WATERFRONT+, SPRING 19

Located in the North Ward of Newark, New Jersey, the neighborhoods or Lower Broadway, Mount Pleasant, and North Broadway lie adjacent to the Passaic River. This area of the city has a rich history in its industrial uses primarily focusing on oils, paints, and varnishes. Along these industries ran the former Erie Railroad with access points to the waterside companies. Over time, different industries have come and go on these sites. Although having a great past, these industries have cut off pedestrian access to the waterfront. I, along with David Kushner and Matt Casaverde, recognized the advantages and weaknesses of these neighborhoods and formed a framework that would address the existing barriers and develop a plan to introduce the residents to their geographic neighbor - the water.

Looking at the barriers to get to the waterfront, we looked at Route 21 and the industrial structures and how we could reclaim the waterfront for the North Ward residents. Many constituents would be involved, including the City of Newark, Newark Public Schools, Rails-to-Trails, Norfolk Southern, and more. Our framework involved a series of steps:

Create pocket parks and designated industrial spaces along the waterfront

Link these waterfront spaces via the Erie Urban Trail

Connect local schools and residents

Create strong pedestrian connections to Broadway (a commercial corridor) and Branch Brook Park

and Extend the greenway to create threads to neighboring towns, like Kearny and Belleville

These steps envision an exciting future for the neighborhoods. This project, along with several other student groups, were able to present their Newark framework to the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, himself in May of 2019.