6. Hunters Point South Park

The second phase of Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City has a special architectural feature: all paths lead to an elevated promenade and lookout point that rises 22 feet into the air and is cantilevered 50 feet over the land it’s built. A wooden boardwalk opens up to a wide, panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline and East River. Lee Lim of the architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi tells us that the structure was intended as a “big gesture,” describing it as an “urban building plus ship-like land form.” It’s intended, he says, to give you the “illusion of floating over the water.” According to the park’s fact sheet, it aims to “brings the city to a precipice suspended over the new wetland water’s edge.”

This second phase of the park, which opened earlier this year, is much more contemplative in nature and reflects an increased awareness of resilience and sustainability that has come to the forefront of waterfront design since Hurricane Sandy. The 5.5 acre addition flows seamlessly from the first phase, beginning at 54th Avenue and wrapping around the opening of Newtown Creek, creating a total of 11 acres of waterfront park surrounded by water on three sides.