Background
In 2013, Susannah Drake was selected as the Under the
Elevated (UTE) Urban Design Fellow by The Design Trust for Public Space and the
NYC Department of Transportation. She joined a team of four other Fellows
(Graphic Design, Policy, Participatory Design, and Photo Urbanism) to reimagine
and transform underutilized space below New York City’s elevated transit
infrastructure. 
Under the Elevated engages numerous stakeholders, including community leaders, planners, architects, artists, city agencies, civic leaders, and cultural organizations. The project developed strategies to improve the function, use, and experience of millions of square feet underneath New York’s bridges, elevated highways, subways, and rail lines.
DLANDstudio looked extensively at elevated typologies, possible programmatic solutions, and potential green infrastructure opportunities. Seven sites in the five New York City boroughs were analyzed for their spatial, cultural, and jurisdictional opportunities and constraints. The team then developed short-term and long-term design strategies for each site.
The results and recommendations from the two-year study are published in: Under the Elevated: Reclaiming Space, Connecting Communities, which is available from The Design Trust for Public Space.