Group Imagines Gowanus Canal Surrounded By Parks

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — A Gowanus Canal environmental group is imagining a life where the toxic waterway and the area surrounding it is a giant network of parks and green space.

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy earlier this week unveiled renderings for their big vision at a ceremony at the Bell House on Monday, celebrating 10 years of the group's existence.

The conservancy is calling its plan "Gowanus Lowlands: A Blueprint for NYC’s Next Great Park," describing it as "a network of parks and public spaces centered on the Gowanus Canal and connected to its surrounding watershed."

The group partnered with SCAPE Landscape Architecture to reveal some gorgeous renderings of what a Gowanus Canal park could look like.

"A vibrant system that prioritizes access for everyone, the Lowlands will shine a light on the canal’s history and singular beauty against a backdrop of a healthy environment and safe, connected streets," an announcement from the group reads. "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."

Of course these plans are just that and likely stand little chance at becoming a reality in the neighborhood that is becoming a focal point for developers looking to snatch up land on which to build large apartment structures.

That real estate will only get more attractive as the Environmental Protection Agency continues its cleanup of the canal, one of the most polluted waterways in the country.

The city is also expected to undertake a massive rezoning effort in the area that could further spur a construction boom in the area.

Until then, the conservancy imagines a green Gowanus with plenty of public access:

At the heart of the Lowlands vision is a clean and thriving waterway of aquatic life, boaters, educational facilities, and active industry. An accessible waterfront esplanade surrounds it. The canal edge will rise and fall with sloping grassy knolls, bridges, high lookout points and maritime meadows. Woven through the undulating landscape will be hives of activity -- performance spaces, cafes, picnic areas, boathouses, playgrounds. A system of streets, paths and bridges unified by a natural palette of trees and plantings will invite people to move between the waterfront and the surrounding neighborhood. And a strong, resilient local ecosystem will take shape throughout the watershed’s network of parks and natural corridors emerging from the city’s investment in green infrastructure -- mitigation basins, sponge parks, bioswales, gardens.

Click here to read more about the Gowanus Canal Conservancy

All images courtesy GCC