Help Us Plan the New Park and Great Promenade on Governors Island
Sep 16, 2008 3:17 pm
We’ve just announced that we’re kicking off the master planning phase for a new park and Great Promenade on Governors Island, and there are so many ways you can follow the process and get involved, both online and in person. This blog, of course, will be one way to keep in touch with us, but we are also conducting a survey, hosting facilitated public workshops, and hosting an interactive exhibition on Governors Island in Building 110. We’ll be sharing all of your ideas with the design team as they craft the park master plan.
The Governors Island Park and Great Promenade is being designed by an acclaimed team, West 8 / Rogers Marvel Architects / Diller Scofidio + Renfro / SMWM. Over the next several months, Governors Island staff and members of the design team will be meeting with community boards and groups for their feedback as well. The design team will create a park master plan for three new open spaces on Governors Island: a new 40 acre park on the Island’s southern end, a 2.2 mile Great Promenade around the Island, and rejuvenated areas in the Historic District. The park master plan will be a set of drawings, models and renderings that show the fundamental concepts for the design of the future park. It will illustrate what kinds of activities will take place in the park; the places, elements, and habitats of the park; their relative size, and their general look and feel. You should expect to see a draft of the master plan prior to the 2009 season on Governors Island. Get Involved! Picture Yourself on Governors Island (Sept. 20, and Oct. 4, from 12pm-3pm): We’re inviting visitors to the Island to tell us their ideas for our new 40-acre park and Great Promenade and have their picture taken in front of thier favorite conceptual vision for that new park. If you’ve had your photo taken at our photobooth in front of Building 110, visit our flickr page and download your picture! Mobile Public Planning Workshops (Sept. 27 and Sept. 28): The workshop includes a bike or tram tour of the site of the future park, currently off limits to the general public, and a facilitated conversation with the design team about your feedback and impressions. The workshop will be offered at 10:15 AM, 12:45 PM and 3:15 PM on both days and will end in time for participants to take the 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM or 5:30 PM ferries, respectively. Workshops begin in front of Building 110 on Governors Island. The entire workshop, including the tour, will last two hours. Attendance is limited. Members of the public who wish to participate in the workshop must make reservations in advance by emailing ecavanagh (at) empire.state.ny.us. Interactive Exhibit (ongoing through Oct. 12): Since the end of May, we’ve been encoraging folks to post their ideas up in an exhibition entitled “What’s Happening on Governors Island” using Post It™ Notes. To make even kids who are too young to write thier thoughts have thier say, we’ve provided rubber stamps of popular activities like bikes and picnic baskets. To date, hundreds have provided their ideas for what they would like to see in the new park. Stay Involved! More opportunities for you to give your input will be scheduled over the next several months, and you can stay informed about the park design process by subscribing to www.govislandblog.com and leaving your email address at www.govisland.com.