Revision River: Untangling the Bronx River Parkway

Revision River: Untangling the Bronx River Parkway

The Bronx River, like any river, has always found new courses to flow and places to deposit—to cut and fill. Originally designed by natural systems, the 18th century put much of the design work in the hands of farmers and factory owners who in return put the river back to work for them. Today, the Bronx River and its topographic valley has become a concentrated ribbon of infrastructure that awaits untangling. Aside from the numerous dams and other reach breaks, the consistent culprit is the parkway—the Bronx River Parkway to be exact. As America’s first motor parkway, opening in 1924 after two decades of evictions and persuasions, a secret story of creation has come to light. Upon some talking, walking, modeling, and imagining, it’s not a far cry to picture a more recreation-friendly park-like environment—one that the original public was sold on more than a hundred years ago. Instead of accumulating and engineering new fixes in the tight liminal spaces, perhaps a subtractive mindset can lead to more profound change. Simply put: without the road, the river will breathe again—giving room for meandering exploration of both water and people, as well as aquatic lifeforms searching for NYC’s only freshwater coastal stream. A realignment of dated infrastructure opens the door to a more balanced and beneficial environment for all.