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LIGHT RAIL FOR THE BROOKLYN-QUEENS WATERFRONTAlexander Garvin

Alexander Garvin is President and CEO

of AGA Public Realm Strategists, a

planning and design firm specializing in

the public realm. He is Adjunct Professor

of Urban Planning and Management at

Yale University. He currently serves as the

President of the Forum for Urban Design.

Map: Forum for Urban Design.

Some of the greatest opportunities for new housing and development within a stone’s throw of Manhattan line the East River in Astoria and Long Island City. By creating a new light rail line in those neighborhoods, we could create an enormous opportunity for new investment.

Astoria is currently served by an elevated rail line that runs along 31st Street one mile east of the East River. I propose situating a new light rail line along 21st Street, the widest thoroughfare before reaching Vernon Boulevard. A first phase would connect Astoria with the F subway stop at 21st Street and Queens Plaza. A second phase could extend the rail line across Newtown Creek and along the Brooklyn waterfront to terminate in Red Hook.

The capital cost of the new light rail line could be financed from the tax increment generated by new and renovated housing created on underutilized properties within walking distance of the new light rail line.

EXISTING

PROPOSED

RED HOOK

BROOKLYNHEIGHTS

BROOKLYN

MANHATTA

N

QUEENS

ASTORIA

LONG ISLANDCITY

GREENPOINT

WILLIAMSBURG

FORT GREENE

DUMBO

COBBLE HILL

1

ADVANCE COPY

Next New York:

A Sketchbook for the Future of the City

ADVANCE COPY

© 2013 The Forum for Urban Design

Edited by Christopher Beardsley and Daniel McPhee

Contributors: Maria Aiolova, Laurie Beckelman, Vicki Been, Lance

Jay Brown, Donald Capoccia, Nette Compton, Jay Cross, Peter

Derrick, Susannah Drake, Jacob Dugopolski, Kathleen Dunn, Elliot

Felix, Ben Fried, Alexander Garvin, David Giles, Mark Ginsberg, Will

Goodman, MaryAnne Gilmartin, Gregory Haley, Fred Harris, Naomi

Hersson-Ringskog, Mitchell Joachim, Thomas Jost, Paul Katz, Carol

Lamberg, Deborah Marton, Robert Quinlan, Nina Rappaport, Chris

Reed, Sam Schwartz, Ronald Shiffman, Steven Spinola, Marilyn

Jordan Taylor, Mark Thomann, Claire Weisz, Andrew Whalley, Paul

Steely White, Madelyn Wils, Robert Yaro, Mark Yoes

Design: Rachelle Vagy, Emily DePietro

Graphic Support: Ellis Calvin, Hanson Cheng

Editorial Support: James Dashiell Henley, Christiana Whitcomb,

Logan Woodruff

Printing and Binding: Village Print

Some images and texts have been modified for clarity by the editors

of this publication. All attempts have been made to maintain the

core concepts of each project as intended by the individual authors.

The Forum for Urban Design

Long Island City, New York

www.ffud.org

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in

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Printed in the United States of America

A SKETCHBOOK FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CITY

FORUM FOR URBAN DESIGNSPRING / SUMMER 2013