The current intersection of 9th Street and 4th Avenue in Brooklyn is typical of 20th century urban planning, whereby the street is designed to maximize vehicular speeds and parking to the disservice of the safety and comfort of pedestrians and cyclists.
Our proposal identifies the inherent quandary of the intersection: the convergence of all modes of transport (cars, trucks, bikes and pedestrians) in a single two-dimensional plane. To counter this problem, the intersection is expanded in the Z-direction, thickening the previous flat plane and weaving its dedicated lanes into a 3-dimensional assemblage. Pedestrians and cyclists are given priority: they are brought safely into the center of the intersection, the pedestrian walkways converging at a public green and the bike lanes forming an oval-shaped cycling track. Natural light and fresh air permeate the mix, allowing the intersection to become a destination rather than merely a crossing. A dedicated N-S truck route along 4th Avenue allows for the obtrusive thru-traffic of trucks to bypass the site below, keeping this element visibly and audibly distant. To re-think the intersection as a three-dimensional infrastructure, which operates as a woven, sectional condition, allows for the integration of all users simultaneously. This hyper-juxtaposition provides greater sociability, safety and ease for pedestrians, uninterrupted loops for cyclists and capacity and mobility for motorists,
The overriding ambition of the scheme is to promote a sustainable and healthy approach in response to the aforementioned issues. Uninterrupted traffic flow eases congestion thereby reducing pollution. Further more, the street incorporates Electro-Kinetic technology, whereby the kinetic energy of the car is dissipated into heat as the car passes over a metal plate surface-mounted to the road bed.. The Electro-Kinetic system generates around 10kW of power each time a car drives over its metal plates, which in turn can be used to power the traffic lights and street lamps. The planting of trees, grass and other natural vegetation over the intersection absorbs CO2 and removes gaseous pollutants from the traffic below while replenishing the atmosphere with oxygen.
The street infrastructure is no longer simply a necessary means to transport goods and people as efficiently as possible. It becomes a vital organism for healthy living.