Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge Competition – 6 Finalists Revealed, Including BIG’s Proposal

Recommendation: Prioritize resilience and ecological integration by evaluating the six finalists on how their proposals extend beyond a simple bridge upgrade, addressing climate crisis, pollution, and the greater public life of the city. The competition’s centerpiece is BIG’s proposal, which delivered a bold, innovative approach that could secure long-term integrity for the span and its surroundings. Their plans should be measured against practical constraints and community needs to ensure benefits for the planet and city.

Data-driven criteria: Ask for a transparent scoring rubric that captures lifecycle cost, materials provenance, and carbon impact. Approximately the same weight should be given to pedestrian experience and structural resilience; their proposals must demonstrate integrity in procurement, also how maintenance would be funded over time within municipal budgets. For environmental performance, compare how each design protects air and water quality and reduces heat island effects in the surrounding urban fabric, like creating shade and rainwater capture systems that support a rainforest urban microclimate.

Community and accessibility: Within the evaluation, emphasize how proposals connect neighborhoods, schools, and parks–nearly every corner of the borough. Their designs should be accessible to people with disabilities and to the city’s diverse populations, delivering equitable access over time. This is particularly important for their ability to support local businesses and cultural programs, not merely to create iconic form.

Urban resilience and sustainability: Look beyond aesthetics to measures that protect the planet and reduce pollution over a typical 50-year lifecycle. The finalists should articulate how their systems operate within existing transit and utility networks, deliver redundancy, and avoid risking critical services during crises. BIG’s proposal, like the others, contributes to greater resilience, and also demonstrates how technical innovations can be deployed quickly to address risk.

Next steps for stakeholders: Commissioners should secure access to detailed models and performance data from each finalist, then solicit independent reviews to verify claims. The process must be secured by robust governance, with public updates that help the community understand their choices. The winning plan would have delivered on its promises and helped the city strengthen its integrity at the riverfront, while also improving environmental and social outcomes for the greater urban area.

The Cultural Current

Adopt an innovative, participatory design today that aligns Brooklyn Bridge finalists with community needs, maps public programming, safety, and accessible routes while ensuring a structured purchase plan for durable materials.

Architects weave ecological motifs by highlighting river edge habitats, including bird corridors and nearby forests, while protecting populations across all levels of the site. Proposals include specialized lighting that minimizes glare for birds and pedestrians, and a fully accessible promenade that adapts to different events and conditions.

Outreach includes voices from manhattan residents, uticas communities, and ydanis-led committees, ensuring the main program reflects workers, students, and visitors alike without erasing the bridge’s historical character. We connect art and infrastructure through local stories and voices.

During the initial testing phase, teams run rapid prototypes and field trials to validate the main circulation routes and structural compatibility. The specialty teams evaluate compatibility with utilities, and workers receive training for on-site construction in busy urban settings, ensuring safety and quality at every step.

Collect data on visitor flows, daylight levels, and ecological indicators to guide decisions, and specify what is needed to sustain the project over time. The plan includes a clear maintenance schedule and a budget line for future purchase, keeping the effort adaptable to changing conditions today.

Publish design rationales, share performance metrics, and host public demonstrations that illustrate how the final concept integrates art, mobility, and ecology without overshadowing manhattan waterfront identity.

Finalists Breakdown: 6 Teams, Proposed Concepts, and Budget Ranges

Choose Team Ydanis-ScenesLab for a completed concept with clear plans, a safety-first approach, and a rule-driven budgeting path that keeps the project on track. They reclaim riverfront acres and weave a forest-inspired canopy into a 1.2-mile spine, linking the corridor with parks while maintaining room for future growth. Their design accommodates the pandemic era and aligns with council expectations, senator input, and a career-long focus on resilient construction.

Each finalist presents a different approach: they map a line of milestones, remaining tasks, and they explain thats why this option stands out for public safety, accessibility, and long-term stewardship. They outline how acres of new green space fit alongside the existing bridge, detail site-wide safety measures, and plan ramps and corridors that serve pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users alike, while monitoring health considerations such as air quality and cancer risk mitigation.

BIG’s Proposal: Design Language, Structural Strategy, and Materials

This announcement calls for a phased, equity-centered implementation of BIG’s proposal, bringing a clear design language to Brooklyn’s edge while honoring sullivan’s history. The plan ties midtown to the river with a public realm that nourishes life, food stalls, and sitting terraces along roughly four acres of riverfront space, and it sets improvements in motion that local communities can see and feel. Its structure offers enough flexibility to host future projects, while safeguarding the city’s interest and creating opportunity for local labor within the coalition.

Design Language focuses on a human-scale rhythm that aligns with midtown streets while translating Brooklyn Bridge’s history into a contemporary aesthetic. The fascia uses weathering steel, glass, and timber-like panels that age gracefully, and the deck employs a single, durable plank rhythm that creates a continuous surface for pedestrians and cyclists. The design closes gaps between approach plazas and the water, which helps people feel connected to the waterfront after crossing the spans. A vantage point near globalfoundries in midtown anchors the experience, signaling a coalition of institutions behind the project.

The Structural Strategy uses a hybrid frame: steel-tube lattice coupled with a cable-spun spine that carries the main deck. The span arrangement targets close to 60-foot bays, with verticals set every 60 feet for uniform rhythm and to simplify maintenance. Decks attach using pinned connections that permit thermal movement, while a reinforced-concrete substructure provides robust support in areas adjacent to wastewater outfalls and riverine soils. This approach supports weeks of mobilization and can be staged in sitting blocks to minimize disruption. The result is an improved platform that keeps feet comfortable through long walks and reduces dynamic vibrations that would fatigue users over time.

Materials and sustainability emphasize low-carbon choices and maintainability. The primary deck uses recycled timber-look planks and aluminum inserts with a durable, slip-resistant finish. Exterior skin relies on weathering steel paired with low-reflectance glass, reducing coatings and maintenance life-cycle costs. Concrete mixes include recycled aggregate and fly ash, improving durability and reducing heat island effects. On-site wastewater management channels a fraction of stormwater for irrigation and cooling, ensuring that the public realm remains green during dry spells. The commissioner and agency lead a transparent procurement process, inviting a coalition of local trades, environmental groups, and businesses to participate in projects that accelerate improvements and deliver equitable benefits for nearby residents. This approach creates an opportunity to reimagine how waterfront infrastructure serves life, commerce, and culture, turning unused edges into active space rather than waste, thats the core promise.

Public Realm Improvements: Parks, Promenade, and Access Points

Recommendation: Build a direct waterfront spine that links three existing parks, the promenade, and new access points along the Hudson River, with a design that reimagines the public realm and keeps pedestrians moving forward.

The approach acts as an artery for neighborhood life and a part of daily life. Boards and advocacy groups said the plan will bring residents back to the riverfront, and healthcare partners realize benefits to mobility, air quality, and public safety. Community workshops were were held to align with local needs and to translate advocacy into action. A city statement framed this as a direct investment in the riverfront. While the corridor improves connectivity, it also creates space for plants and shade that make the riverside pleasant in every season.

• Park upgrades: create 3 pocket parks totaling about 15,000 square feet along the corridor, with shade-providing canopy, native plantings, and permeable ground cover to reduce stormwater runoff. Plantings include 80 trees, 600 shrubs, and 2,000 perennials, with an irrigation system that adapts to rainfall.
• Promenade design: select permeable pavers, broad pedestrian lanes, clear signage, and seating at close intervals to encourage lingering without crowding; lighting and wayfinding link the riverfront to transit hubs.
• Access points: establish 6 well-marked entry points with ADA ramps, tactile guidance for the visually impaired, and weatherproof bike racks; ensure direct connections to bus and subway nodes and maintain sightlines to the water, reducing fighting for space among pedestrians and cyclists.
• Management and funding: coordinate across city offices, regional boards, and private sector partners; assign a dedicated project manager to track milestones and ensure alignment with urban forestry, drainage, and maintenance standards.
• Advocacy and partnerships: align with Hudson-area healthcare and ecosystem organizations to sponsor planting events, volunteer days, and education programs that increase public involvement and support from nearby companies.
• Phasing and performance: implement in three phases, with design finalization in Q2, construction of the first two access points in year one, and completion of the remaining segments in year two; set KPIs on pedestrian footfall, shade area, and maintenance cost per linear foot.

Regional coordination will help regions north and south share lessons from waterfront management and adapt quickly to seasonal weather and storm resilience needs.

1. Phase 1: finalize design, secure permits, and install 2 access points; establish monitoring and maintenance protocols;
2. Phase 2: complete remaining promenade segments, plant trees, and set up irrigation and lighting systems;
3. Phase 3: comprehensive performance review, community feedback, and plan adjustments for long-term upkeep.

Connectivity Strategy: Transit Links, Bike Lanes, and Pedestrian Flows on the Bridge

Adopt a dual-path, protected-right-of-way layout: allocate 9 feet for pedestrians and 6 feet for bikes on the outer edge, with a 2-foot buffer to separate from walkers. Install crash-tested barriers, tactile signals, and clear wayfinding. This setup preserves generous space above the roadway and could handle peak flows on the bridges while keeping maintenance and emergency access intact, like a well-coordinated system for millions of daily users.

Transit links: Create a Transit Access Corridor at both ends with dedicated bus bays, signal priority for approaching crosswalks, and upgrades to nearby subway and ferry connections. Align the bridge’s approach upgrades with boroughs’ transit plans to ensure that riders could reach the bridge from Manhattan and Brooklyn within minutes. Proposals should map transfer points, signage, and curb layouts to reduce wait times and improve reliability across the entire corridor.

Pedestrian flows: Implement adaptive signal timing to separate pedestrians and cyclists at peak hours, with signage that directs users like city streets. Use data from sensors to adjust flow at intervals, aiming to reduce crowding by 15–20 percent and ensure safe passage for thousands of walkers within tight quarters near plaza entrances and stairways.

Environmental and habitat: Plan lush planting along the approach corridors and maintenance yards, preserve the bird island habitats, and design beachs edges to withstand wind and tidal action while supporting seasonal habitat shifts. Include shaded seating nodes and wind screens to improve comfort without compromising sightlines or maintenance access.

Citizen engagement and initial proposals: Host open houses across boroughs; gather citizen input to shape the plan. A yorker resident named Ryan highlighted issues around heat and ventilation, informing hvac considerations and shelter placements. The united effort will deliver proposals that address accessibility, safety, and comfort, with clear metrics and accountability to track progress and benefits for all users.

Approval Timeline and Community Engagement: Feedback Sessions and Milestones

Implement a six-month approval timeline with quarterly milestones and public progress summaries. This unprecedented openness will align goals with available funds and keep tens of residents engaged across Mohawk corner, streets, and adjoining acres. Assign clear roles at each level and address concerns early to avoid delays.

Create a categories-based review with input across design, safety, mobility, environment, and economics. Schedule tens of feedback sittings in key neighborhoods such as Mohawk corner and along major streets, plus online sessions to reach broader participation. Document responses by category and propose concrete changes within 14 days after each sitting.

Milestones include the first sitting, a mid-cycle review, and a final evaluation by a public committee. Publish the evaluation results and updated goals within two weeks of each milestone.

Allocate funds for oversight, safety measures, and community amenities, including food vendors at public events and support for local businesses. Ensure protections for trees, canopies, and forestry on the acres and along streets. Address environmental and cultural resources and the needs of residents who rely on nearby parks and forests.

Maintain persistent engagement with residents most affected and address long-term care of streets, parks, and public spaces. Use feedback to refine the plan so it reflects goals across the most impacted areas and levels.

Security and risk management: coordinate with city agencies and local police, and develop a mitigation plan that considers external risks, including taliban activity in the region. Ensure staff training, clear incident protocols, and transparent reporting so stakeholders trust the process.

Outcomes and accountability: produce an annual report that tracks funds, milestones, and progress toward final goals. Preserve integrity by documenting decisions, sharing benchmarks, and making adjustments based on community input. This approach keeps issues visible to residents, city partners, and funders.