A new musical comedy, "In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards," brings song and dance to the conflict over the redevelopment of the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn. The NY Times reviews it as "fresh, inventive"...and "entertaining."
Writes Charles Isherwood:
"As subjects for musical comedy go, it would be hard to fathom anything less promising than the legal intricacies of the concept of eminent domain. Or, for that matter, the socioeconomic diversity of the crazy quilt of Brooklyn neighborhoods. The great Stephen Sondheim himself might find it tricky work to make lyrical magic of the relationships among the various civic entitites charged with approving land-use deals in New York City."
"Yet these matters are rhapsodized in song with style and wit in the spirited new show from the Civilians, "In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards," which opened on Monday night at the Irondale Arts Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, within a demolition ball's swing of the site in contention.
FULL STORY: A Brooklyn Civics Lesson, Offered in Word and Song
The Great Brooklyn Bait-and-Switch
No one should be surprised that at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards site, nothing is, or ever will be, as promised, writes columnist Roberta Brades Gratz.
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A new park on the East River in Williamsburg adds "one hell of an amenity" to Brooklyn.
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Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
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California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
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