Urban Design
Streetsblog Basics
Streetfilm: The Transformation of Meat Market Plaza
The past few weeks, we've kept an eye on the rapid progress of Gansevoort Plaza in the Meatpacking District. Lest we forget about its slightly older neighbor to the north, Meat Market Plaza, Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson, Jr. cut together this short video capturing the site (Ninth Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets) before, during, and after construction. The project was completed last fall and is enjoying copious use with the advent of spring.
April 25, 2008
Après Congestion Pricing, It’s Time to Look at the Paris Model
Amsterdam Ave. and 76th St. with street space reallocated to walkers, bikes and buses.
April 15, 2008
In the Heights: City Aims to Make 181st a Complete Street
Buses and trucks jockey for position on 181st Street in Washington Heights
April 15, 2008
Bronx County Courthouse Plaza Gets a Makeover
StreetFilms' Clarence Eckerson took these shots yesterday at the Bronx County Courthouse on Grand Concourse, where an area plagued by illegally parked government employee vehicles has been replaced by a public plaza.
April 11, 2008
Today the Périphérique. Tomorrow the FDR.
Here's an idea to file away for PARK(ing) Day 2008. In this video (which starts to pick up after the :45 mark), Paris Deputy Mayor Denis Baupin narrates Operation "Carré Vert" ("Green Square"), an intervention in which activists re-allocate road space on the Périphérique -- the highway that encircles the city -- in a matter of minutes.
April 10, 2008
Eyes on the Street: Get Ready for the New Gansevoort
The view of Gansevoort Plaza looking west. The area to the right of the construction barrels will be set aside for pedestrian use.
April 9, 2008
Finally, Parking Meters Where Bikes Belong
Sacramento sends cyclists a clear sign that it's okay to hitch your bike to a parking meter.
April 9, 2008
Plan B: Reallocating Street Space To Buses, Bikes & Peds
In a piece from the March issue of Outside Magazine that seems especially relevant today, Tim Sohn writes about public space reform in New York City. His article is accompanied by an illustration of what the future of our city could look like: complete streets with dedicated bus and bike lanes, traffic calming gardens, and sidewalks wide enough to accommodate window shoppers without slowing pedestrian traffic -- none of which would depend on Albany for approval.
April 8, 2008
Tonight: Support a Bike-Friendly North Brooklyn
Congestion pricing may be dead for the moment, but livable streets advocates can't afford to let that sap our strength or motivation. There are plenty of changes to be made that need grassroots support -- and not one iota of approval from Albany -- to reach fruition. One of those measures will face a crucial test later today.
April 8, 2008
Envisioning a More Livable Columbus Avenue
As a candidate for a livable streets makeover, Columbus Avenue is a no-brainer. A block from Central Park, it is home to the American Museum of Natural History and sports a string of active ground floor businesses, but the street itself is a classically car-oriented corridor: three moving lanes sandwiched between two parking lanes. The Columbus Avenue BID has been working with Project for Public Spaces to make the street itself more of a destination -- to create a walkable, transit-oriented "spine" running from the museum to Lincoln Center on Broadway.
March 18, 2008