Hillside Avenue, Queens Village

This super-sized parcel is located on Hillside Avenue between Manor Road and 231 Street.

My proposal would eliminate the central traffic island and replace it with medians on both sides of the express lanes. This would act as a buffer, shielding local residents from the traffic. This design is based  on the Eastern and Ocean parkways of Brooklyn. The remainder of the traffic island could be given a flagpole or monument, acting as a village center.

Utopia Parkway, Fresh Meadows

This swerve on Utopia Parkway at Fresh Meadow Lane can easily lead to car accidents. My solution not only increases park space, but may also reduce local car insurance rates.

My proposal would straighten the path of the parkway and allow the residents to easily access their driveways, away from the traffic.

Parsons Boulevard, Flushing

Here's another unused piece of city-owned land that can easily be transformed into a Greenstreets Park. It is located on Parsons Boulevard and 45th Avenue, across the street from Flushing Hospital. As Flushing continues to develop, the need for more parkland is becoming greater as well.

Here's my proposal for a larger park

188th Street, Jamaica Estates

I proposed that it be named "Summit Triangle," because it is located near the highest point on 188th Street, and across the street from the private Summit School.

Colonial Avenue, Forest Hills

Located on the corner of Colonial Avenue and 62 Drive, this traffic triangle is only a block away from the site of the colonial-period Coe's Mill and the buried Horse Brook. Maybe the Parks Department can rename it after the mill, or add another Horsebrook Island to its collection.

The last block of Queens Boulevard in Briarwood still hasn't been covered in green.

The northern half of the traffic islands on Springfield Boulevard at Merrick Boulevard is still gray.

The last five blocks of 111th Street is Corona are still bald with concrete. This part of an 11-block stretch of traffic medians.

Maspeth Center

Before: a highway rammed through the neighborhood in the 1950s tore through its heart.

After: The village center is restored, conforming to its street grid. A series of low-scale commercial structures cover the Long Island Expressway. At the western end of this project is a park that allows excellent views of Midtown Manhattan, especially its Independence Day fireworks. Such a location would be the perfect gathering place for local residents.

Note: this proposal is similar to an existing proposal drafted by Transportation Alternatives in 2003. This proposal was ignored by the city, to the detriment of the neighborhood.

Astoria Boulevard

Before: a highway rammed through the neighborhood in the 1930s tore through its heart. Astoria Boulevard is a boulevard in name only, service as a service road to a busy highway.

After: The boulevard is restored, with plenty of green space for this rapidly developing neighborhood. At the project's western end, a sloping park welcomes subway users to the boulevard. Throughout the project, lines of plants and fountains symbolize a continuous stream. The western end provides views of the Triboro Bridge, while the eastern end provides views of the Hell Gate railway viaduct. The highway tunnel would be deepened, to allow trucks of all sizes to use it, getting them off the local streets.

Atlantic Avenue

Existing: Since 1913, Manhattan's Park Avenue has been covering the main line of the Metro North railway, with beautiful traffic islands. Why hasn't this idea been applied to other places in the city?

Proposed: Between the Queens-Brooklyn border and 127th Street, Atlantic Avenue contains 19 traffic islands, which cover the Long Island Railroad's Flatbush Avenue line. This railway was buried beneath the avenue in 1940. My proposal would put vegetation on traffic islands, which would decrease pollution, raise land values, and discourage jaywalking.