Thesis
Gowanus Canal Revitalization Project
The Gowanus community open space
When dealing with contaminated areas, there are two famous sites that come to mind. Love Canal in NY and Times Beach, Missouri. In both of these cases the solutions to the problems turned out to be disasters. In Love Canal, the solution involved covering the contaminated area with clay and concrete which was then topped off with soil and grass. This simply masked the problem and to this day the toxins are still sweeping the ground water. In Missouri, the solution was to remove all of the contaminated soil from the area and truck in new soil. This extensive excavation ended up costing over 110 million dollars. Imagine what that would cost today.
When presented with the problem of the contamination of industrial waste in the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY. I quickly realized a more innovative and radical procedure is necessary for the clean up to be a success. Therefore I am presenting an idea that would help to eliminate the problem of toxicity in the water and ground. This is achieved by creating wetlands filled with plants that help reduce the toxins found in soil. To clean the canal waterway, I propose the using of floating planters that filter the toxins in the water and generate more oxygen in water. More oxygen in the water will lead to more fish and plant life in the water which in turn will also help with the cleanup.
Not just focusing on the cleanup of the site, I wanted to create a project that would enable the area residents to utilize the site for recreational and education purposes. I created space for the local canoe club to have a headquarters for their daily activities. This would be located on the west side of the canal. I also designed an open viewing tower on the east side of the canal to allow residents to see the Gowanus area’s rich diversity of historical artifacts such as the Carroll Street Bridge and Monte Italian Restaurant. This tower is also providing the electricity for the site by using solar panels on one side of the façade and wind turbines on the roof of the tower.
The two sides of the site are connected by a pedestrian bridge that connects the neighbors on either side of the canal. I believe a revitalization project such as the one I am proposing will help to renew the community and create an area that local residents will be proud of.
