Search AZ Awards ...
Awards By Category
Gowanus Atlas, AZ Awards 2019, Social Good

Brooklyn, New York’s Gowanus district is, like so many neighbourhoods in the borough, facing rapid changes. The area’s namesake, the Gowanus Canal, a polluted waterway from the 19th century, has been earmarked for a publicly funded cleanup initiative that will inevitably lead to gentrification and rising land-use costs. To give residents a voice during these uncertain times, Gowanus by Design, a local non-profit co-founded by architect David Briggs, created the Gowanus Atlas website. The digital atlas includes a detailed map of the region, with stories and anecdotes about its history. It also has a data repository that will soon store up-to-date information on air quality, environmental changes and access to affordable food and housing. Finally, it is a public forum: Residents can submit videos expressing their aspirations for the neighbourhood – or their anxieties about what the future holds. You can think of the site as a museum, a data portal and a town hall, all in one virtual location. 

Project Gowanus Atlas Firm Loci Architecture, U.S. Team David Briggs with Elise McCurley and Benjamin Wellington

People’s Choice: Social Good
Gowanus Atlas

Explore more Award Winners

2023
People’s ChoiceSocial Good
Location
Masoro, Rwanda
Firm
General Architecture Collaborative, Rwanda
2019
Award of MeritSocial Good
Location
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Firm
El Dorado, U.S.
2018
Winner + People’s ChoiceSocial Good
Location
Toronto, Canada
Firm
Hariri Pontarini Architects, Toronto, Canada