INCLUSION FOR ALL IS THE ONLY WAY TO DESIGN AND BUILD PUBLIC SPACE

IT CAN BE ACHIEVED BY SIMPLE TOPOGRAPHY 

AND GENTLY SLOPED RAMPS

Much of the Long Island City Queens waterfront was once industrial.

Factories depended on access to the East River.

Now most of the area is lined with exclusive apartments that feature amazing views of the Manhattan skyline.

Developers of the waterfront public space did two things perfectly:

1) They set the buildings back a big enough distance from the water to create miles of fresh public space.

2) The used simple grading of fill soil plus ramps to make the park space wheelchair-accessible for miles.

The boarding spots for the water taxi have ramps.

The various fishing/observation piers that jut out into the East River all are barrier-free.

Gantry Plaza State Park may well be the best free space in all of New York.

At sunset into the night, its views of Manhattan are unrivaled.

And its access is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and their families.