History
The community had supported the creation of a green space for 10-15 years because this area was not conducive to pedestrians at all. They started planning during Sept 2011 and early 2012. It was officially opened in Summer 2012.
Greenstreets is a program under the NYC department of parks, DOT, and DEP that tries to convert unused roadside property to green spaces stakeholders. Greenstreets was instrumental in getting Corona Plaza up and running. Corona plaza used to be a truck loading zone but the road was closed off and tables, chairs and umbrellas were added to allow people to sit and enjoy the space.
Stages of Development
The initial stages of Corona Plaza’s development were done through a partnership between the community and the DOT’s Plaza Program, which was a goal under Bloomberg’s 2007 PlaNYC proposal: “Open Space-Initiative 6: We will create or enhance at least one public plaza in every community.” The Neighborhood Economic Development Division of Queens Economic Development Corporation was also involved in the planning of the plaza. We interviewed Seth Bornstein, executive director of the QEDC, about the development of the plaza. According to the information we gathered from him, the plaza was the fruit of community efforts, as well as policymakers. The community had been advocating for a greenspace for about 10 or 15 years, so when the plaza was proposed, it was welcomed. A few times, the Queens Museum of Art had actually rented out the area that is now Corona Plaza to host events. For these events, the road would be blocked off for a day, which may have been the root of the idea of a permanent car-free zone.
The organization DSGN AGNC (Design Agency) also gathered the community to think about the plaza and its effect on themselves. After the road was blocked off and officially declared a pedestrian plaza in 2012, DSGN AGNC created the “Plaza Diagram and Research Action” plan, under the Queens Museum of Art, that would make the plaza more relevant and integrated in the community it is located in. It involved asking, researching, and answering questions about the demographics of the Corona Plaza community. The six signs were installed in and around the plaza as a part of the plan. All of the signs asked different questions about things such as whom the plaza is for, what services the plaza could offer, or the role of green infrastructure in the plaza. Although the signs are now taken down, it is an ongoing process and the research and data collected from this exercise is now being used to change and improve the plaza.
Funding
The NYC Department of Transportation provided the funding for the initial prototypes. Now the maintenance is done by the company ACE NY, the The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, which is a company that is committed to helping the homeless acquire vocational skills by “providing job training, work experience and a lifetime support network.” The current upkeep and maintenance is funded through 3 grants, specifically provided by “The Kresge Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Institute of Museum and Library Services.”
Before
After
Observations
During our visit there, different community events were going on. There was group of people representing what we assumed was an immigrant advocacy group. There was a clown making animal balloons and passing them out to kids. A church group was handing out medical care packages and books. Many of the businesses were local save for the big Walgreens and the few fast food restaurants. A couple food trucks and ice cream trolleys were parked adjacent to the plaza and they were getting decent business. The Deputy of Spanish Queens was overseeing some of the church organizations activities and we interviewed her about the change in the community following the creation of the plaza. She said she definitely saw a change for the better–the plaza provided a place for people of all kinds to gather and have community events, which brought about a great deal of solidarity.
Below is a time lapse of the development of Corona Plaza.
