The park lies in a former industrial area on the shore of the East River estuary in Long Island City, which is the westernmost point of the Queens Borough. Once decrepit and polluted, the shoreline now serves as an example of green urban solutions and a true innovative and sustainable design laboratory. The territory’s industrial heritage and stunning city panorama form the foundation for a multi-level cultural and recreation center. Thanks to the harmony between the infrastructure, the landscape, and the architecture, the postindustrial shores of the East River have been transformed into an eco-corridor, capable of withstanding the local floods and overflows without damaging the environment. This park forms an integrated technological and environmental system, with minimal use of energy from non-renewable sources, excellent water conservation, and optimized technical maintenance which, when all put together, creates a thriving and productive urban environment.

The park is part of a walking and cycling route that runs along the Milwaukee River and links the city center with the bank of Lake Michigan. The park uses an eco-friendly water collection system that uses river, ground, and rain water to irrigate the surrounding marshlands. The key idea of the park’s design is to make the events, public spaces, and environment as diverse as possible, while also paying homage to the territory’s historical heritage. Some of the most notable design features include yellow fiberglass benches with LED lights inside them, the use of the region’s native meadow vegetation, and wooden walkways with uneven edges that blend into the plants. When it comes to event hosting, Erie Street Plaza has an extensive schedule, including art exhibitions, meetings, concerts, film screenings, weddings, festivals, farmers’ markets, winter carnivals, and everyday activities like boat-watching, fishing, sunbathing, or just passing the time.

Te Ara Manawa means “a path among mangrove forests”. This park, which is home to a cycling and walking path along the shore of Catalina Bay, links the neighboring districts of Hobsonville together and reflects their history and unique features: until very recently, this area was home to an old Royal New Zealand Air Force base, and some of the military structures have been left standing as ruins to be explored by curious visitors or converted into public spaces. It is a place where people can reconnect with nature, starkly contrasting with the peninsula’s dense development areas, through rest and contemplation. The park’s recreation infrastructure includes an embankment, wooden walkways among mangrove trees, bridges across overgrown ravines, elevated picnic spaces with harbor views, sculptures and art installations that are part of the landscape, as well as playgrounds and recreation spaces for children and teenagers.