Join the Design Trust and Urban Omnibus for a field trip to Dutch Kills Green, a one-acre public space at the eastern end of Queens Plaza, Long Island City’s newly-transformed gateway to the borough.
Tuesday, May 15
Wednesday, May 23
6:30-8:00 pm
Queens Plaza, Long Island City, Queens
Queensboro Plaza (7, 7X, N, Q)
Queens Plaza (E, M, R)
This site represents the inverse of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” lyrics: the former commuter parking lot now boasts ample green space with wetlands, native plantings, artist-designed benches, and permeable pavers. Margie Ruddick, Marpillero Pollak Architects, Michael Singer Studio, and WRT were the principal designers of the project, with the Department of City Planning and the NYCEDC overseeing the design.
Dutch Kills Green opened last month, marking the completion of a $45 million project to revitalize Queens Plaza that has improved roadway and streetscape design, reclaimed open space for public use, and reconnected the surrounding neighborhoods to the nearby river.
As Urban Omnibus noted in Queens Plaza: Infrastructure Reframed, this redesign “transforms the tangle of urban infrastructure cutting through Long Island City from a harsh, disorienting industrial maze into a lush, navigable landscape, a gateway to Long Island City that organizes various flows and scales while providing a refuge for residents, workers and the road-weary.”
We’ll be at Dutch Kills Green from 6:30-8:00pm. Arrive by 6:45pm to hear from key players involved in the project (list in formation):
- Linda Pollak, Principal, Marpilllero Pollak Architects
- Penny Lee, Senior Planner, New York City Department of City Planning
- Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, Vice President, Development, New York City Economic Development Corporation
- Leni Schwendinger, Principal, Light Projects Ltd.
Feel free to invite friends and colleagues, just remember to RSVP via Facebook or rsvp@designtrust.org by Monday, May 14.
After the potluck, the Long Island City exploration will continue over cocktails at Dutch Kills (27-24 Jackson Ave).
ABOUT PUBLIC SPACE POTLUCKS
Free and open to all, the Design Trust’s Public Space Potlucks is an informal series of events inviting urbanists to share a meal and conversation while exploring New York City’s built environment. Please bring your own beverage and a dish to share. We’ve got plates, napkins, and utensils covered.
Questions? Contact Kristin at klabuz@designtrust.org.
