Program

The program brief for the park and public space is based on a number of key principles:
• To provide unique experiences that capitalize on the attributes of the Island and its harbor location
• To create a destination that is worth the journey, that draws visitors back again and again
• To provide enough activities and experiences for a visit of at least 2 ½ hours
• To make places for ordinary activities within extraordinary settings
• To offer a rich range of active and passive recreation choices
• To create a place of delight and fun for New Yorkers of all ages and mobilities

GIPEC and the West 8 Team looked at the broad range of activities that people typically enjoy in parks, highlighted the kinds of activities and features that are particularly well-suited to the Island and observed what visitors currently enjoy doing on Governors Island. The team listened to suggestions from the public and studied which activities could serve the broadest range of visitors and fulfill the key principles, given the total number of acres of open space, the compatibility of program adjacencies and the site conditions. Throughout the design process, the design was tested against the program needs, as well as the budget and other considerations.

The public input process greatly aided the design team in clarifying the program and design. New Yorkers who came to the Island made a number of specific requests: for ice cream and places to eat, bicycling, ballfields, places to experience the water, play areas, art for nature and habitat. They also appreciated the Island’s quiet, its views, and its unique park-like quality. In workshops, they expressed the desire for flexible spaces to make their own and for deciding their own activities.

The design team and GIPEC made sure that there are different areas of the park for a wide range of activities. While such features as ballfields and bicycle paths carefully consider the specific requirements for those activities, the Play Lawn, Hills and Great Promenade allow visitors a broad experience and create a setting for a varied set of programs, which will take shape as the park and public spaces are used.

The plan also addresses visitors’ needs and requests for key amenities, including food and drink, water and adequate rest rooms. While visitors can bring their own food and drink for picnicking or grilling, concessions will be available in at least three new structures planned for the park and public space. These structures will also house water fountains and rest rooms. The quantity of toilets and urinals was based on an analysis of usage in other destination parks and ferry terminals. A visitor will always be within a 10-minute walk of a rest room facility and drinking fountain.

LAWN BASED PROGRAMS
Lawns are the most flexible, comfortable, and cooling surface offered in a park. Governors Island’s park and public spaces include more than 20 acres of lawn areas distributed in locations all over the Island. Some of the lawns are graded to support a variety of sports as well as other activities. Some lawns have more rolling topography, which creates welcoming areas for sitting, large gatherings and performances and sunbathing. Paths for pedestrians and bicyclists criss-cross some of the southern lawns to create interesting ways to traverse the Island, but there are sufficient expanses of green to encourage picnicking, running barefoot or playing sports.

PLAY
The Island has special qualities that are appealing for children and families, including the lack of cars, the many bicycle paths, fresh air, the boat ride, and the sense of a bucolic oasis apart from the city. It has already provided a setting for a broad array of family friendly activities including arts programs, daytime performances and sports.

The Park and Public Space Master Plan enhances experiences for children with the addition of a variety of play areas throughout the Island, located at Liggett Terrace, Liberty Terrace and other natural gathering places. These play areas will each provide a different challenge and experience. Some invite climbing or sliding. Others invite visitors to get wet or play in water. GIPEC and the West 8 Team hope to collaborate with artists to design appealing and safe play experiences for children of all ages.

CAR-FREE BICYCLING OASIS
Whether a person brings their own bicycle or uses one of the Island’s free bicycles, the car-free bicycling experience on Governors Island is totally unique in the New York region, if not the entire United States. From the outset, the park and public spaces are designed to ensure that Governors Island is a recreational bicycling oasis.

A network of seven miles of bicycle paths winds throughout the Island’s public spaces. Some are rolling and curvy, some are straight and flat. The paths have been designed to encourage recreational bicycling: wide enough for two cyclists to “bike and chat” or a parent to ride next to a child; and for bicyclists and pedestrians to pass safely and comfortably. Bicycle stations located at ferry arrival points and Liberty Terrace provide visitors with convenient places to pick-up or drop-off free bicycles. Special-accommodations bicycles will be available, along with helmets and children’s bicycles. Bicycle racks are located throughout the Island for personal or free bicycles. The racks are generally located within 50 feet of building entrances or popular park and public space destinations.

The bicycle program is designed to be low-tech and worry-free. At any time, visitors can leave or take free bicycles from bicycle racks or bicycle stations with no need for a lock. Ease of use and the enjoyment of discovering the park by bicycle will add to the carefree feeling of being on Governors Island.

PUBLIC ART
Public art has a distinctive and essential role in the Island’s park and public spaces, deeply enhancing the visitor experience. The variety of different areas provides numerous potential locations for public art commissions and installations. The budget for the park and public space includes an allowance for public art, and there will also be temporary installations by other organizations and artists.

The park and public space design includes intimate spaces and vast open vistas, sanctuary spaces and threshold spaces, and many interesting juxtapositions both beautiful and surreal. From the water’s edge to open lawn to the Arch, there are many thought-provoking places for site-specific art pieces.

This diagram suggests some of the many potential locations for these opportunities. Artists themselves will select the locations as well as the media for their work.

BOAT AND WATER ACCESS
Boat access for Island visitors occurs at several locations in the plan. Passenger ferries and water taxis embark and disembark at Soissons Landing and Yankee Landing. The vehicle ferry currently docks at Soissons Landing but will eventually move to a new dock to be built between Lima and Tango Piers on the southern part of the Island.

A kayak launch at Pier 101 provides water access and welcomes visitors arriving by kayak. The National Park Service operates Pier 102.

Yankee Pier provides mooring for historic and educational vessels and allows visitors to walk out over water. The opening of Yankee Pier to passenger ferry service will be coordinated with the phasing of the park and public spaces on the southern portion of the Island.

• The Way It Works —

  

  “The Way it Works” explains how the elements of the park and public space function. While the design is at the master plan stage, considerable work underlies the plan to ensure a strong foundation for future implementation. The West 8…

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• Topography —

  

  A landscape architect’s most transformative space-making tool is grading. Grading is used functionally to channel run-off and provide adequate drainage. Beyond the purely functional, however, grading creates heaving bulges and recesses, small dips and peaks, and swaths of smooth, flat…

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• Views —

  

  Parks are more pleasurable and more memorable if they have a rich layering of spatial qualities. The new topography at the southern portion of Governors Island cultivates the views of the Harbor. The park and public spaces will be designed…

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• Circulation —

  

  Clear, organized circulation is essential to the legibility of the park and public spaces and to the safety of users. A network of pathways and roads serves pedestrians, bicyclists, and service vehicles, with a hierarchy of path uses and path…

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• Paving —

  

  There is a conscious effort to correlate paving treatments and expression to the character of different park and public space areas and experiences. The horizontal plane underfoot (or under bicycle tires) contributes significantly to the experience.
  Stretches of path and…

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• Edging —

  

  Edging is another key element of the Park and Public Space Master Plan. Edging surrounds and defines the perimeters of lawn and planted areas and the “pillow-shaped” topography. Edging serves multiple functions: clarifying paths, guiding bicyclists, and retaining grade. Its…

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• Furnishings —

  

  Seating, lighting and other furnishings are critical to the visitor’s experience of any public space or park. An array of well-designed and well-located furnishings makes for a comfortable and inviting experience. Furnishings help establish character and feel. They also must…

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• Planting —

  

  The Historic District’s protected conditions, higher elevations and quality top soils make for ideal conditions to grow large, beautiful shade trees and support other plantings. On the southern half of the Island, poor quality soil, exposure to harsh salty winds,…

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• Park Buildings —

  

  The Park and Public Space Master Plan includes conceptual-level designs for three buildings to serve visitors and their needs for rest, refreshment, and information: Soissons Ferry Pavilion, the Shell at Liberty Terrace, and the Cube at Yankee Landing.
  Governors Island…

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