As the first anniversary of the Hudson Square Connection approaches, we’re continuing to tell the story of our district – the epicenter of New York’s creative industries – not only to our own neighbors, but to the rest of the world...

Our message: We’re Hudson Square; a vibrant, unique and creative neighborhood bounded by Sixth Avenue, Greenwich Street, West Houston and Canal. Synergistic juices flow among the professionals that work here every day where the small town charm combines with the vibrancy of New York.

And now, by connecting neighbors with neighbors, developing the needed tools, and reaching beyond our borders – we’re putting Hudson Square on the map – literally and figuratively.

We’ve launched a fully redesigned website – www.HudsonSquareBID.org. The brightly colored and easy-to-navigate site reflects our creative side while offering users the opportunity to discover Hudson Square block-by-block. It allows visitors the ability to find restaurants to eat at, cultural spots to visit and events to attend through the ‘Play’ tab. For those of us who live or work in the neighborhood the ‘Work’ and ‘Innovate’ sections will feature the happenings and plans for our community as well as information about local businesses and new neighbors.

To be sure we are connected as fast as possible, we’ve applied to be a Google Fiber Community. The company plans to experiment with the creation of ultra high-speed broadband networks in several communities around the country. With its creative professionals and community environment, Hudson Square is an ideal neighborhood for Google’s pilot program. Designated communities will be announced later this year.

These are exciting times full of anticipation and promise. We look forward to working and interacting with Hudson Square professionals as our neighborhood begins to blossom just like the flowers and trees that are springing up on our streets.

Till next time,

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Freeman Plaza Facelift Contemplated

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.

TNY Shares TLC for Neighborhood Trees

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."

Founded in 1976 by Michael Racz and Gail Dessimoz, RDA left midtown for a 14,000-square-foot space at 100 Vandam Street, where today 50 creative professionals work with notable brands including Starwood Hotels, Sony, MTV Games and the Empire State Building.

Designers, manufacturers and others in the furniture industry will be flocking to New York City for the 22nd annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May. This year - for the first time - businesses from Hudson Square will be participating as a community in the three-day event.