An architect wants to turn New York's busiest avenue into an enormous park

An architecture firm has a bold plan to turn 40 blocks of New York City's busiest avenue into a giant park.

If the Perkins Eastman Architects plan goes through, Broadway would transform into a street exclusively for pedestrians. The proposed park would be one of the largest urban redesigns in the city's history.

"The center spine of Manhattan is not a vehicle destination any longer," the firm's principal Johnathan Cohn tells Tech Insider. "No businesses along Broadway depend on easy access by people in private cars. And Broadway is not well served by vehicles in any case." 

Here's what a greener New York City would look like.

The Green Line would span from Columbus Circle to Union Square. Only pedestrians and bikers would be able to pass, with exceptions for ambulances and police cars, Cohn says.

The diagonal park would also serve as a shortcut through the city, connecting Times Square, Madison Garden, and Herald Square.

"Vehicles compete for space with pedestrians on city streets and have an unfair advantage," Cohn says. "Over 1,000 people die from traffic crashes every year here. We think it is reasonable to find ways to privilege the pedestrian over the car."