The QueensWay Project is a community-led planning initiative to turn a 3.5 mile long stretch of abandoned railroad in Queens into a public greenway. In 2013, the Trust for Public Land commissioned a feasibility study of the Queensway, and Hester Street (HST) served as community engagement consultant on a team led by wxy architecture + urban design and dlandstudio. HST’s work included leading a series of visioning workshops in fall 2013 and spring 2014, and developing a mobile outreach tool to gather input from community members unable to attend evening workshops.
The Mobile Outreach Toolkit is a portable community engagement instrument, which contains a series of game-like activities to create a welcoming and enjoyable space for feedback. The activities within the toolkit help to explain the process of the QueensWay feasibility study, answer frequently asked questions, and gather ideas from a diverse range of constituents about what they would like to see in this potential open space. The toolkit was deployed in schools, at community meetings, and with local non-profit groups in the neighborhoods around the QueensWay.