THE 21st CENTURY RIGHT-OF-WAY
Juror summary: convincingly argues for simple zoning modifications to provide easements when subdividing large parcels of property, supporting walkable infill development along commercial strip corridors.
21c R.O.W. is radical but real. It is a new suburban concept that will fundamentally alter the physical and legal structure of the strip. 21c R.O.W. is also cost effective and ready for immediate implementation on Long Island.
21c R.O.W. does not require any new technology. It begins with the assumption that we cannot “invent” a solution for our suburban predicament. 21c R.O.W. accepts the prevalence of the automobile for the next 25 years while critiquing our reliance on uncoordinated, redundant parking infrastructure.
21c R.O.W. requires collective thought and action. It is implemented locally through the introduction of a new, coordinated municipal zoning structure.
21c R.O.W. balances public and private interests. It repositions the public sector as the long term guardian of infrastructure and public space, while freeing up the private sector to do what it does best: innovate and money-make.
21c R.O.W. expands existing singular public right-of-ways through private lots to create efficient parking, multiple access and comprehensive water management. In order to minimize the impact on developers, this right-of-way will track along existing demising lot lines--essentially acting as a thickened easement. Developers, in return for giving up this underutilized land, will receive full access to this new public infrastructure.
Key themes: transforming zoning, retrofitting auto infrastructure and shopping centers, infill development, walkability
Collaborators: Ian Caine, Derek Hoeferlin, Jing Chen, Xi Chen, Akshita Sivakumar, Jonathan Stitelman