High Line: About the Park

The High Line is a public park built on an abandon elevated rail structure. It features an integrated landscape, designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The High Line is being built in three phases. Each phase is to be opened within two years of the last starting from the southern end.  Section 1, spanning from Gansevoort Street to West 20^th Street, was opened on June 9, 2009. Section 2, spanning between West 20^th and West 30^th Streets, opened June 8, 2011. The third and last phase above West 30^th around the West Side Rail Yards is owned by a separate entity.  Development now depends upon plans being discussed by the state-run MTA and its related companies. At this point it is uncertain whether the third phase will be restructuring or demolition.

The mile-and-a-half-long elevated park combines meandering concrete pathways and naturalistic plantings, with fixed benches, movable metal seating, and wooden lounge chairs. The park is equipped with lighting so that it can remain open at night.

The High Line is open from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily and can be accessed every two to three blocks. 

Bibliography

—. High Line Park Information. 2010. http://www.thehighline.org/about/park-information (accessed june 15, 2011).

High Line: Location

The High Line is located in Manhattan, New York on the West Side. The park runs above the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and ends in Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen.  The first staircase is located just off Gansevoort Street and Washington Street. The elevated park then weaves through the districts to its end point on West 34th Street, between 10^th & 11^th Avenues. 

Bibliography

N/A. High Line Park Information. 2010. http://www.thehighline.org/about/park-information (accessed june 15, 2011).

. High Line Park Information. 2010. http://www.thehighline.org/about/park-information (accessed june 15, 2011).

Atlantic Yards Traffic disruptions

The 22 acre development of Atlantic Yards has disrupted the traffic flow for residents of the area. The developer was granted permission to tear down a bridge on Carlton and close off parts of Pacific St. which affected the daily travel patterns of the residents, especially those who live on Carlton Ave.

Carlton Ave deadend

Pacific St. is a one way street and has been closed off in two locations. The first part lies between Vanderbilt Ave. and Carlton Ave. The street is open to public traffic between Carlton Ave. and 6^th Ave. and closed again between 6^th Ave. and Flatbush Ave. at the intersection of 5^th Ave.

Carlton Ave. is a one way street which used to connect to Atlantic Ave. over the site via the Carlton Street Bridge.

Both routes that have been blocked affect Carlton Ave. residents, both for vehicular and pedestrian travel. The demolition of the Carlton Ave. Bridge effects traffic to Atlantic Ave. over the site. Since Carlton Ave. is a one way street all vehicular travel has been detoured extending their trip and adding to outgoing traffic.

With the closure of the bridge and Pacific St., residents of Carlton Ave. now have to circle around the whole site in order to travel one street to Atlantic Ave. And to get from Vanderbilt they can no longer turn down Pacific St. but must either continue down to Atlantic Ave. and circle around to 6^th Ave. and over to Dean Ave. and then turn on to Carlton Ave. or turn down Bergen St. then over to Carlton Ave.

The site has inconvenienced outgoing traffic more than incoming traffic. The final plans of Atlantic Yards propose to erect a new bridge reconnecting Carlton Ave. to Atlantic Ave.

Bibliography

Sam Schwartz Engineering. Atlantic Yards: arena opening Traffic Mitigation Plan. May 19, 2011. http://www.esd.ny.gov/Subsidiaries_Projects/AYP/AtlanticYards/AdditionalResources/052311_ArenaTrafficMitigationPlan.pdf (accessed June 23, 2011).

Times Square a Pedestrian Zone

City officials have minimized traffic from 42nd to 47th Streets at Times Square all the way up Broadway until Columbus Circle in hopes of getting rid of traffic jams, pollution and frequent accidents with pedestrians.  They’ve added outside seating and shops in an attempt to make Times Square more attractive to visitors. The Pedestrian Plazas are now used for block parties and events such as the taste of New York event which was to take place later in the day that I visited.

On days when there are no events the extra space helps to alleviate pedestrian traffic by letting people spread out over a greater area. The pedestrian plaza can be transformed for different uses. As the sidewalks become over-crowed with slower traffic of shoppers and lines for Broadway shows, the plaza begins to be used as a makeshift express lane for resident New Yorkers trying to get by. At the same time the space is used by both tourists and New Yorkers to eat and lounge in the sun. Many tourists use this space to take pictures standing in front of the monuments without getting run over. People walking on the sidewalk could circumnavigate around them.

With the transformation of the two-way vehicular traffic into one way streets, along with the reductions of lanes, the streets are now safe for pedestrians to cross.  This reduction also brings a sense of ease to Times Square and seems less chaotic.  Bike lanes were also added to ensure the safety of the bikers and to help the flow of traffic by separating them from the faster vehicles on the road.

Bibliography

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Times Square. 6 6, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square (accessed 6 6, 2011).

McLachlan, Sean. Times Square becomes a pedestrian zone. 5 27, 2009. http://www.gadling.com/2009/05/27/times-square-becomes-a-pedestrian-zone/ (accessed 6 10, 2011).

Moon, Johnny. Times Square New York City. 2011. 

Times Square The Center of the World

In the northern triangle of Times Square there is another square called Duffy Square which was dedicated in 1937 to Chaplain Francis P. Duffy of the New York City Infantry Regiment.  Today, on this square site, there is a memorial to Duffy along with a statue of George M. Cohan. The statue and square were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. These monuments are overshadowed by the TKTS discount theater ticket booth, with its large red roof and bleachers style seating that are used heavily on nice days.

Times Square is the iconic image of New York, with its soaring LED signs and jumbotron displays encircling the square. Times Square is the only neighborhood with zoning ordinances requiring building owners to display illuminated signs.  Many prominent attractions can be found in Times Square.  These include live television broadcasts, large toy stores and candy stores, famous themed restaurants and bars and the theater district.

Bibliography

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Times Square. 6 6, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square (accessed 6 6, 2011).

Times Square Social Transitions

As New York City grew, Time Square also became a cultural hub with theaters and music halls and became known as the theater district.

In its beginnings Time Square was a place to be seen.  It was a place to see celebrities and the wealthy. During the 1910’s and 20’s Time Square was considered one of the most desirable locations in Manhattan. During this period the area became corrupted and crime ridden due to the gambling and prostitution that was moving into the area.

  

From the Great Depression of the 1930s until the early 1990s the neighborhood surrounding Time Square became exceedingly dangerous. From the 1960s till the 90’s the area became filled with smut and adult entertainment.  Drug addicts lined the street.

In the 1980s Mayor Ed Koch saw the decline of Time Square as a huge problem. If Time Square wasn’t safe, then the entire city was not safe. In order to attract tourists, Times Square needed to be cleaned up.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani continued the cleanup efforts starting in the mid 1990s until the early 2000s creating the Time Square we know today. This was achieved by increasing security, closing adult theaters and forcing drug dealers out of the area. Many of the old theaters have been restored and are used to house Broadway shows today. This transformation was done with the help of Disney which invested heavily to turn Time Square into a family friendly environment.

In 2009 Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Time Square would be turned into a pedestrian plaza to ease traffic around midtown. It started by closing off multiple lanes and turning Broadway and seventh Ave. into one south running street. This was first done on a temporary basis of a year to measure its success.  With the success 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the pedestrian plazas would remain permanent.
In 2011, Times Square became smoke free.

Times Square History

Dating back before the Revolutionary War the land belonged to John Morin Scott, who was a general of the New York State militia. When he owned the land it was considered the countryside and was used for farming and breeding Horses. 

In the first half of the 19^th century a man by the name of John Jacob Astor bought the land. He then started selling off lots as the city rapidly spread uptown.

In 1904 the New York Times moved their newspaper operations to 42^nd street, at the address One Times Square, which until then was called Longacre Square. The square was then renamed after the prominent newspaper, becoming Time Square. On top of the building sits the famous Time Square Ball which drops every New Year’s Eve. Within weeks the first electrified advertisement appeared. In that same year the city started construction on a subway station there. Although the paper sold the building to Allied Chemicals in 1913 the square kept its name Time Square. In this same year the Lincoln Highway Association chose Time Square as its Eastern Terminus – the first road to cross the United States and end in San Francisco, California.

Bibliography

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Times Square. 6 6, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square (accessed 6 6, 2011).

Moon, Johnny. Times Square New York City. 2011. http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/207131/new_york_guide/times_square_new_york_city.html (accessed 6 6, 2011).

N/A. Time Square History. 6 6, 2011. http://www.nyctourist.com/times-square-history.php (accessed 6 6, 2011).