Discussion: How can the "Main Street of Brooklyn" better connect brownstone neighborhoods to the Brooklyn Waterfront?

Even though Atlantic Avenue is the "Main Street of Brooklyn," it is one of the most pedestrian-hostile avenues in New York City. The section from Smith Street to Brooklyn Bridge Park is dangerous and acts as a kind of subtle wall, dividing rather than linking historic neighborhoods. With the city's emphasis on moving through traffic on Atlantic Avenue, much of which is just avoiding the BQE, Atlantic Avenue has become even more traffic-infested and dangerous foin recent years.

While the recent installation of mid-block crosswalks has helped, more is needed to create intersections that are gateways to the neighborhood, with narrowed roadways, safe crossings, and lively corners. Some are already better than others, but all can be improved.

Sidewalks also have huge untapped potential to become lively routes to the waterfront. Here's how.

Proposal to Transform Atlantic Avenue

Building on the sidewalk cafes constructed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we propose permanently making "double-loaded" sidewalks on the north side of Atlantic Avenue (and some South sections), supporting an emerging Restaurant Row. Sidewalks should be widened, eliminating most parking and slightly narrowing vehicle travel lanes.

These changes would create a natural "boulevard" and a new entrance at the gateway to Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Maritime District waterfront.

Atlantic Avenue before Covid-19 (January 2020)

COVID-19 Outdoor Cafes

Starting in the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a watershed moment. We quickly learned that there was an alternative vision for all the streets within each neighborhood. Atlantic Avenue quickly transformed into a pedestrian-friendly street.

With the cafes, the sidewalk became a kind of pedestrian-friendly "tunnel" where people walked between storefronts and lively outdoor cafes, protected from busy traffic. This change transformed the area into a safe and lively streetscape from Court Street to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

How Double-Loaded Sidewalks Bring Safety, Comfort, and Joy to Our Streets
Double-loading is the way to revitalize sidewalks so they can become safe, comfortable, and pleasant places where people love to spend time.

In November 2024, we are back to what we had before. (Shame!)

New city regulations allow only seasonal cafes in the parking lane and prohibit all roof covers, although umbrellas are allowed. It is unclear how many cafes will be brought back to Atlantic Avenue next year.

Sadly, this is a New York City-wide issue that we have written about here:

14 Reasons Why NYC and Cities Everywhere Need Dining Sheds
Dining sheds are an important component of vibrant public life and NYC, as well as cities all around the world, would greatly benefit from having them.

Atlantic Avenue "Gateway" to Brooklyn Bridge Park & the Brooklyn Waterfront

This intersection is one of two main gateways into Brooklyn's beautiful waterfront and Brooklyn Bridge Park and a future gateway into the Brooklyn Maritime District. Despite this, nothing about its design communicates its importance. Using this street to enter the park feels like using the back door. It is hostile, oversized, dominated by cars and traffic, and gives no indication (or much space) that it is meant to be used by pedestrians. It is just another zone of dysfunctional public space designed to support the car culture that has permeated this historic part of Brooklyn.

What's more, the entranceway at this intersection leads to one of the most puzzling parts of Brooklyn Bridge Park, where there is a notable lack of enjoyable amenities and visitor-friendly uses at its main entrance.

Stavanger, Norway

Norway's waterfronts shine because they are well-connected to surrounding neighborhoods and full of enjoyable amenities that draw people in. Imagine if Atlantic Avenue were terminated in this kind of space, which would connect to both Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Maritime District!

Bergen, Norway

More Resources on Sidewalks

  • Amenities - for sidewalks to be attractive places, they need amenities that make them comfortable and pleasant. Amenities include seating, shade, kiosks, bollards, etc.
  • Assets - to make sidewalks interesting and appealing, assets can be added for beauty, visual interest, or to communicate something about the community's values– such as fountains, murals, and sculptures.
  • Bollards - while bollard help create safer streets by separating car areas from pedestrian areas, they are also serve as triggers for social interaction as people love to sit and chat on and around them.
  • Community social hubs - places encouraging neighbors to gather and connect are great for strengthening the community. These places are often on sidewalks, such as benches and outdoor seating for cafés.
  • Corners - people's paths cross at the corners. Because they are the places where we stop to cross the street, they are perfect places to add amenities and social infrastructure.
  • "Double-Loading" - When both sides of the pedestrian walkway are activated, we call it double-loading. This creates a kind of pedestrian "tunnel" with things to do and see on both sides and a barrier between people and traffic.
  • Focal points - Focal points create a sense of visual culmination in a space and attract our attention. They are a great way to communicate a society's values or history, and their presence elevates the experience of being in a public space.
  • Food - people love to go and spend time wherever refreshments can be found. If we want people to be drawn to sidewalks, there must be sufficient food and drink options there.
  • Intersections - intersections that are overly wide and full of traffic are hostile to pedestrians. They kill social and commercial life in their vicinity and must be avoided, especially in busy pedestrian areas.
  • Inside-Out Design (Architecture of Place) - when things normally inside buildings get pulled into the public realm, we call that "inside-out" design.
  • Multi-layered destinations - a public place should be designed to be attractive to people of different ages, backgrounds, and interests. This can be done by providing a variety of things to do there so everyone can enjoy themselves.
  • Porches/stoops/terraces - In the "inside out" design, the area between the private and public realms is a porch. It is the outdoor area of a business or home where people engage both with the building and the public.
  • Promenade/Passeggiata - a sidewalk designed to be comfortable for strolling is similar to a promenade or passeggiata - a street meant for pedestrians.
  • Seating - any place where people are expected to spend time needs seating because everyone needs or wants to sit occasionally. Seating is an essential feature of any well-designed public place.
  • Shade - nobody enjoys standing in the hot sun. It is both uncomfortable and dangerous. Shade is an essential amenity for places where the sun shines bright. Trees, umbrellas, and awnings can provide it.

Who we are

The mission of the Social Life Project is to incite a renaissance of community connection in public spaces around the globe. It is based in Cobble Hil, Brooklyn. Through our online publications, presentations, campaigns, and catalytic projects, we can create transformative impacts on communities everywhere. Our work grows out of more than 50 years devoted to building the global placemaking movement. It is an initiative of the Placemaking Fund, along with PlacemakingX — a global network of leaders who together accelerate placemaking as a way to create healthy, inclusive, and beloved communities.

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