Public Space
Streetsblog Basics
An NYC First: On-Street Parking Spaces Replaced by Bike Racks
The new bike racks have been installed at the Bedford Avenue L subway station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As the Dept. of Transportation announces in today's press release, "The
facility marks the first time car parking spaces have been removed to
accommodate bicycle parking in New York City."
July 12, 2007
It’s Getting Better All the Time
NYC is ChangingA StreetFilm by Clarence Eckerson Jr.
Running Time: 1 minute 55 seconds
July 9, 2007
Push to Declutter England’s Streets
The British government's advisor on architecture, urban design and public space just launched a campaign to "declutter" England's streets of thousands of signs and barriers, arguing that the rampant signage may actually result in more perilous streets for pedestrians. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) urged local councils and planners to adopt a radical new approach to street design, taking into account "the needs of pedestrians as well as motorists." The Guardian reports:
July 6, 2007
The Suburbanist Paradox
The Atlantic Monthly's Matthew Yglesias argues that high-density living is a key strategy to fight climate change. Yglesias takes issue with fellow Atlantic Online blogger Ross Douthat and author Joel Kotkin, who defend suburban sprawl -- what James Kunstler has famously called "the most destructive development pattern the world has ever seen, and perhaps the greatest misallocation of resources the world has ever known." Reporting on a recent talk by Kotkin, Douthat writes:
July 6, 2007
Rage on the Bikeway
The Boston Globe ran a front-page story yesterday about confrontations among users of the super-popular tree-lined Minuteman Bikeway in Boston. Police have already filed more reports of clashes between users of the bikeway this year than the previous two combined. As the Arlington Police Chief noted, "We have road rage, and now we have bikeway rage."
July 2, 2007
Berlin’s Bicycle Boom
Committed to making cycling a viable form of transportation, the Berlin Senate measures the success of that city's bicycle network by the prevalence of cyclists in the overall traffic mix -- rather than the way New York's DOT does, by the miles of bike lanes built. Via TreeHugger:
July 2, 2007
Go to Car-Free Governors Island
Go to Governor's Island!
A StreetFilm by Clarence Eckerson Jr. and Trorb Productions
Running Time: 4 minutes 18 seconds
June 29, 2007
City: Commuter Needs Will Factor into High Bridge Plan
A restored High Bridge will be open to commuting cyclists and pedestrians, but access time could be limited, officials said last week.
June 26, 2007
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative Benefit This Thursday
When I first met Brian McCormick, Milton Puryear and Meg Fellerath in the spring of 2002, they were picking up trash and planting tulips alongside a Brooklyn-Queens Expressway off-ramp in Cobble Hill. I asked them what they were up to and they told me they were working to create a waterfront greenway for Brooklyn -- a linear park running from Greenpoint to Red Hook. I didn't have the heart to tell them they looked like a gang of juvenile delinquents paying off 40 hours of community service for shop-lifting. Clearly, these people were either insane or visionary.
June 25, 2007