NYC to Construct Eco Tourist Island

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(Left) A bird's-eye view of the proposed island. (Right) The island could include an aquatic center with a vertical coral reef and marine life.

(PhysOrg.com) -- In 2003, the state and city of New York bought Governor's Island from the federal government for $1. Once used as a military base by the US Army and Coast Guard, the 172-acre island located half a mile from Lower Manhattan will soon be transformed into an ecological tourist park.

In 2012 - when the project is slated for completion - the island will become a kind of man-made national park, on which visitors will travel by foot or bicycle. (Currently, the northern half is open to the public for picnics, biking, and tours of historic buildings, but the southern half is closed and undergoing demolition work.) The environmentally friendly park is being managed by the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), and designed by West 8, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Rogers Marvel Architects.

The architects plan to construct artificial topography, such as man-made hills and mountains, using recycled materials from current abandoned Coast Guard buildings on the island. Features could include a funicular railway and caves for spelunking. Other attractions may include botanical greenhouses and aquatic centers that could include marine life, a vertical coral reef, and even a floating restaurant, located directly across the harbor from the Statue of Liberty (the island is the closest point on land to the face of the Statue of Liberty). Diners could eat locally caught fish from the nearby harbor.

Around the island visitors will be able to explore walking paths, restaurants, and recreational and educational activities. Tourists would ride wooden bicycles designed by the architects, and bike by various exhibits such as a tidal basin, a 10,000-seat amphitheater, and views of New York City and its landmarks.

"We wanted to give it the attitude of a national park, one with primal nature, robustness, where you don't feel the hand of man," said West 8 partner Jerry van Eyck.

The GIPEC encourages feedback about the new park on their Web site, http://www.govisland.com/About_GIPEC/future_park.asp.

via: Inhabitat

© 2009 PhysOrg.com

   

• THEY - Jan 26, 2009
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  172 acres for a dollar?? You have to be kidding me. I will offer you $100 dollars for that island. There, now you have made a profit, instead of a loss.
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• LuckyBrandon - Jan 26, 2009
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  yea its ridiculous our retarded government will give up 172 acres of land that could be used for MUCH BETTER purposes for $1. If thie city and state were even in the least bit smart, they would convert that to housing for the homeless problem they have there. It would probably cost much less to do so than to build this atrosity they plan on building.
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• p1ll - Jan 26, 2009
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  put the homeless there? hehehe nice one. problem is you are serious! who cares what they do on that island, let them knock themselves out
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• Velanarris - Jan 27, 2009
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  The federal government isn't allowed to sell federal land to state government for profit. The $1 transfer is to satisfy paperwork. It'd be given over for no cost otherwise. Same deal with federal buildings that are transferred over to the state and vice versa.
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• Choice - Jan 29, 2009
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  New York City could use a new state of the art aquarium and this would be an ideal location. I don't see this as an eco park as much as a recreational park. More work needs to be done to enhance ecological features. How about a museum of environmental technology and engineering?
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• LuckyBrandon - Jan 29, 2009
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  p1II-
  why not be srious on it. have you everlooked at the statistics of homeless in that area. if the land is habitable, it should be used as such. this is gigantic waste of money, and if your going to waste money like that, housing the homeless is a worthwhile effort that would give a damngood example to the rest of the world.
  i myself have lived under bridges at a young age (mainly due to my own ignorance at the time), and i had things to contribute. how do you know the next einstein isn't sitting at a street corner simply because he never had the chance to make more of himself. i will give all of you to come back with the arguement of they shoulkd have gotten off their lazy butts this comment: some people try and are shot down repeatedly and end up with no choice.
  that will smith movie is a great example of this in fact.
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• COCO - Jan 30, 2009
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  screw the homeless - in my country we imprison them and teach them the value of freedom - those people are hopeless - a few years of hard labour will improve their attitude. Great work NYC -
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• Velanarris - Jan 30, 2009
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  screw the homeless - in my country we imprison them and teach them the value of freedom - those people are hopeless - a few years of hard labour will improve their attitude. Great work NYC -

  
  Apparently they give the retarded a laptop and a physorg posting account in your country as well.
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