Gowanus Lowlands Visionary Plan Released to Transform Neighborhood into Thriving Ecosystem and Community Space

Gowanus Lowlands Vision. Rendering via Gowanus Canal Conservancy and SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC

Last night at the Bell House, the Gowanus Canal Conservancy unveiled its visionary plan for Gowanus, titled Gowanus Lowlands: A Blueprint for NYC’s Next Great Park. Two years in the making, the Gowanus Lowlands plan is by the landscape architecture firm SCAPE, who took on one of the Conservancy’s main objectives: to ensure community participation in shaping the watershed, bringing the neighborhood back to the waterway in a safe and healthy way, while highlighting the canal’s rich history that dates back to the founding of the United States. As the Conservancy highlights in a press release, “Residents, workers and visitors will be able to fully engage with all Gowanus has to offer, from its native plants and wildlife, to its thriving industry, to its hidden creeks and hypnotic waterway.”

Gowanus Lowlands Vision. Rendering via Gowanus Canal Conservancy and SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC

The Gowanus Lowlands will include an waterfront esplanade from which will rise “sloping grassy knolls, bridges, high lookout points and maritime meadows.” From a programming perspective, the Lowlands will include new playgrounds, picnic areas, boathouses, cafes,  and performance spaces. The streets will be redesigned with trees and plantings, and critically, the creation of an ecosystem that will better manage stormwater with “sponge parks,” bioswales, mitigation basins, and new parks. The Conservancy also recognizes those in the community who asked to elevate “the neighborhood’s standing as an employment hub.”

SCAPE and the Conservancy also recognize the many elements at play in the effort to bring Gowanus Lowlands to reality. There’s a federally-mandated cleanup of the Gowanus Canal as a result of its Superfund status, along with cleanups connected to the state and city,  and a forthcoming city rezoning that will formalize the speculative development already in place and on its way along the canal. As the Canal states, “Gowanus Lowlands seeks to ensure the community has a key role in shaping a watershed that is accessible, active, and clean for all. ”

Gowanus Lowlands Vision. Rendering via Gowanus Canal Conservancy and SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC

The next steps for the Conservancy and SCAPE is to work with the community over the next 6 to 9 months to transform this initial blueprint into the Gowanus Lowlands Master Plan. As the Conservancy states, “This Master Plan will identify actionable interventions and advocacy that answer to the priorities put forth. Implementation — through collaborations with the various stakeholders involved in policy, planning and building — will bring to life the Gowanus Lowlands vision.

Next, check out the Top 12 Secrets of the Gowanus Canal.