The city's plans to overhaul Kimlau Square in Chinatown reclaims more streetscape from cars for people, but residents urged officials to think bigger in an area that is predominantly pedestrian. The redesign unveiled on Tuesday would flip the plaza from the east to the west side of the Bowery, near Worth Street, and straighten out the seven-way intersection around it.
Text description provided by the architects. The road that borders the south side of the site is a culvert that was once the old Kanda River, which meandered through this area. This natural river was modernized for flood control and was slightly rerouted to become a straight, artificial river running north to south. Meanwhile, the original river was landfilled and turned into a narrow street, and the surrounding area was developed into residential land.