Community Education Initiative
What is community planning?
Who gets to participate? How does history impact the
future of urban neighborhoods?
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Click on the pic to take a tour of
Gowanus future
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These questions were at the heart of
Place in History's three day program at the Cobble Hill School
of American Studies in April 2000.
Led by instructors Abu Bakr Moulta Ali
and Paul Parkhill, 120 students learned about the history
of the Gowanus, debated a hypothetical mall development on
the eastern bank of the canal, and came up with ideas for
the Gowanus area, circa 2025.
The maps featured in the viewing boxes
represent a small sample of this work. We encouraged
students to take into account the canal's history and current
condition when drawing their maps, but we also asked them
to think big. Responses ranged from the playful (paint
the streets orange) to the apocalyptic (post-nuclear war Brooklyn).
Other ideas included a large airport, an aquarium, massive
police stations and detention centers in Red Hook, public
parks, malls and entertainment complexes. Although many
wanted to see a cleaner canal, many others preferred to leave
the area industrial.
Sponsors
The Independence Community Foundation
The New York Community Trust
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