Gowanus by Design (GbD) is a community-based urban design advocacy started as a collaboration of architects David Briggs and Anthony Deen in 2009. Our mission is to promote sustainable development that enhances, but does not replace the historic character and working class origins of the neighborhood while responding intelligently to the environmental damage wrought by industry over the last 150 years. We intend to propose and advocate for new strategies for the development of the Gowanus area and to explore the larger urban planning challenges that the world will face as the global population migrates to cities. As this migration continues, pressure will increase to develop brownfield sites, such as the Gowanus Canal, and other contaminated urban areas that were previously considered off-limits due to the extensive remediation that is required.The Gowanus neighborhood, which was placed on the National Priorities List for the EPA Superfund program in 2010, is an opportunity to develop a community-based, sustainable planning strategy. The first step in this process is the successful completion of GbD’s inaugural competition, “Gowanus Lowline: Connections.”
For more information on Gowanus by Design and Dave’s work with the organization, please visit: www.gowanusbydesign.org.
