Gateways to Chinatown

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), in collaboration with the Chinatown Partnership and Van Alen Institute today launched Gateways to Chinatown, an initiative seeking innovative proposals to plan, design, and construct an iconic contemporary neighborhood marker at the nexus of Manhattan’s Chinatown and the southern entrance to Little Italy’s historic Mott Street. Straddling art and architecture, symbolism and function, the new structure and public space aims to become a vibrant place of exchange at the center of one of New York City’s most dynamic and historically rich areas.

The overarching goal of Gateways to Chinatown is to provide a new landmark for Chinatown and the surrounding neighborhoods that will engender pride of place, embody cultural and social identities, and stimulate economic development. This new structure and public space will be located on a triangular traffic island in a key pedestrian area bounded by Canal Street, Baxter Street, and Walker Street, informally known as the Canal Street Triangle. Gateways to Chinatown invites design teams from a range of backgrounds to submit proposals to activate the space, honoring neighborhoods past and present while incorporating interactive technologies and enhanced green space. The team, which will be selected later this year, will have a $900,000 budget to design and implement their proposal, and will begin working with the community in early 2018.

The project organizers ask prospective design teams to consider the following questions:

• How can the site serve as a “gateway” responding to tradition as well as adapting to ever-changing cultural and generational demographics and technology?
• How can the gateway connect and bring together existing communities and create new opportunities for both locals and visitors to experience the area in fresh ways?
• How can the gateway site link to other gateways within Chinatown, across the city and around the world?

This project was initiated by Chinatown Partnership and is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is funded through Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Manhattan Borough President’s Office.