Planning Principles & Recommendations
To Reimagine Albany
Equitable, Environmental & Economic Planning Approaches
Triple bottom line-based design goals and the recommendations to achieve them
Urban Design Goals
Reintroduce neighbors to one another and nature while creating a safer, healthier environment, benefiting current residents and those that come after, while increasing the revenue (tax) base.
Maximize Reclaimed Land
787’s re-design will free up many acres of land (up to 90 AC) for the community’s benefit and potential future development
Incorporate Non-Vehicular Transportation into the Design
Create alternatives that reduce vehicular traffic, affiliated infrastructure and parking
Create Connections between and within Albany & Rensselaer
Eliminate barriers between Albany & Rensselaer and create pedestrian walkways, bike paths, and an efficient transit system traveling from Albany’s Empire State Plaza to Rensselaer’s Amtrak Rail Station and many points in between while accommodating vehicular traffic. This will increase and activate each city’s land along the Hudson River.
Design each Urban Core for People
Create activity spaces, urban parks and tree-lined complete streets within a dense incremental development plan that creates generational wealth and a diverse tax base
Transportation Design Recommendations
Achieving vibrant, equitable, environmentally sustainable & economically viable communities that comprise a city begins by breaking down the existing physical as well as the policy barriers
Relocate the Freight Rail
Remove the main barrier to the Riverfront as well as a source of air and noise pollution
Keep Roadways at or Below Grade while minimizing Going Above
Reconnects Communities, and the riverfront by minimizing barriers and maintenance
Re-designate 787 a State Highway, so it is no longer an Interstate
Create pedestrian scaled boulevard with low speeds, and less initial and long-term costs
Lower the new Dunn Memorial Bridge
Create a lift bridge (same as the new Livingston Ave. Bridge) that will reduce physical and visual barriers, and ease access for pedestrians, bicyclists, trolleys, etc. while minimizing the length of the land bridges (ramps) and all affiliated maintenance costs.
Non-Vehicular Transportation to Consider & Incorporate
Reducing reliance on automobiles connects people to places in an environmentally sustainable way while doing so is healthy and economically viable for its residents.
Electric Trolleys & Mass Transit
Maximize then connect transportation networks of the two riverfront downtowns beginning at the Empire State Plaza and ending at the Rensselaer Train Station
Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Scooter Pathway Access, including Bridges
Create choices that are healthy for the residents and the environment that reduce our dependence on single-user automobiles and the roads that accommodate them.
Water Based Transportation
Activate affordable, publicly accessible Hudson River travel via taxis, tour boats, etc. from Troy to Hudson and a multitude of points in between on each side of the river
Policies & Procedures to Implement
Incorporate proven policies and procedures that ensure equitable and sustainable outcomes
Implement Environmental Justice Principles
The reimagining of I-787 provides this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to correct the destructive decisions of the past by centering current decisions within and alongside the communities that were negatively impacted allowing the city to blossom from within.
Create a Land Use Commission
Establish a commission that determines the best use of the released land (totaling up to 90 acres of prime urban riverfront land) which incorporates the community’s desires
Establish a Community Benefits Agreement
Ensure that residents can stay in place, and benefit from all future development
Create a Master Plan for Albany & Rensselaer’s Riverfront and Neighborhoods
Hire a third-party, well-regarded urban design firm that has experience in cities and communities that emerge and blossom from the removal of its urban highway network.
Summary
A planning process reflects the priorities of a geographic place and a place in time. Our time is now. Let’s plan together, openly, respectfully, and freely with faith in one another, knowing the design that emerges from the process will birth the best Albany and Rensselaer for all.