In the Works
DOT Orders Signs Installed on Varick Street
Updated: Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), after reviewing the Connection’s Traffic Management Plan, has ordered “Turning Vehicles Left or Right” and “Yield to Pedestrians” signs on Varick & Clarkson, and on Varick between Spring & Dominick Streets. Expect to see the signs up soon!
| Tagged: Connect | In the Works |
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Recycle with Aveda!
Updated: Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
You probably knew that our neighbors at the Aveda Institute provide an amazing spa experience, and you possibly knew they also train people to become stylists here but did you know they are also out to save the earth?
Ok – maybe that is not their prime objective but since its inception Aveda’s mission is to provide high performance botanically based products that serve both people and the planet. And now, they are taking additional steps – and you can too!
Aveda recycles bottle caps – they take the top of old bottles and make new ones for their products. More recently, in response to the oil crisis in the gulf, they are collecting and recycling hair and sending it to Matter of Trust – who uses this to absorb the oil in the gulf.
To learn more about these and other programs, you can click on the links above, or just walk into the institute located at 233 Spring Street.
| Tagged: In the Works |
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TNY Shares TLC for Neighborhood Trees
Updated: Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
To create a meaningful neighborhood-wide legacy for Earth Day 2010, 60 Hudson Square professionals and students were taught how to plant, preserve and protect trees and flowers that grow along our city streets. This was the Connection’s second event with the non-profit environmental group Trees New York, (TNY) the “million trees people.”
Hudson Square Connection first tapped TNY when they hosted a workshop for commercial building managers and maintenance personnel. Through the Street Tree Care Maintenance Workshop, local employees now know the best practices for taking care of the trees around their buildings.
Our second event, on Earth Day, gave a chance for the broader community to get involved. Students from Chelsea Vocational High School worked side by side with volunteers from Penguin, Corbis, Porter Novelli, Turner Construction, MTV Networks and Weidlinger, mulching and watering the trees and planting flowers in the tree beds. When you see these new plantings, you can thank your neighbors for adding a little color to your day.
We would like to thank HERE Art Center for letting us use their space, NYC Department of Environmental Protection for donating re-usable water bottles and Trinity for planting 17 new trees at 345 and 350 Hudson Street. Special thanks to Susan, Mary, Maeve, Nelson, Sam and Steve from Trees New York for organizing this event.
TNY was started in 1976 and has taught more than 11,000 people how to care for local forestry. TNY and its programs focus on stewardship, education and community.
In 2007, in conjunction with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the group set the goal of planting and caring for one million new trees throughout the city in the following ten years. Hudson Square Connection is proud to participate in helping the city accomplish this goal.
| Tagged: In the Works |
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What are those green plastic bags??
Updated: Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
Maybe you’ve noticed those green plastic bags attached to the newly planted trees at 345 and 350 Hudson Street and wondered what these bags are and why they are there….
Newly planted trees are under severe water stress right after transplanting. And they will remain under water stress for the first several years after planting. Maintaining soil moisture is especially important during the first three years following transplanting. So how do you prevent transplant shock and avoid water stress on new trees? By making sure they get enough water!
Those green plastic bags are tree watering bags. It’s a drip irrigation system. The bags are designed specifically for newly planted trees, to slowly deliver water directly to their root systems over an extended time period. This allows for deep water saturation with no run-off or evaporation.
Far too many young trees die in the first year from improper care that is easily preventable. Go to the Trees New York website for more information about tree care.
| Tagged: In the Works |
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Tree Stewardship Program
Updated: Friday, April 9th, 2010
Aided by the nonprofit Trees New York (TNY), Hudson Square Connection is working to plant trees and offering guidance in the community on how to care for them. Please visit our events page for more information on our Earth Day 2010 celebration and other activities we have planned to celebrate our trees.
Meet our friends at TreesNY_thats_so_new_york.html
| Tagged: In the Works |
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Rethinking Freeman Plaza
Updated: Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Did you know the green space located at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel is called Freeman Plaza? As part of an effort to link Freeman Plaza to the rest of the community, we have asked the Regional Plan Association (RPA), an independent not-for-profit regional planning organization, to develop alternative designs and possible development models of the area.
One of the most-travelled spots in and enduring images of New York City is about to get a makeover. A study is now underway that could lead to the transformation of Freeman Plaza, the empty and underutilized spaces at the entrance of the Holland Tunnel. The goal: turn the unused traffic islands into a green pedestrian-friendly respite.
The Hudson Square Connection is on a mission to make the neighborhood’s public spaces environmentally, socially and economically sustainable for workers, residents and visitors. Freeman Plaza, which sits in the Southern portion of the business improvement district, is part of that neighborhood plan.
“Freeman Plaza’s high-visibility location at the Holland Tunnel’s entrance presents a great opportunity to start thinking about how we can better integrate this regional transportation landmark into the Hudson Square neighborhood in a way that aligns with our mission,” says Ellen Baer, president of the Connection.
Hudson Square Connection and the Regional Plan Association began the four-month study earlier this month, with funding support from Atlantic Philanthropies and the Fund for the City of New York. With the results, the Connection plans to approach government agencies and other stakeholders to engage them in the creation of a long-term plan for the plaza’s reuse.
“The Holland Tunnel is a critical piece of our region’s infrastructure but should be designed in a way that is sensitive to its context. Good public spaces bring neighborhoods together; Freeman Plaza could be used for so much more than staging tunnel traffic,” says Juliette Michaelson, senior transportation planner for RPA.
This project was made possible by a generous grant of the The Atlantic Philanthrophies (USA), and a grant from the Fund For the City of New York.
| Tagged: In the Works | On the Horizon |
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Interim Traffic Management Strategy – A First Step
Updated: Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
The Hudson Square Connection is working to harmonize relations among Hudson Square pedestrians, Holland tunnel-bound motorists, and local vehicular and bicycle traffic. In the long-term, we’ll be looking at big changes as part of our streetscape plan. For now, we think there are some small changes which could make a big difference. Transportation consultant, Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates (EWT) is developing an interim strategy to improve the local vehicle and pedestrian flow through Hudson Square. This preliminary strategy includes the following steps:
- Studying existing traffic conditions and developing recommendations for short term improvements
- Working closely with Community Board 2 and NYC Department of Transportation to review and implement the proposed recommendations
- Submitting a final series of short-term recommendations in July 2010
| Tagged: In the Works |
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