Aaron Donovan

An information community forum, with presentation and discussion on Vision 42, a cross-town light rail proposal for 42nd Street.

Walk down almost any street in Harlem and you will see a transformation underway. Changing Streetscapes highlights recent construction and development in five areas: housing, commercial development, cultural and institutional projects, and landscape and planning. This exhibit offers a snapshot of the unfolding fabric of Harlem. The City College Architectural Center has documented the transformation underway with photos and architectural renderings of recent residential and commercial redevelopment.

A groundbreaking conference exploring the promise and practice of regional land use planning in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, on the 25th Anniversary of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan.

WHO: Andrew Leslie Phillips WHERE: Friends Meeting House, 15 Rutherford Place on 15th Street between Second and Third Avenues, Manhattan WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006; 6:30 p.m. COST: Free, $1 or $2 donation appreciated SPONSORS: Neighborhood Energy Network, Friends in Unity with Nature, NYC Peak Oil Meet-up We live at a confluence in history. Peak oil and climate … Continued

As new parks develop and congestion increases, will traffic need to be further curbed to accommodate park goers? Or can traffic and parks co-exist peacefully in our burgeoning city? Join Henry J. Stern, President, NYCivic, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Transportation Alternatives' Executive Director Paul Steely White, and others for an evening of discussion and debate. Presented as a part of the Museum of the City of New York's ongoing Civic Talks series developed in collaboration with NYCivic.

This week we have two separate instances of children killed horsing around on the street. Kids, be careful out there. Also, it seems like we've had a lot of bus crashes lately.

The Times had an interesting article yesterday for which a reporter drove through the Midwest to find out how ethanol users, distributors and producers are adjusting to the new fuel blend. One of the most striking things was that use of ethanol is accompanied by a sense of patriotic pride. One person, for example, says, "We are in favor of alternative energy forms, especially those produced here in the United States." Trade associations and state governments are pushing for more ethanol use.

I had dinner last Saturday with a couple of people at Enzo's Cafe on Arthur Avenue after a day spent helping prepare the route for the New York City Century bicycle tour, which this year will be sending twice as many people to the Bronx as it has in the past.

Demonstrating that New York isn't the only place with traffic fatalities, this week we learn that roadside memorials to those killed in traffic crashes have become a business in Chicago. As for our area ...