Background
The QueensWay transforms an extant track of the Long Island Rail Road into a new linear public park for Queens. A quiet presence in the city, the former right-of-way is currently camouflaged by school-bus parking, overgrown vines, industrial activity, and limited access. The Metropolitan Hub is the first phase of the QueensWay. Designed to address key themes of the masterplan, it sets programmatic and design precedents for the rest of the park.
Phase 1 Existing Conditions
Phase 1 Scope
As a whole, the QueensWay is designed to connect
communities and provide important recreation space for local schools. It is a
conduit for alternative transportation, shortening commute times and improving
pedestrian access to Forest Park. The plan adds 47 acres of new public open
space and improves access to existing parks and ballfields.
The Met Hub sits north of Forest Park and adjacent to the Metropolitan High School complex. Integrated outdoor classrooms are designed specifically to serve these schools, while seasonally evolving native planting provides a rich learning environment. The passage includes a pedestrian path and bikeway with improved understory planting to manage erosion and increase privacy in deference to neighboring homeowners.
