The Ideal City Credit: Farib Khan
New York City serves as a home to people of all genders, races, and creeds. However, many are unaware of just how expensive it is to live in the city and how difficult it is to establish a small business. The Cooper Hewitt Museum’s “By the People: Designing a Better America” presents innovative projects which showcase what living in a Metropolis islike and how we can further advance to a Better America.
The first project, titled “What is Affordable Housing? Toolkitand Rent Regulation Rights Posters”, was designed by the Center for Urban Pedagogy. Dated 2010 to present, the Affordable Housing project is a visual tool meant to demonstrate “complex urban issues and systems” to everyday people. The project was initially created to explain the rent-stabilization laws implemented in New York City to Chinatown residents in laymen terms. This was so the tenants understood their rights as both pressure from landlords to vacate and property values increased. The project expanded to encapsulate 5 NYC neighborhoods – showcasing what type of housing is available to families with a set income and increasing awareness about the shortage of affordable housing citywide. The installation seems to be doing well, given that designs for Spanish and San Francisco editions are already being drawn up. The project clearly highlights the disparity between what type of housing people can afford in New York City and what type of housing is available to them – an issue which seems to be on the rise today given the number of immigrants entering the city and the number of millennials looking for new homes.
Housing Affordability in Flushing Credit: Farib Khan
“Underpass Park” is a project whose inception spanned from 2007 to 2014. The brainchild of PFS Studio, The Planning Partnership, and Paul Raff Studio, Underpass Park was created for WATERFRONToronto. The project takes place in Toronto, Canada and utilizes leftover, unused space below elevated overpasses to create an “inviting, spirited public commons”. Serving the general populace of Toronto, the park reconnects two neighborhoods and parks. The structure protects year-round activities and provides space for plant growth – by allotting an area in which plants are under direct sunlight, a greenhouse-like environment is fostered. The directors of the project find that by reviving forgotten spaces and building back disconnected neighborhoods has helped improve the overall health of the city.
Underpass Park Credit: Farib Khan
“Underpass Park” is an interesting concept, and certainly one that can be adapted to New York City. Being the metropolis that it is, New York City is always active, and so very few people can simply enjoy their surroundings. By incorporating an idea like Underpass Park, people will be able to reconnect with nature. The New York adaptation could also serve as a haven for the homeless. With poverty and homelessness being the large problem that it is in New York City, Underpass Park could be revolutionary for the dynamic of the city. The various parks could be used as marketplaces or bazaars as well – there are many young entrepreneurs in New York City who do not have the capital to build their own storefronts. This provides them with a place to sell their products and promote their business so that they can relocate permanently. The idea of Underpass Park has great potential, and could even improve the overall health of New York as it has done for Toronto.
“Future Cycles” is a project which began back in 2012, and lives on today. Designed by The Future People, future cycles explore new forms of mobility using scrap metal and other readily available materials. The project is mainly meant to serve Americans – Realizing that cars are liabilities and expensive, the Future People attempt to engage the people in this installation and show them alternative possibilities. Although it does present a unique innovative solution to public transportation, it isn’t a useful one – at least not in New York City. The city provides so many alternate means of transportation; from Citi bikes to the MTA, there are many more cost-effective ways to get around. That doesn’t mean though that Future Cycles is a useless idea; it could be put into effect in underdeveloped countries and rural areas where travel options are limited. The project has a large amount of potential, just not in New York.
Future Cycles — Just not a part of New York’s Future Credit: Farib Khan
