Van Alen Institute Announces Winners of ‘Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge’ Competition
Van Alen Institute has announced the winners of Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge, an international design competition to rethink the iconic Brooklyn Bridge walkway. Emerging from a field of 200 submissions from 37 countries, the winning designs envisioned the bridge as a platform for climate action, social equity, and creative expression. They also emphasized the urgency of expanding the bridge’s roadways for pedestrian and cyclist use, a thread that wove through all of the proposals from the competition’s six finalists.
The winning design in the Professional category (ages 22 and over) is Brooklyn Bridge Forest by Pilot Projects Design Collective, Cities4Forests, Wildlife Conservation Society, Grimshaw, and Silman; New York and Montreal. Tje proposal reimagines the bridge as an icon of climate action and social equity, improving mobility while respecting the landmark structure. The historic wooden walkway is expanded using planks sustainably sourced from a partner community in Guatemala that protects a 200,000-acre rainforest. A dedicated bike path and reclaimed traffic lane create new space for cyclists and low-carbon transit, while biodiverse ‘microforests’ at either end of the bridge bring nature to New York City, and serve as green spaces for underserved communities.