Brooklyn

Pop Quiz: What's the Difference Between Aerobic Decomposition and Anaerobic Digestion?

Yes, one is with and the other without oxygen, and both divert waste from the landfill—but in terms of the end products, what is the advantage of anaerobic digestion? Simply put, does society face a shortage of compost or renewable energy?

March 14, 2014 - NPR Morning Edition

Whole Foods as Gentrification Bellwether

Whole Foods' newest store in Gowanus, Brooklyn is causing local vendors and artists to tread "a fine line" between reaching new customers and supporting what they think of as new, "big" development.

December 23, 2013 - The New Yorker

Breakthrough Building is Assembled Like an Airplane Engine

In Brooklyn's Navy Yard, the largest modular high-rise building in the world is being assembled one floor at a time by teams of 10 to 15 union workers. Sydney Brownstone tours the milestone in modular construction.

October 28, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Brooklyn Brands Borough's First Bike-Friendly Business District

One of Brooklyn's busiest streets has been branded a "Bike-Friendly Business District", with cyclists offered discounts at participating stores. But without plans for a dedicated bike lane, cycling advocates are skeptical of the pronouncements.

October 11, 2013 - The Brooklyn Paper

Community Benefits Agreement in Brooklyn Draws Criticism from Local Organizations

An agreement between Related Developers and a community organization that has gotten substantial support from an area councilman to support a job training and referral program draws criticism from some groups who feel left out.

August 25, 2013 - City Limits

Prospect Park Bike Lane

Got Protected Bike Lanes?

While Angie Schmitt doesn't ask this question in her article on the movement behind these lanes, she writes that cities without them "are being left behind". They're popular because they effectively address the #1 reason for not riding: safety

August 7, 2013 - Momentum Magazine

Can a Temporary Park Change Lifestyles in Brooklyn?

A pop-up park in Williamsburg has brought bike tracks, an urban farm, an outdoor 'reading room', and other amenities to Brooklyn's historically industrial waterfront. Can the temporary oasis bring lasting change to its users?

July 22, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Burying Parking Lot Paves Way for Planting Paradise

For nearly a decade, the City of New York has sought to build Willoughby Square, a marquee public space in downtown Brooklyn. Thanks to a city-brokered agreement, a 'high-tech, mammoth underground garage' will help finance construction of the square.

July 11, 2013 - The New York Times

Empty Parking Lot

From Peak Car to Peak Parking?

Fewer cars on the road, less driving, why not fewer parking spots? Cities like D.C., L.A., Denver, Philadelphia are responding by reducing or eliminating parking minimums, while Portland, which had already eliminated them, are bringing them back.

July 10, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

On the Limits of Social Change Through Design

Ginia Bellafante looks at the fate of a public housing project conceived with much fanfare in the early 1970s by progressive architects following the theory of 'Defensible Space' authored by architect and planner Oscar Newman.

June 3, 2013 - The New York Times

Epidemic of Condo Clones Spreads in Brooklyn

What's the deal with the Belvedere "brand" of similar looking condominium buildings that have sprouted over the last decade in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn? Elizabeth A. Harris investigates.

May 14, 2013 - The New York Times

Urban Camouflage: Using Buildings to Disguise Infrastructure

The infrastructure necessary to keep a city's systems running can frankly get kind of ugly. See what some cities have done to help disguise unsightly infrastructure.

May 4, 2013 - WebUrbanist

Excitement Builds as First New York Bike-Share Stations Deployed

Brooklyn Spoke excitedly reports on the first sightings of what will eventually become the largest bike-share system in the United States. NYC DOT has begun installing docking stations throughout the city.

April 10, 2013 - Brooklyn Spoke

Is a New Cobblestone a Better Cobblestone?

In Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, NYCDOT is looking to replace the area's historic cobblestones with artificially aged new ones to improve accessibility and bike-friendliness. Preservationists and residents are aghast at the "phony urbanism."

March 31, 2013 - The New York Times

A Cultural Mecca Grows in Brooklyn

With the Bloomberg administration's investments in transforming the area around the acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music finally bearing fruit, the emerging cultural district is earning comparisons to the city's premier arts hub - Lincoln Center.

March 29, 2013 - The Real Deal

How New York's Hasidim Solved the City's Affordable Housing Problem

The certainly won't win any design awards, but new multi-family residential buildings erected by Hasidic developers in Brooklyn show that it's possible to build spacious and cheap housing in New York for families small and large.

March 28, 2013 - The New York Observer

Filmmaker Tells Her Side of Williamsburg's Gentrification Story

As SHoP unveils massive redevelopment plans for the Domino Factory site in Williamsburg, Su Friedrich rails against the gentrification that has already transformed the neighborhood in her film Gut Renovation, which premiered at Film Forum last week.

March 15, 2013 - Architectural Record

Refined Plans Unveiled for Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Site

Alan G. Brake outlines the redesigned plans to develop the site of the historic Domino Sugar refinery along Brooklyn's East River waterfront. The $1.5 billion plan is the latest, and perhaps last, turn in the site's tortured redevelopment saga.

March 5, 2013 - The Architect's Newspaper

Dobbs Ferry

Bred in Brooklyn, Hipsters Now Colonizing the Suburbs

Facing increasing property prices, Brooklyn's hipsters must decide whether to abandon their lifestyle and recreate it "upstate."

February 18, 2013 - New York Times

Film Review: Gentrification and Rezoning in Downtown Brooklyn

Kelly Anderson's documentary My Brooklyn tells the story of gentrification through the lens of corporate interests in urban planning.

February 4, 2013 - Hyperallergic

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