SEE: New Downtown BK Plan Would Pedestrianize Entire Neighborhood

DOWNTOWN, BROOKLYN — A new plan inspired by Manhattan's 14th Street busway would turn 240 acres in Downtown Brooklyn into a pedestrianized oasis, complete with new bike lanes, car restrictions and revamped public parks.

The dramatic proposal, called the Public Realm Action Plan, was developed by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and architects at Bjarke Ingels Group and WXY and was unveiled along with renderings of the vision for the first time Thursday.

Should it become reality, it would be the most ambitious transformation taken on by a business district in New York City, the organization said.

“Downtown Brooklyn has transformed into a true mixed-use community over the last 15 years, and with its population set to double in the next decade, now is the moment for a bold public realm vision that's far more welcoming to pedestrians – from its streets to its plazas and parks," DBP President Regina Myer said. "...We want to create an identity worthy of Brooklyn's Downtown."

The plan proposes prioritizing foot traffic by both reducing car access and reorienting streets.

Part of that would mean expanding a Department of Transportation "Shared Streets" program, which currently only takes up a few blocks, to all of the neighborhood's shopping district, according to the proposal. Shared Streets redesign roads to give equal access to cars, pedestrians and cyclists by having cars only go 5 mph and adding pedestrian-friendly upgrades to the road.

Other recommendations include adding bike lanes on Fulton Street, Flatbush Avenue, Adams Street and parts of Schermerhorn Street and making pedestrian crossings safer in high-traffic intersections, such as near the MetroTech campus.

The plan would also turn Fulton Street into a one-way road, add parks and plazas "as opportunities arise" and redesign existing spaces like Columbus Park, University Place and Long Island University Brooklyn to be more well utilized.

The organization also said that the transformation would make the neighborhood more sustainable by adding about four miles of new "green infrastructure" and adding more than 900 new trees.

Myer said Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the architects will continue to refine the designs into next year. The organization will need to work with city and state agencies to make the vision a reality.

Here's a look at how it will transform the neighborhood:

All renderings provided by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.