DESIGN INTENT



Our goal for the 21st Century Street Design Competition was to create a safe and legible intersection, focusing primarily on three modes of transportation: Pedestrians, Bikes and Cars. We would provide each group a dedicated path, redefining the rules of the intersection and making it safer than its current state. While part of our design was purely functional – coordinating the use of one space for three groups – we saw the potential for an aesthetic upgrade in the bridge that runs over 4th street. 



DESIGN EXECUTION



Our design concept was derived from the prescribed hierarchy: Pedestrian, Bicycle and Automotive traffic. This concept was developed in a literal sense as well – pedestrians are 3” above bicycles and bicycles are 3” above the street. The existing sidewalk, roughly 6” above the street, provides safe travel for pedestrians and is successful in its current state. In between the sidewalk and the street, we have proposed to create a 42” wide bike lane at 3” above street level. There would be a graded paver in between the levels of the sidewalk, the bike lane and the street, allowing a bike to smoothly transition from the bike lane if needed. The bike lane would make 9th Street narrower and slow down traffic, where there is currently a speeding issue. On 4th Avenue, the bike lane would provide an area for bicycles that would not obstruct on street parking. 

 We would also propose raising the intersection 3” above street level, effectively making the entire intersection a speed bump for automotive traffic. The corners of the sidewalks would be graded down 3” to meet the level of the intersection, allowing pedestrian and bikes to safely cross. The pedestrian crosswalk and the portion of the bike lane running through the intersection would be clearly marked with proper signage and have separate and distinct paving patterns. 



GREEN OPPORTUNITY



As stated on the 21st Century Street website, the intersection at 4th Avenue and 9th Street will hopefully become a model for other intersections in Brooklyn. While our design goal was to create an intersection that could be replicated, there was one element that we could not overlook as a unique opportunity: the bridge over 4th Avenue. For the bridge, we have proposed a wire trellis, wrapped with vines that would grow over the existing wood cladding. There are vines growing on one adjacent building already and we saw this as an opportunity to bring some of that existing greenery onto the street. On the bridge cladding we have proposed four murals, created by local artists that would add a larger sense of community. 




We have been given an opportunity to improve the intersection at 4th Avenue and 9th Street, but we realize that any design implemented without community involvement would not be as successful. We want create a place where people feel safe and a place that they can take pride in, after all, our client is the community.