Red Hook Is for Bicycle Lovers
The winner and finalists of the Red Hook Bicycle Master Plan Competition—the Forum for Urban Design's competition to re-imagine Red Hook, Brooklyn, as "the most bicycle friendly neighborhood in all of New York"—have been announced.
The winning design was submitted by Jonathan Rule, a recent graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, who works with the office of Morcillo + Pallares Arquitectos in Murcia, Spain.
All of the finalists added more mileage to Red Hook's current paltry 2 miles of bike lanes (out of 15 miles of paved road). But what sets Rule's winning entry apart (in addition to the better-than-average renderings) is his inclusion of a "bike loft" inside the local elevated subway station. This dedicated area for bikers recognizes that bike commuters, unlike park-and-riders, have unique needs: included are showers and lockers, a bike-repair shop, and indoor areas to lock up their bikes, away from rain, snow, and potential thieves. But more importantly, Rule's design acknowledges that bicyclists have a unique culture, too. Ideally, the bike loft would become a place where bicyclists can see and feel their critical mass, and encurage others to see them as something more than an afterthought to urban planning.
Here's a peek at some of the other finalists' submissions:
The rest of the finalists and honorable mentions can be found here.
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