An architect wants to turn New York's busiest avenue into an enormous park

Green Line Panorama_facing south
The proposed Green Line. Perkins Eastman

An architecture firm has a bold plan to turn 40 blocks of New York City's busiest avenue into a giant park.

Advertisement

If the Perkins Eastman Architects plan goes through, Broadway would transform into a street exclusively for pedestrians. The proposed park would be one of the largest urban redesigns in the city's history.

"The center spine of Manhattan is not a vehicle destination any longer," the firm's principal Johnathan Cohn tells Tech Insider. "No businesses along Broadway depend on easy access by people in private cars. And Broadway is not well served by vehicles in any case." 

Here's what a greener New York City would look like.

Advertisement

The Green Line would span from Columbus Circle to Union Square. Only pedestrians and bikers would be able to pass, with exceptions for ambulances and police cars, Cohn says.

19th and Broadway_Green Carpet
Perkins Eastman

The diagonal park would also serve as a shortcut through the city, connecting Times Square, Madison Garden, and Herald Square.

Screen Shot 2015 12 16 at 1.47.13 PM
Perkins Eastman
Advertisement

"Vehicles compete for space with pedestrians on city streets and have an unfair advantage," Cohn says. "Over 1,000 people die from traffic crashes every year here. We think it is reasonable to find ways to privilege the pedestrian over the car."

Union Sq_Green Line Aerial
Perkins Eastman

The vision behind the Green Line follows its pedestrian-friendly predecessors: the High Line, an elevated park built on former railroad tracks, and the Low Line, a proposed underground park on the Lower East Side.

High Line central lawn
New York City's High Line. Business Insider / Henry Blodget
Advertisement

It's also in line with past efforts to limit city traffic, like installing hundreds of miles of bike lanes and banning cars from Times Square.

Times Square
Times Square. Getty Images

If the Green Line is built, a long strip of grass, trees, dog parks, and playgrounds would weave through the city.

Herald Sq_Green Line Aerial
Perkins Eastman
Advertisement

The plan would also include bioswales, ditches that allow the soil to absorb stormwater runoff. With Broadway's existing tarmac strip, stormwater drains into the Hudson and East River.

bio
A bioswale covered by plants. Aaron Volkening/Flickr

The bioswales would reduce the risk for floods and river pollution. "The city needs to be more ecologically sustainable," Cohn says.

Green Line Aerial_overall
Perkins Eastman
Advertisement

It's still uncertain when New York could build the park and who would pay for it. Perkins Eastman Architects plans to meet with city officials to discuss next steps, Cohn says.

Green Line park Manhattan New York_dezeen_936_3
Perkins Eastman

Although the plan is ambitious, the Green Line could bring the city closer to a becoming pedestrian utopia with fewer cars and more freedom to roam.

Green Line Panorama_facing south
The proposed Green Line. Perkins Eastman
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.