ODA PUSHES PUBLIC SPACE PROPOSAL
12 Aug 2021
ODA, a New York-based architecture firm, is pushing for a rezoning scheme that will allow developers to build higher in exchange for courtyards being open for public use.
Despite New York being regarded for its mix-use public spaces allowing the community to join together, ODA has highlighted the loss of this atmosphere due to over-development. As such, the firm is proposing a scheme titled Beyond The Street that will allow for further private development but encourage the joining together of the public by transforming typically private courtyard spaces to multi-use spaces the public can enjoy on the ground level.
ODA expressed that the main objective of the project is to encourage the resurgence of tradition in the area, with spaces that present opportunities for all groups of people to enjoy regardless of socioeconomic status. ODA contended that many groups feel shut off from the ground level spaces that take up much space around the city, which are usually only open to those living in the surrounding highly-priced real estate areas.
Small businesses including coffee shops, florists, restaurants, and underground bars have all faded into the current climate of highly exclusive neighbourhoods, and ODA is pushing for this community culture to return.
"The decline of traditional street-level retail, which typically covers the majority of the ground floor in many of the city's buildings has inspired us to seek more engaging and inclusive programming to replace it," says ODA.
The rezoning model could be used to reinvent many areas of New York, encouraging local tourism and international travellers as yet another tourist attraction to put on the agenda.
"Vibrant pedestrian attractions such as the High Line, Madison Square Park and the new Little Island show that breathing life into often unused spaces are possible with great design and a little bit of landscaping," says ODA.
Beyond the street has also inspired other projects to be put forward that are pushing for rezoning changes within the city. New York's Metro Transport Authority (NYMTA) is working with the city's planning department to update the current zoning regulations to exchange developer planning approvals in return for improving subway station use with extra accessibility measures including elevators.