Design team chosen for Hudson Square

The Business Improvement District in Lower Manhattan, officially known as Hudson Square Connection, announced today that it has chosen a team of seven firms to design streetscapes that would better reflect the area’s creative character, Crain’s reported. The team — led by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects — will have until the end of next year to draw up specific plans for the neighborhood, which is bound by West Houston Street on the north, Canal Street on the south, Sixth Avenue on the east and Greenwich Street on the west. The area is known for its early 20th century art deco buildings, many of which housed printing companies, and which are now modern loft-like office buildings. Since it is still in early stages, details of the plan have yet to be fleshed out. “Everything is on the table,” said Ellen Baer, president of the Hudson Square Connection. She added that they will work closely with the city and the Department of Transportation in developing a plan. [Crain’s]