This session will serve to educate a wider audience about the 1.5-mile Triple Cantilever section of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE), built in the 1940s by Robert Moses, which is at the end of its useful life and currently requires replacement or extensive rehabilitation. The AIANY Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee formed a joint BQE Task Force to respond to the BQE proposals by NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and other constituencies. After multiple workshops with interested AIA members, the Task Force authored a report of its findings, BQE In Context, with an agenda of advocating for synergies. The report was subsequently shared with the Mayor’s Expert Panel, formed in response to the public outcry following the NYC DOT Proposal.

This program will provide a spirited forum for leaders in planning, urban design, and transportation infrastructure to provide commentary on the report developed by the Task Force and the future of the BQE.

Intro and Historic Background:
Allen Swerdlowe, FAIA, Founder, d7architects

Panelists:
Alexandros Washburn, AIA, Founder, DRAW Brooklyn, former Chief Urban Designer for New York City at the Department of City Planning
Susan Chin, FAIA, Executive Director, Design Trust for Public Space
Thomas Balsley, FASLA, Principal and Lead Designer, NYC SWA/Balsley studio

Moderator:
Ernest Hutton, FAICP, Assoc. AIA, Principal, Hutton Associates/ Planning Interaction