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Streetfilms: The Transformation of Grand Army Plaza

4:29 PM EDT on June 4, 2008

In the second installment of his "Street Transformations" series (here's the first), Clarence Eckerson shows the progress underway at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza. The package of pedestrian and bicycle improvements you see in the video was first unveiled by DOT last spring. Says Clarence:

As one gentleman said to me whileadmiring the new greenery and traffic islands in Grand Army Plaza,“Wow, sometimes government does work!” It’s easy to quickly forget howthings were, but we here at Streetfilms aim to not let thathappen. Check out these extraordinary before/afters; especially the newseparated bike lane which safely transports riders from Prospect Park.

How'd we get here? Check out: Grand Army Traffic Survey, Reclaiming Grand Army, Minding the GAP.

What's next for this iconic public space? Some ideas are sure to surface from the Re-inventing Grand Army Plaza competition, which is set to review proposals this month.

Ben Fried
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

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