5th Avenue anchors much of daily life in Park Slope, but its streetscape hasn’t kept up with the demands placed on it. Sidewalks are narrow. Crossings feel rushed. Stormwater floods the street during heavy rain, damaging more than 30 small businesses in 2023 alone. As the corridor grows busier and use increases, the street needs a design that meets the needs of everyone who uses it.

WXY partnered with the Park Slope 5th Avenue BID to reimagine the avenue as a people-first corridor that supports both neighborhood life and commercial activity. The plan widens sidewalks, improves crossings, adds trees and plantings to manage heat and stormwater, and clarifies bike routes to reduce conflict. It introduces new plazas and gateways along the 30-block stretch, creating small spaces that offer people a chance to pause, meet, or move more freely.

The framework is built from local insight. Through workshops and surveys, residents, workers, business owners, and visitors described what they needed, including safer intersections, more outdoor dining, greener edges, and more room to walk.

WXY translated this input into a set of design strategies that reflect the corridor’s daily rhythm. The result is a clear roadmap for near-term upgrades and long-term capital investment, shaped by the people who use the street every day.

The vision strengthens local businesses by drawing more foot traffic and improving conditions for outdoor dining and deliveries. Wider sidewalks make room for trees, seating, and steady pedestrian flow. Safer crossings reconnect the avenue to schools, parks, and nearby institutions. Green infrastructure helps prevent flooding. Clearer bike routes make the corridor safer for cyclists and more predictable for everyone.

The framework gives Park Slope a model for a street that moves better, works harder, and feels more welcoming. And can serve as an example for other districts as they rethink their own commercial corridors.