In this exclusive Streetfilms interview, The Open Planning Project's Executive Director Mark Gorton talks with Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan about how her agency is redefining public space in New York City.
As the two take a walking tour of recently revamped streetscapes designed to encourage car-free movement and foster social activity -- including Broadway Boulevard, Gansevoort Plaza, Meat Market Plaza and the Ninth Avenue cycle track -- Sadik-Khan explains how she sees the city grid evolving from "utilitarian corridors" into civic amenities.
Too much of the time I think pedestrians have been seen as guests in this space. Putting a prime role for designing for people -- designing for pedestrians, designing for cyclists, designing for buses, designing for better mobility, designing for a more sustainable city -- is all part of the package.