INFO-5420 · Spring 2026 · Cornell Tech · Gowanus BID, Brooklyn

Streets
for the
People

Modeling Car Parking Transitions in the Gowanus BID — from data insight to community consensus.

2,075
On-street parking spots today
90%
Midday occupancy
8,000
New units by 2034 (rezoning)
5
Simulated scenarios
↓ Scroll to explore
01
The Neighborhood

Gowanus at a Crossroads

Gowanus is a low-rise, mixed-use neighborhood in Brooklyn organized around a 1.8-mile tidal canal. For most of the 20th century, it was defined by industry — gasworks, concrete plants, and warehouses. Today, the neighborhood is undergoing a major transformation, with art studios and breweries moving into former factory spaces and new residential towers rising along the waterfront.

Even as Gowanus changes, its industrial legacy remains visible, most notably in the heavily polluted Gowanus Canal — one of the most polluted waterways in the United States, leading to its designation as a Superfund site in 2010.

Amid ongoing environmental remediation, the city approved the Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning plan in 2021 — one of the largest in the area's recent history — introducing approximately 8,500 new units by 2035, while requiring that a portion be affordable.

Gowanus neighborhood
02
Phase 1 — Insight

A Canal of Streets, People & Cars

Gowanus BID Vision

A unified, inclusive waterfront that works as everyday public space, not just as the edge of new development. A canal that is clean, accessible, visible, and welcoming to old and new residents, workers, and visitors alike.

The Streets of Gowanus

The rezoning envisions Gowanus as a more pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. A central goal is a continuous public walkway along the canal — converting stretches of car-dominated street frontage into green, accessible waterfront space.

Gowanus continuous waterfront access plan

NYC Department of City Planning — Gowanus waterfront access plan

The People of Gowanus

Gowanus is not one public. The BID brings together communities with different resources, expectations, and relationships to the street. Because public space maintenance is its largest expense, the waterfront cannot serve new development alone — it must become a shared civic space that every group feels belongs to them.

New Residents (~20K)

Professionals and higher-income households moving into luxury waterfront and 4th Ave buildings, expecting a clean, green waterfront for leisure and recreation.

Public Housing Residents

Gowanus Houses in the NW corner — first time ever a NYC BID includes social housing in its boundaries. Residents gain access to BID services (sanitation, beautification).

Long-term Residents & Businesses

Existing residents and local businesses with long-standing ties, navigating construction disruption and parking frustration daily.

Industrial & Artists

Remaining industrial users and artists, some living in studios unofficially to stay in the area.

The Cars of Gowanus

Based on the Gowanus rezoning environmental report (NYC FEIS), curbside parking demand is rising while supply remains constrained. Gowanus already has just over 2,000 on-street spaces, with midday occupancy around 90%, and FEIS projections show only about 1,940 on-street spaces by 2035 as growth continues. That leaves very limited buffer in the street system, increasing the risk of overflow without a clear absorption strategy for new demand.

2,075
On-street parking spots today in the BID.
90%
Current midday occupancy.
+8,000
New residential units approved under the 2021 rezoning plan.
NO MINIMUM
parking is required in new residential buildings.
1,940
Projected on-street spots by 2035, per NYC FEIS, Table 14-1.
127%
Projected occupancy after rezoning in 2035, per NYC FEIS, Table 14-1.
Available spot
Occupied spot
BID boundary
Real GIS data — Gowanus BID, Brooklyn
03
Phase 2 — Transformation

Changing the Ways We Park

Precedence

A Tale of Three Rezonings

Historical NYC data proves that without proactive curb management, residential booms break local infrastructure. Here is how Gowanus compares to precedent.

The Capacity Crisis
Greenpoint-Williamsburg
  • The Plan: 2005 industrial-to-residential waterfront rezoning.
  • The Problem: Planners assumed a drop in industrial trucks would offset new cars. Instead, personal vehicles and delivery vans overwhelmed the legacy street grid.
  • The Solution: Reactive, highly controversial "road diets" facing heavy political backlash.
Gowanus Correlation: Proves that failing to proactively manage the curb during a high-density waterfront rezoning inevitably leads to massive car overflow and gridlock.
NYC DCP: Greenpoint-Williamsburg Land Use Plan
The Latent Demand Trap
Long Island City
  • The Plan: 2001/2008 rezonings creating 20k+ new housing units.
  • The Problem: Developers built excessive parking as luxury amenities, inducing car ownership in a transit-rich area and causing massive choke points.
  • The Solution: Scrambling to convert free parking into commercial loading zones.
Gowanus Correlation: Demonstrates the latent demand trap. High-density luxury development induces car ownership regardless of subway access.
NYC DCP: Long Island City Rezoning Framework
The Centralized Blueprint
Hudson Yards
  • The Plan: 2005 mega-rezoning over the West Side rail yards.
  • The Problem: 20k units and 26M sq ft of office space threatening to break Lincoln Tunnel traffic flow.
  • The Solution: "Parking maximums" + mandated centralized, off-street subterranean garages.
Gowanus Correlation: Highlights the absolute necessity of centralized parking — capping spots with parking maximums and mandating off-street structures.
NYC DCP: Hudson Yards FGEIS

Intervention Principles

The strategy is to reallocate parking, not remove it outright — converting the least disruptive canal-edge curb space and shifting displaced vehicles into centralized garages so overall supply stays demand-neutral.

01
Demand-Neutrality First

Do not solve parking in a way that induces more driving or car ownership. The goal is better management, not more capacity.

02
Reclaim the Canal Edge

Reduce harmful curb occupation near the water. Streets crossing the canal should prioritize pedestrian access, turning dead-ends into shared public amenities.

03
Use Existing Capacity First

Start with coordination, pricing, and access to underused off-street supply before pursuing new construction.

04
Phase 3 — Simulation

Five Futures for Gowanus

Each scenario was built in GAMA — an agent-based simulation platform — using real Gowanus road networks and parking data. Every dot is a car. Every cycle is 10 seconds of simulated time.

Parked in garage
Parked on street
Seeking garage
Seeking street spot
Leaving without parking (overflow)
Scenario 1 of 5
Degraw Street canal edge reference
2026 · Baseline
2026
Today's Gowanus — Street Only

The current state. 300 sampled street spots running at 90% initial occupancy. Demand is balanced — cars arrive, park, dwell, and leave at roughly equal rates. The streets are full but functional.

Street Occupancy
~90%
Overflow
Low
Garages
None
Status
Stable

What this means for residents

  • Streets are nearly full at peak hours — finding a spot takes time
  • Residents and visitors compete for the same curb space
  • The system is at capacity before 8,000 new units arrive
Scenario 2 of 5
2029 no action
2029 · No Action
2029
Five Years On — Doing Nothing

The first wave of rezoning units arrives. Demand increases 30%. Streets push toward 97% occupancy. The overflow chart starts climbing — cars circling the BID unable to find a spot. Purple dots multiply.

Street Occupancy
~97%
Overflow
Growing
Garages
None
Status
Stressed

What this means for residents

  • Residents and new arrivals flood the same streets — visitors are pushed out
  • Local businesses begin losing customers who can't find parking
  • The overflow cars are visible: purple dots leaving without parking
Scenario 3 of 5
2029 mixed garages
2029 · Mixed Garages
2029
Five Years On — Garage Policy Active

Four structured garages open across the BID. Residents are routed to garages first; visitors keep the street spots. Street occupancy drops to 65%. Gold garage circles appear — residents are absorbing into the new system.

Street Occupancy
~65%
Overflow
Near Zero
Garages
4 open
Capacity
320 spots

What this means for residents

  • Residents get guaranteed parking at ~$900/yr subsidized permit rate
  • Street spots freed for visitors — businesses see more foot traffic
  • Permit revenue begins capitalizing the BID fund
Scenario 4 of 5
2034 no intervention
2034 · No Action
2034
Full Buildout — No Intervention

All 8,000 rezoning units occupied. Streets pushed to 99% occupancy. The overflow chart rises steeply — a high and growing stream of cars leaving the BID without parking. Watch the purple dots accumulate.

Street Occupancy
~99%
Overflow
High
Garages
None
Status
Crisis

What this means for residents

  • Streets are functionally at capacity — parking is a daily frustration
  • Every overflow car is a lost customer for a Gowanus business
  • The public realm degrades: streets hostile to pedestrians and cyclists
Scenario 5 of 5
Degraw Street transformation
2034 · Garage Only
2034
Full Buildout — Garage Policy Enforced

Street parking eliminated. Seven garages operate across the BID. All vehicles must use structured parking. Overflow drops to near zero. The freed curb becomes space for people: wider sidewalks, trees, outdoor seating.

Street Spots
Zero
Overflow
Near Zero
Garages
7 open
Capacity
700 spots

What this means for residents

  • Guaranteed parking for all residents via the permit system
  • Freed curb space reclaimed for people — not cars
  • BID parking fund fully operational — self-sustaining revenue loop
05
Overflow Pressure

What Happens When There's No Room?

Cars that can't find parking in the BID don't disappear — they spill outward into surrounding neighborhoods, turning a Gowanus problem into a Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, and Red Hook problem.

BID Occupancy
~90%
Overflow Cars / hr
~12
Streets Affected
Low
Pressure Radius
~1 block
Overflow Pressure
Critical (inside BID)
High (< 200m)
Medium (200–500m)
Low (> 500m)
Overflow car
● Live overflow animation
Without Garage Policy

By 2034, an estimated 80–120 cars per hour are displaced from the BID during peak times. They cruise into Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, and Red Hook — streets not designed to absorb that demand. Residents of neighboring blocks lose parking they've relied on for decades.

With Garage Policy

The 2034 garage-only scenario reduces overflow to near zero. Cars that can't find a garage space leave the area entirely rather than circling neighboring streets. The pressure radius collapses from 500m+ to under 50m — contained within the BID itself.

06
Phase 4 — Prediction

What the Data Shows

Simulation outputs across all five scenarios — comparing occupancy, overflow, and where residents actually end up parking over time.

Street Occupancy % — All Scenarios

Overflow Cars (Cumulative)

Where Residents Park — 2029 Mixed

Garage Occupancy % — Action Scenarios

Garages That Pay for Gowanus

A BID-operated resident permit model turns parking from a burden into a self-sustaining revenue engine for the neighborhood.

2026
Today
  • 2,075 street spots · 90% full
  • Street-only parking
  • No BID parking revenue
  • System already at capacity
2029
Mixed Policy
  • 4 garages open · 320 spots
  • Resident permits launch at ~$900/yr
  • Streets freed to 65% occupancy
  • BID fund capitalized
2034
Garage Only
  • 7 garages · 700+ spots
  • Street parking eliminated
  • BID operates full system
  • Self-funding loop active

The Revenue Flow

Permit fees and visitor rates pool into a BID fund — then flow back into the streets that generated them.

Resident Permits
~$900/yr subsidized vs. $2,400+ market
Visitor Daily Rates
Pay-per-use at BID-operated garages
→
BID Parking Fund
$
Pooled & BID-managed
→
Garage Maintenance
Operations & capital upkeep
BID Operations
Staff, programs & admin
Public Realm Fund
Streetscape & waterfront access
07
Phase 5 — Consensus

Bringing the Community Along

The design process only works if it is transparent and inclusive. Here is how we package each phase of this work for the people it affects.

Vote on parking changes

Click a mapped parking spot to mark what should be protected, removed, or kept neutral, then leave a block-level comment.

Protected 0 Removed 0 Neutral 20 Comments 0
Gowanus parking consensus map
Spot 1
Neutral

Use the map to test tradeoffs publicly. Every vote becomes a prompt for the real conversation: what changes, who is affected, and what needs to be protected?

Recent comments

No comments yet.

Key approaches to consensus building

Different stakeholders need different evidence before a parking transition feels workable.

Simulation imagery makes tradeoffs legible

Higher fidelity visuals help stakeholders react to concrete conditions instead of abstract policy language. Better visuals lead to better and more specific feedback.

Interactive prototypes surface the right questions

What happens if the garage moves to another corner of the BID? Will foot traffic shift away from my business? How far will I need to walk?

Documented feedback builds implementation leverage

Visible resident and business input gives agencies and garage partners a clearer mandate for permits, siting decisions, and public realm tradeoffs.

Community engagement

The same simulation can work on phones, workshop screens, and community board materials.

Mobile input for parking consensus

Mobile input

Residents can vote on specific spots, react to tradeoffs, and leave comments in a fast, accessible format.

Interactive community workshop

Interactive workshops

Shared digital surfaces let neighbors, businesses, and planners test scenarios together in real time.

Community board deliberation

Community board deliberation

Formal meetings are stronger when people arrive with concrete visuals, documented feedback, and clearer areas of agreement.