The Futuristic Dumbo exhibit by the graduate urban design students of Pratt Institute have been on display since Feb 8. Unfortunately, tomorrow is the final day of the exhibition. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at it yet, try to visit the gallery. The exhibit includes detailed plans of the students’ vision of Dumbo in the future. Although the focus is on the Dumbo neighborhood, the ideas can be used for waterfronts in any area. We have to address the possibility of a rising waterfront and ask ourselves, “how do we adapt to the rising seas in our waterfront neighborhood?” Or how does a rezoning from an industrial/manufacturing area to residential affect the existing building and space in a neighborhood? These are changes that are happening not only in Dumbo but also in cities across America. In Brooklyn alone, there are major waterfront development in neighborhoods such as Red Hook, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Sunset Park.

There was a lot of thought and time put into their projects and I hope some of the concepts such as the pedestrian friendly streets, green buildings, and preservation of historical context become reality. In 2050, Dumbo will certainly be different, but how different is up to how we respect the history, environment, and residents.

Some photos from the opening reception:

111 Front Street, Gallery 208, Dumbo Brooklyn

{Event: Futuristic DUMBO 2/8, DumboNYC}
{NY students imagine city plan after global warming, Reuters, 2/14/07}