The North Flatbush Business Improvement District has secured the expertise of a landscape architect/urban planner to come up with a plan to improve the flow and functionality of Flatbush from Atlantic to Plaza Streets. A preliminary meeting was held on April 22, 2009 during which the firm offered preliminary ideas on what was possible and what other cities had done when confronted by similar circumstances. The unique challenges that Flatbush offers planners is that it is an integral transit arterial - and has been since Brooklyn was spelled Bruekelen - and divides two complementary neighborhoods through the angular intersections and extra long crossing times. In addition, there is a flow issue as one descends to Atlantic or climbs to Plaza. All these have implications for planning. Focus was on the small triangles found at St. Marks, Carlton, Plaza Street as these streetscape triangles offer opportunities to think creatively beyond small bushes and some mild pedestrian refuge. In addition, the sidewalks are quite wide relatively speaking which affords some small degree of creativity for creating segregated areas for pedestrians, bike racks, signage, trees, etc. as opposed to the random placements in existence today. Unfortunately we are limited in the trees that we can add as there is so much activity going on under the sidewalk. The next step is to come up with some specific ideas for Flatbush which will presented at a meeting at the end of May.