Friday, October 1st, 2010 at noon
Allen Street Pedestrian Malls (between Houston & Delancey)

Last week, while walking south of Houston (SoHo) I noticed a group of people huddled around a circle, looking bogged down from the heat waiting to make a move. They turned out to be architects and local artists creating a series of urban mini-landscapes down the narrow strip of Allen Street in the Lower East Side.

Through the Hester Street Collaborative and public funding, this Summer we will see circles of maps with handmade benches transform the once-rundown strip full of trash and reeking smells, into a pretty and welcoming passage. I’m really excited to see this long-neglected path finally revamped into being a pleasant walkway. Dylan House, who’s one of the leading architects of the project shares optimistic thoughts about the little changes happening in our urban landscape, such as more bike lanes and even installing bike traffic lights! The completion date, with the help of many volunteers, should be by the end of August. Don’t expect this installation to be around for long though, it’ll probably come down in a few months, so don’t miss out on the rotating benches made out of recycled rubber tires and found wood.

Artists involved: Dylan House, Carolina Cisneros, Mateo Pinto, Marcelo Ertorteguy, and Sara Valente.