Car Free Visions: Grand Army Plaza

In Autumn 2022, we held a workshop with residents to re-imagine the Grand Army Plaza in a future free from car dependency. We polled New Yorkers and found overwhelming support for our visions!

On 25th October 2022, a group of about a dozen people representing various communities and local stakeholders met for a visioning session to reimagine one of the most iconic locations in Brooklyn: Grand Army Plaza.

Originally designed in 1867 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a gateway to Prospect Park, today it is home to the historic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, which celebrates the Union victory in the Civil War. 

Unfortunately, with the rise of automobiles in the early 20th century, Grand Army Plaza’s connection to the park was severed by a confusing and chaotic network of traffic lanes, leaving the arch at its center almost like an island surrounded by a sea of asphalt. Despite these changes, Grand Army Plaza remains an important crossroads for various Brooklyn communities, a major access point Prospect Park, the host of a weekly greenmarket and an important gathering spot for political protests, holiday celebrations and more. 

During the lively visioning session — which was co-hosted by Transportation Alternatives, SCAPE Landscape Architecture, and Brooklyn Spoke — participants worked from a set of goals, including reconnecting the plaza to the park and its historic roots, meeting the 21st century challenges of climate change and pedestrian and cyclist safety, and maintaining the area's traditional role as space for public protest and commerce. Various ideas were shared, some fanciful, others practical, but all imaginative and forward looking. Some suggested turning Plaza Street, which rings Grand Army Plaza, into a shared street, allowing for local deliveries and other vehicular access, but creating better access to the wooded berms and the large fountain – features that are currently less accessible than they could be due to their proximity to heavy traffic. Others suggested adding space for picnics, sports, and other activities that take some of the pressure off of Prospect Park and provide more people access to greenspace.

The vision depicted in the image that grew out of the session is not meant to be prescriptive but is instead designed to provoke a conversation about who this important space is for and how to balance its many uses. In this vision, a beautiful car-free open space is preserved for public gatherings. Paving stones harken back to Grand Army Plaza's 1800s roots, but are meant to represent a permeable surface to help the area better absorb rainwater from increasingly intense and climate-change-induced storms. Cyclists and pedestrians share space without having to navigate complicated crossings. Permanent stalls are maintained for local vendors and the greenmarket. Benches and shade trees frame the edges of the plaza. A bus and light rail can be seen in the far background to suggest that the area's importance as a crossroads of public transportation should also be considered. 

The hope that grew out of the visioning session is that this image will inspire all New Yorkers to reimagine their public spaces in ways that promote safety, sustainability and equity for generations to come.

In November 2022, we polled 1085 adults living in New York City on whether they would support the pedestrianisation of the Grand Army Plaza to connect it to the park, library and other destinations - 60% of respondents supported the idea, 19% opposed the idea, and 21% did not know.

But support shot up to 74% when people saw our vision and were then asked for their views again - this shows the importance of visuals to help raise support for a car free future. 

Want to see our visions for London and Paris?

In Autumn 2022, we held workshops in our megacities to re-imagine iconic places - the Place de la Concorde in Paris, the Grand Army Plaza in New York, and Hyde Park Corner in London - in a future free from car dependency.

What you can do to support a car free future

For those in New York City:


For those in the UK:

For those anywhere in the world:

  • Turning our visions into reality means having tough conversations about taking cars out of cities. Download our guide on "How to talk about car free cities" so you can help people get past their concerns and respond to common criticisms.

  • Explore our stories of change map showcasing traffic reduction measures from all around the world and share your own story with us by filling out this form. 

getting-around, car free megacitiesHannah Bland