, the tremendous value in building the QueensWay,” said Marc Matsil, New York Director of The Trust for Public Land. “They, like the thousands of local supporters and elected officials, recognize it will boost local businesses, provide safe access to recreation; will provide alternative transportation choices; and will help fill a significant park equity void. We look forward to continuing our work with the State, our local elected officials, and all of our supporters in building the QueensWay.”
“We are truly grateful to Governor Cuomo and the Regional Economic Development Council for their continued support of the QueensWay,” said Travis Terry of the Friends of the QueensWay. “This grant represents an important step forward in our efforts to build New York’s next great park and enables us to continue working closely with government, the local community and all stakeholders to complete a project that unlocks the incredible economic potential of Central Queens and improves our neighborhoods.”
“The Queens Chamber of Commerce is pleased to see the State once again recognize the opportunity our community has to create a vehicle that will increase economic impact. Our organizations would like to congratulate the Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay for this great accomplishment,” said Jack Friedman, Executive Director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. “We look forward to participating in the ongoing work of the project, and to making Queens an even more attractive borough for businesses and residents alike.”
TPL and Friends of the QueensWay also noted Queens’ recently named distinction as the best U.S. destination to visit next year by renowned travel and tour guidebooks Lonely Planet. The QueensWay project team is looking forward to the QueensWay being a part of the draw to New York City’s most diverse borough.
The QueensWay plan, a blueprint for the 3.5 mile-long linear park and cultural greenway, can be found at www.thequeensway.org.
The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Nearly ten million people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year.
The Friends of the QueensWay (FQW) is a grassroots community organization – consisting of Central and Southern Queens residents – who are advocating for the conversion of the long-abandoned, 3.5 mile, 47 acre LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch into a family-friendly public park that can be enjoyed by bikers, walkers, joggers, visitors, tourists, workers and residents in Queens. It is FQW’s intention to plan the reuse of this property in a way that not only creates an iconic park but also sparks economic and cultural development, improves the quality of life and environment, and provides greater access to all that Central Queens has to offer including a direct, fast and safe link to Forest Park.
The latest edition of This is Queensborough features a piece that highlights the reasons why businesses support the Queensway.
“Cities all across America have discovered the many benefits that linear parks can bring to communities and whole cities. From the environment to economic development and quality of life improvements, greenways are changing the landscape of urban centers worldwide. ”
Read the full article here
The New Yorker’s Ian Frazier takes readers on a tour of the QueensWay, stopping to take in the green and hear business owners rave about the QueensWay.
Ian Writes: “Hanging out on abandoned railroad tracks, usually an un-civic and unhelpful activity, can be transformed into a good thing with just two words: “linear park.” Make the abandoned railroad tracks into an official public space, with bike paths and benches and plantings, and the people who come to it will no longer be un-civically hanging out—they’ll be enjoying the healthful and sociable attractions of a linear park.”
Read the Full Article Here.
This week’s press announcement and press conference for the release of The QueensWay Plan has generated a significant amount of press coverage. The excitement of the QueensWay continues to grow & here is a list of some of the press:
New York Times
October 14, 2014
A Plan to Turn a Queens Railway Into a Park
Capital NY
October 14, 2014
A de Blasio-tailored pitch for a Queens High Line
New York Daily News
October 14, 2014
New study says QueensWay project would cost $120 million and boost local economy
DNAinfo
October 14, 2014
Check Out Attractions Along the Proposed QueensWay
Queens Chronicle
October 16, 2014
QueensWay plans are taking shape
Time Warner Cable/NY1 News
October 14, 2014
Plans for Queens Version of High Line Revealed
WNBC4 New York
October 14, 2014
Queensway, “High Line” for Outer Boroughs, Proposed
WCBS2 New York
October 14, 2014
Plans For QueensWay Park Unveiled; Opponents Want Rail Line Restoration
Curbed
October 14, 2014
A Detailed Blueprint for Queens’ $122M ‘High Line,’ Revealed!
AMNewYork
October 14, 2014
QueensWay park details revealed
The Real Deal
October 14, 2014
QueensWay could transform area’s retail scene: brokers
Inhabitat
October 15, 2014
QueensWay Team Unveils Plan for New 3.5-Mile Elevated Park in Queens
Good news for Queens residents in areas underserved by subway and rapid transit. Since 2008 New York City’s Select Bus Service (SBS) has reduced travel time along seven routes implemented to date. For years, Woodhaven Blvd has been a top prospect for SBS, and now, according to the New York State DOT Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-18 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) report, planing appears to be underway. (link to pdf) The project is laid out over a 5 year period. Total project cost is stated as between $9.5-15.5 million and funding has been allocated (page 276). According to this report it appears the preliminary design began in Spring 2013, the detailed design will begin Spring 2014 and construction could begin January 2015.
In addition to reducing travel time for millions of New Yorkers, comprehensive plans for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridors (which includes SBS service) provide opportunities for improving quality of life for the communities adjacent to them. Sure, BRT on Woodhaven Blvd can help Queens residents get to work in less time, but let’s not forget about those who live en route.
In December 2013, the Pratt Center for Community Development published a report advocating for Full Featured BRT in eight corridors in areas where it is “physically feasible and would help now” support underserved populations.
According to the Pratt Center, “BRT would not only provide fast and reliable service, but would make would make wide streets safer for riders, drivers, and pedestrians, and would support the added commercial and residential density needed to keep local retail attractive and competitive.”
Of those eight corridors listed in the report Woodhaven Blvd is tied for first, based on criteria cited on p. 24
Read the full report Here.
Research for this article by Anna Hellman
Map of proposed BRT corridors by the Pratt Center
