Wacky Urban Planning Visions: A Walk in the East River?

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A group calling itself Rivers Alive has a plan for Pier 13, which juts out into the East River south of the Seaport near Wall Street. Well, jutted is more appropriate, because the pier was demolished last year. Rivers Alive, Downtown Express reports, wants to rebuild Pier 13 as a center of art and education, with one insane twist:

On the proposed Pier 13, people wouldn’t just be able to get near the water — they’d be able to get in it. A wet boardwalk near Wall St. would flood at high tide, allowing visitors to wade down the pier in knee-deep water. Those who prefer to keep their shoes on could stay on the dry boardwalk, which would be separated from the wet one by a long aquarium filled with fish native to New York Harbor. If visitors had questions about the fish or the pier’s history, they could head to glass-enclosed computer kiosks for answers.

There are not enough anti-bacterial wipes in this world to convince us that a stroll through the waters of the East River is a nice idea for a Sunday afternoon, but get this: Community Board 1 approved the proposal. Now comes the hard part, however, because many more approvals from other agencies are needed, and $25 million or so needs to be raised. Maybe they can score a corporate sponsorship from a drug company that manufactures Penicillin?
· Doubles team serves up new idea for old tennis pier [Downtown Express]
· Boat-Free, Yoga Visions for East River Waterfront [Curbed]

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