The Interborough Express (IBX) is a proposed transit line connecting Queens and Brooklyn that could be one of the most significant new transit lines in the nation. The corridor follows an underutilized freight rail corridor that weaves its way through densely populated neighborhoods with considerable demand for new transit. While there have been several proposals to reuse the corridor, in a city like New York with so many major infrastructure needs, plans for the corridor never gained real momentum. In 2020, the MTA decided to take a fresh look at the feasibility of using the freight corridor for a new transit line, redubbed the IBX.
Foursquare ITP was brought in to help summarize and communicate the results of the study, which encompassed over a thousand pages of technical analysis. We set out to create an engaging and succinct report that would summarize the results of detailed technical work while capturing the public’s imagination. We helped communicate why the project matters through graphics, carefully crafted narrative, and 3D renderings, which also identified what the project could look like and illustrated the benefits it would provide.
The project caught the attention of the public and elected officials, including the Governor of New York, who threw her support behind the IBX. In early 2021, New York’s Governor held a press event presenting the project to the public, flanked by monitors showing the renderings developed by Foursquare ITP. She then directed the MTA to begin the environmental review process to identify the best mode of transit for the project. Foursquare ITP continued its involvement with the project, helping prepare early environmental review documents and further visualizations of the refined alternatives.
Solutions and Outcomes
- Created highly effective visualizations and 3D renderings, which generated support for the project from the Governor and key stakeholders, leading to the state’s commitment to move the plans into the next phase of study.
