In our post earlier today about the new zipper bench on the reconstructed Astor Place, a commenter mentioned the arrival of new trees for the plaza around Cooper Square... EVG regular peter radley passed along these photos of the trees (nearly two dozen) on the scene today...
Here's a link to a weekly bulletin (PDF) noting what's happening this week.
25 trees is a start. But the basic design is flawed - clumps of trees and too much concrete. I thought it could have been a Highline on street level. A beautiful space to get lost in for the neighborhood and tourists alike. If the Village Alliance was so interested in creating business opportunity for the area, what better way than to recreate a very popular concept like the Highline instead of a skateboard park with trees as an after thought.
ReplyDelete@ 9:57 PM: I don't see how the Highline concept would have worked here. Are you saying there should have been short footpaths surrounded by foliage? The Highline concept is an urban trail, so it requires some length. (I enjoyed my one or two walks along the Highline, but I was not AWED by the majesty of it.)
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty of space for a trail set with plantings and seating stretching from 9th street to 4th. It could wrap around and come back on itself. Simple enough for a park planner. It would be a lot better than the concrete wasteland.
ReplyDeleteI got the impression from the Village Alliance that they were more or less stuck with managing the plaza. V.A. is a Business Improvement District. The whole Astor redesign was set in motion by the city admin - Transportation/City Planning or the like.
ReplyDeleteI agree it all could have been way better done - greener etc. Especially with the Mosaic Man...weird to uproot and reinstall his mosaics, instead of ALSO funding him to finish his Mosaic Trail and have it all presented in a meaningful way.
Well I certainly hope they plan to water the new trees. Several of the original trees died from lack of water.
ReplyDeleteTwo trees, maybe three, out of over a dozen that were planted in COoper Square and the Astor subway plaza, have died. They did not die from lack of water...they got the same water all the others did (watered every morning). The few that died, all on the south part of Cooper, weren't very foliage-blessed going in and ultimately they didn't survive the shock of replanting. It happens. I suspect some of the new batch are there to replace them.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, ground cover has finally been planted in Cooper and Subway plazas-- all 'native' species, I think -- and it's looking quite nice. I hope these green spaces are kept clean and well maintained.
Mr Anonymous - I suspect you had something to do with the Cooper Square project. I passed by those trees that died every morning and evening. They were not watered every morning. The ground was parched whenever I walked by. And if the original trees planted did not have "sufficient foliage" they should not have been planted by whatever contractor you worked with in the first place. For sure many of the original trees will not survive the winter as by the end of the summer they had hardly any leaves.. Yes they can be replaced but what a waste of the city's money.
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