BROOKLYN GREENWAY INITIATIVE

THE ORGANIZATION'S LARGEST PROGRAM BY EXPENSE IS RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT, ESTABLISHMENT, AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE BROOKLYN WATERFRONT GREENWAY AS VITAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SERVES RESIDENTS, EMPLOYEES, AND VISITORS ACROSS BROOKLYN AS A TRANSPORTATION AND RECREATION CORRIDOR. THE 26-MILE PLANNED GREENWAY FROM GREENPOINT TO EAST NEW YORK IS MORE THAN 75% COMPLETE WITH GAPS REMAINING ONLY IN VINEGAR HILL, RED HOOK, SUNSET PARK, AND SOUTH BROOKLYN. GREENWAY PLANNING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY IN 2021 INCLUDED SEGMENTS IN WALLABOUT, RED HOOK, GOWANUS, SUNSET PARK, AND BAY RIDGE.IN 2021, BROOKLYN GREENWAY INITIATIVE (BGI) MEASURED MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION GREENWAY USERS IN ONE LOCATION, HIGHLIGHTING ITS IMPORTANCE AS SAFE ACCESSIBLE OPEN SPACE AND MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ADDING PHYSICAL AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO NEW YORK CITY'S OVERALL SYSTEM OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.WORKING WITH MULTIPLE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS AND ADVISORS, BGI IN 2021 ADVANCED THE BROOKLYN WATERFRONT GREENWAY USER STUDY TO DOCUMENT HOW THE GREENWAY SERVES AS A TRANSPORTATION, CLIMATE, AND COMMUNITY SOLUTION THAT SERVES ALL BROOKLYN COMMUNITIES EQUITABLY. YEAR TWO OF THIS PROJECT ENTAILED SITE SELECTION FOR A SERIES OF DATA COLLECTION SENSORS IN THE RESEARCH AREA WHILE LAUNCHING FIELD AND DIGITAL RESEARCH PROTOCOLS. DATA COLLECTION IS ONGOING THROUGH 2023. AT THE END OF THE PROJECT BGI WILL PUBLISH FINDINGS IN A PUBLIC REPORT.PUBLIC EVENTS ARE AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF RAISING AWARENESS AND ACTIVATING USE OF THE GREENWAY AS WELL AS ENSURING ITS CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND LONG-TERM STEWARDSHIP. IN 2021 BGI PRODUCED "GREENWAY ADVENTURES NYC" TO ENCOURAGE AND ENABLE SELF-GUIDED EXPLORATION OF GREENWAY ROUTES ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND THE NEW MOBILITY OPPORTUNITIES THIS DISCOVERY AFFORDS. MORE THAN 7,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN THIS SUMMER-LONG EVENT.BGI'S NAVAL CEMETERY LANDSCAPE (NCL) - AN AWARD WINNING 1.7-ACRE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE LIVING MEMORIAL AND NATIVE POLLINATOR HABITAT ALONG THE GREENWAY AT THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD - BEGAN ITS 6TH YEAR OF OPERATION SINCE OPENING TO THE PUBLIC IN 2016. IN 2021, BGI ENGAGED MORE THAN 13,000 LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH NCL OPEN HOURS AND BY PROVIDING FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IN ALL, BGI'S EFFORTS IN 2021 SERVED MILLIONS OF GREENWAY USERS, MORE THAN 13,000 NAVAL CEMETERY LANDSCAPE VISITORS, AND APPROXIMATELY 10,000 PEOPLE THROUGH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT EVENTS AND PROGRAMS.