It’s been almost 100 years in the making, but on January 1, 2017 the new subway extension along Second Avenue opened to the public! What took so long? Who decides where and when subways get built?

CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Nora Rodriguez and public high school students from Life Sciences Secondary School to dig deep into the new Q train extension.

Students hit the streets to survey commuters in the neighborhood, speak with policy makers, and tunnel into the topic of subway construction. The group gathered what they learned and created, The Who in the Q!, a booklet that presents the scoop on how subways get built and how public transportation can impact neighborhoods.

Students debuted their project at Life Sciences Secondary School, where they presented their booklet, demonstrated their interview skills, and shared their creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

Check out some stop-motion animation students created to visualize their ideal subway system and to process information collected from community surveys below! 

What People are Saying

“This project made me think differently about how stuff gets built in the city. It made me notice the different transportation routes and how they connect to one another.” - Diamond Jones, student

“The project made me think about the city differently because it actually made understanding the subway system easier.” - Hydia Frazier, student

Funding Support

Major support for this program was provided by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Council Member Ben Kallos

Special Thanks

Deja Holden, Jorge L. Ventura Ovalles, Jen Robinson, and Stephanie Yee

Participants

  • CUP
  • Teaching Artist
  • Nora Rodriguez
  • Project Lead
  • Fielding Hong
  • Project Support
  • Jenn Anne Williams
  • Life Sciences Secondary School 
  • Students
  • Correann Anderson
  • Ania Anis
  • Shinelle Ferron
  • Hydia Frazier
  • Diamond Jones
  • Nadia Kharoufi
  • Christian Marrero
  • Kiah Neal
  • Destiny Ortiz
  • Christopher Roque
  • Principal
  • Kim Swanson
  • Classroom Teacher
  • Shari Forrest