What was once a busy thoroughfare filled with exhaust fumes and the sounds of honking horns becomes a quiet strip of land, its oil-stained concrete reclaimed by nature and the angry honks of traffic relegated to the past. This reclamation of New York’s streets may seem like a post-apocalyptic vision in a dystopian summer blockbuster, but it’s actually a radical new proposal from New York-based Edg, an architecture, engineering, and consulting firm, that would bring 24 miles of park space to New York City’s street grid.
Loop NYC leans heavily on driverless cars to create a new traffic flow around Manhattan. Existing cross streets and highways are converted into driverless expressways to optimize traffic flow in and out of the city.
The FDR and West Side highways will have one lane of traffic in each direction designated for autonomous vehicles. These highways will connect to major Manhattan streets, which themselves will be transformed into driverless car expressways. Featuring driverless vehicles exclusively would be 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, 57th Street, 86th Street, and 110th Street. Pedestrian overpasses and underpasses will be installed around these streets to physically separate the vehicles and the pedestrians.
Courtesy Edg.
The driverless cars can circulate using any combination of the new expressways and loops to expedite travel. Edg calculated the efficiency of Loop NYC to go from Grand Central Station to Lower Manhattan and back. This route would traditionally take about 40 minutes. With the Loop NYC plan in place it would only take 11 minutes.
The proposal would designate some of New York’s busiest and widest streets to be used exclusively by driverless cars, significantly reducing travel times. Other streets, such as Broadway and Park Avenue, would eliminate cars completely and instead become pedestrian-friendly gardens, parks, and green space. Courtesy Edg.
With the more efficient traffic flow, once congested streets could be reclaimed as park space with walking paths and bike lanes. A 13-mile-long pedestrian park would stretch from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, run through Union Square, and then continue north on Broadway and Park Avenue. Broadway will become its own linear park filled with pathways and pedestrian bridges meant to mimic natural rolling hills.
The proposal builds on a current theme found in cities around the world to become greener, more pedestrian-friendly, and less reliant on cars. However, Loop NYC remains highly speculative for several reasons. Chief among them is the fact that a world of truly autonomous cars is still years away.
Courtesy Edg.
Related Stories
Transportation & Parking Facilities | Mar 23, 2023
Amsterdam debuts underwater bicycle parking facility that can accommodate over 4,000 bikes
In February, Amsterdam saw the opening of a new underwater bicycle parking facility. Located in the heart of the city—next to Amsterdam Central Station and under the river IJ (Amsterdam’s waterfront)—the facility, dubbed IJboulevard, has parking spots for over 4,000 bicycles, freeing up space on the street.
Concrete | Jan 24, 2023
Researchers investigate ancient Roman concrete to make durable, lower carbon mortar
Researchers have turned to an ancient Roman concrete recipe to develop more durable concrete that lasts for centuries and can potentially reduce the carbon impact of the built environment.
Sponsored | Resiliency | Dec 14, 2022
Flood protection: What building owners need to know to protect their properties
This course from Walter P Moore examines numerous flood protection approaches and building owner needs before delving into the flood protection process. Determining the flood resilience of a property can provide a good understanding of risk associated costs.
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2022
4 emerging trends from BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 Report
Regenerative design, cognitive health, and jobsite robotics highlight the top trends from the 519 design and construction firms that participated in BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
AEC Tech | Apr 13, 2022
A robot automates elevator installation
Schindler—which manufactures and installs elevators, escalators, and moving walkways—has created a robot called R.I.S.E. (robotic installation system for elevators) to help install lifts in high-rise buildings.
AEC Tech Innovation | Mar 9, 2022
Meet Emerge: WSP USA's new AEC tech incubator
Pooja Jain, WSP’s VP-Strategic Innovation, discusses the pilot programs her firm’s new incubator, Emerge, has initiated with four tech startup companies. Jain speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about the four AEC tech firms to join Cohort 1 of the firm’s incubator.
Great Solutions | Jan 18, 2022
Researchers develop concept for rechargeable cement-based batteries
Researchers from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, have created a concept for rechargeable batteries made of cement. The concept involves a cement-based mixture with small amounts of short carbon fibers added to increase conductivity and flexural toughness.
Great Solutions | Nov 22, 2021
Drywall robots take the risk out of the finishing process
Canvas is using robots to complement the work already being done by drywall professionals.
Great Solutions | Sep 23, 2021
Seattle looks to become America’s most walkable city with a new citywide wayfinding system
Seamless Seattle will support the Seattle Department of Transportation’s commitment to increase the percentage of trips made by walking to 35% by 2035.
Great Solutions | Jul 9, 2021
MojoDesk creates a new solution for managing open office distractions
The MojoDome allows for a private work space while also maintaining a collaborative environment.