Although Brookfield is in the center of my neighborhood, dividing both the north end and the south end of Battery Park City, I decided to focus on my side of Battery Park, the north side. Based on the map provided below, I realize that my neighborhood looks bigger than I thought.
There are many popular trademark locations, including Stuyvesant High School, Rockefeller Park, the Irish Hunger Memorial and the Battery Park City ballfields. All of these places are nodes. They are well known locations in my neighborhood and they are incredibly easy to get to. Furthermore, there are multiple paths in my neighborhood. The most known street path in my neighborhood is West Street. It is the longest street, and depending which direction you are walking, it can take you as far down as the Governor's Island ferry stop, and as far up as Central Park.
Battery Park City appears to be the textbook definition of a neighborhood. Clarence Perry stated in The Neighborhood Unit that “an urban neighborhood should be regarded both as a unit of a larger whole and as a distinct entity in itself.” As a whole, Battery Park City is quite big, however, it is broken up into two sides, the north and the south. My neighborhood, like many, can be broken up into the four categories Perry writes about, an elementary school, small parks and playgrounds, local shops, and residential environment. Battery Park City has all of these. My elementary school and middle school is right across the street from my building! On the north side, there are two parks, Teardrop and Rockefeller. Local shops in my neighborhood include Whole Foods, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Duane Reade, Rite Aid and Barnes and Nobles. There is also a very evident residential presence in my neighborhood. Battery Park City is very family friendly and dog friendly. The sidewalks and parks are always busy.
Brookfield Place is a very public space, especially during the summer months when tourists come to visit, before the global pandemic, of course. People work, eat, shop and walk around in Brookfield Place daily and very frequently. Brookfield Place is not a plaza itself, however, there is an outside space in front of Brookfield that serves as a plaza. We call it “The Marina.” This is a very popular place to sit, eat and have conversation in Brookfield, and tables fill up very quickly. The Marina faces out towards the Hudson River, and it is a beautiful sight, especially at night. Whyte states in The Design of Public Spaces that “the best used plazas are located in social places,” and this holds true for Brookfield’s Marina. Once places started to reopen during Covid-19, The Marina filled up with people quickly. It is never empty, since Brookfield is such a popular spot.
As a whole, every inch of Brookfield Place looks incredibly inviting, which is why so many people are there everyday. Brookfield Place is not only the most crowded, but it is the most beloved public space in my neighborhood.
