Brooklyn, New York, USA
Dattner Architects and Scape, together with developer L+M Development Partners have showcased their ambitious master plan for the new BDC Redevelopment that transforms a decommissioned state psychiatric hospital into a wellness-oriented resilient urban development designed to address the chronic social, economic, and health disparities in a historically underserved area.
Situated on a 28-acre site at the edge of New York City, the design emphasizes multiple scales, to foster a sense of ownership and belonging and encourage healthy activities and neighborly interaction.
The master plan is part of Empire State Development’s Vital Brooklyn initiative and in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, the architects have designed over six acres of open space for the BDC Redevelopment—a planned mixed-used development on the site of the former Brooklyn Developmental Center across from the Shirley Chisholm State Park in East New York, Brooklyn.
Adjacent to Betts Creek and Jamaica Bay, the site abuts a coastal ecosystem of marshlands and maritime groves.
Reflecting vital Brooklyn’s mission to create spaces for holistic wellness in underserved Central Brooklyn neighborhoods, the architects have designed spaces for active and passive recreation—including a playground, sports court, and dog park—as well as a community farm, drawing on the agricultural history of Kings County.
The new 2400-unit community is based on a “15-minute neighborhood” model which includes the lively Gateway Mall, a supermarket, neighborhood retail, a future public school, and a major health clinic.
BDC Redevelopment emphasizes the connections between economic and physical health through an ambitious urban farm program that will employ local residents.
That business will extend to a “Meals on Wheels” food prep and distribution center, and open-air markets. Adjacent to Betts Creek and Jamaica Bay, the site abuts a coastal ecosystem of marshlands and maritime groves.
The planning fully integrates long-term environmental resiliency.
The campus will include over 6 acres of open space, including bioswales, farmland, and other measures to absorb water and control erosion.
The project is expected to resist rising sea levels, 500-year storm events through the end of the century.
Based on all electric-powered designs and built to Passive House standards, the residential buildings will generate minimal operational carbon and take advantage of on-site renewable energy through photovoltaics and geothermal wells buried under the central park space.
Once completed, the BDC Redevelopment will bring over 2,400 affordable apartments to the neighborhood, including units for the formerly homeless, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and seniors.
Project: BDC Redevelopment
Architects: Dattner Architects
Landscape Architects: Scape Landscape Architecture
Engineers: Langan Engineering & Environmental Services
Clients: L+M Development Partners Inc., Apex Building Group, RiseBoro Community Partnership, and Services for the Underserved (S:US)
