Public Space
Streetsblog Basics
City Subsidizing Boater Parking
The New York Times reports that the comptroller's office is concerned about possible fraud at the Parks Department's 79th Street Boat Basin. Buried in the piece is the small revelation that the Parks Department offers off-street car parking at far below market rates to boaters moored there.
February 4, 2008
Fate of Pier 40 Could Be Determined Tomorrow
Tomorrow the Hudson River Park Trust is set to vote on a plan by the Related Companies to redevelop Pier 40 on W. Houston Street as a ~$600 million entertainment complex, which would include a permanent home for Cirque du Soleil and the Tribeca Film Festival, and would draw thousands of visitors per day.
January 30, 2008
NYPD Tow Pound is Still a Major Source of Greenway Danger
As Transportation Alternatives recently noted in an essay for Streetsblog,
more than a year after the death of Eric Ng, the alphabet soup of government agencies
responsible for the Hudson River Greenway, have done almost nothing to fix glaring safety problems along New York City's most important bike route.
January 17, 2008
Will the Tide Turn on City Parking Policy?
A few weeks back Atlantic Yards Report posted a compendium of recent writings that point to the contradictions inherent in, and problems resulting from, parking requirements for urban development plans.
January 15, 2008
Another New Bike Shelter
Abby King of Transportation Alternatives spotted another one of those fancy new bike shelters that are popping up in select locations throughout the city. This one is next to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square.
January 11, 2008
What if DOT Simply Forgot to Open the Parks to Traffic?
This holiday season, users of Central and Prospect Parks got an unexpected and welcome gift after years of finding coal (and exhaust) in their stockings. Interestingly, the sources of that exhaust didn't seem to complain (or perhaps even notice) that things had changed.
January 11, 2008
Times Square: Too Many People, or Just Too Many Cars?
Why is Times Square so crowded?
January 10, 2008
StreetFilm: How to Use a Bike Box
The New York Times doesn't seem to have noticed, but DOT has been quietly rolling out dozens of bike boxes all over the city. As many cyclists don't seem to know exactly what bike boxes are or how to use them yet, StreetFilms thought the time was right for this instructional video.
January 10, 2008
What is Your Idea for Grand Army Plaza?
The Grand Army Plaza Coalition, which recently won a grant from the Design Trust for Public Spaces, has launched an Ideas Competition for its Reinventing Grand Army Plaza project. If you want to participate, answer the following questions in full sentences, and email your responses by the end of the week to survey@reinventingGAP.org.
January 8, 2008
A Year After Eric Ng’s Death, Greenway Hazards Remain Unfixed
This piece was written by Transportation Alternatives:
January 4, 2008