New York City

Architecture From Algae

UCLA's cityLAB sponsored a competition to envision new ways public works projects could be used to improve the country's infrastructure. The winning idea: algae-based urban parks connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.
17 November 2009 - 1:00pm
Fast Company

The Remarkable Rezoning of NYC

Recently the NYC Planning Dept. announced its 100th rezoning since Bloomberg took office. This article takes a spin through the city's remarkable shift in the last 50 years away from industry to business and tourism and a sustainable approach.
16 November 2009 - 2:00pm
New York Observer

Time Shares Go Urban

Urban time shares get a boost as Hilton gets in on the action. A new NYC property is gaining attention and, surprisingly enough, selling units.
13 November 2009 - 11:00am
The New York Times

Bloomberg's Coney Island Dream

NYC has purchased 7 acres of Coney Island from a developer, with the hopes of breathing new life into the People's Playground.
12 November 2009 - 12:00pm
The New York Times

Barroom Dispute Lands Planning Professor in Handcuffs

An argument in a New York City bar elevated to violence recently, when a male Columbia University planning professor punched a woman in the face.
12 November 2009 - 10:00am
The New York Times

New York Tries to Dodge Superfund Status for Canal

New York City's Gowanus Canal has been heavily polluted for years. Mayor Bloomberg said the cleanup would happen, but it never did. Now the EPA is calling the troubled waterway a Superfund site and the city is kickstarting action.
12 November 2009 - 8:00am
The Architect's Newspaper

The Animated History of Midtown Manhattan

This animation from The New York Times examines the history of Midtown Manhattan -- from pristine island environment to bustling metropolis.
31 October 2009 - 5:00am
The New York Times

Hurry Up and Wait

NYC's Mayor Bloomberg oversaw the rezoning of thousands of blocks, yet many of the development projects he envisioned as the key to the city's future success are now stalled or in jeopardy.
29 October 2009 - 2:00pm
The New York Times

Residential Construction Declines Sharply in New York City

2009 is expected to turn out as a bad year for residential constructoin in New York City. After five consecutive years with more than 30,000 units constructed, at total of 6,300 are expected this year.
26 October 2009 - 8:00am
The New York Times

Splicing Planning Students into Community Boards

Planning students from New York-area universities are being integrated into the city's community boards through an innovative new fellowship program.
24 October 2009 - 11:00am
The Architect's Newspaper

Redeveloping Brooklyn's Waterfront Wasteland?

Developers and NYC's Mayor Bloomberg have hit a speed bump in revitalizing the Gowanus Canal. It may be designated as a Superfund site.
23 October 2009 - 8:00am
The New York Times

Connecting New York City's Immigrants With Parks

This piece from Urban Omnibus looks at a collaborative effort in New York City to get immigrant populations better engaged in the city's public parks.
18 October 2009 - 11:00am
Urban Omnibus

42nd Street Light Rail?

Vision 42 has proposed closing NYC's 42nd Street to car traffic and adding light rail along its length. The Mayor isn't interested, but lots of others are.
17 October 2009 - 5:00am
The New York Times

Some New Yorkers Can't See the Forest for the Trees

MillionTreesNYC says they're on track to reach their goal by 2017. Trees provide shade and allay problems of air pollution. They've planted hundreds of thousands of trees already... and received some complaints.
16 October 2009 - 9:00am
Los Angeles Times

Bloomberg's Housing Plan Gains, Loses

Despite the NYC Mayor's progress in preserving or creating affordable housing, overall the city has seen net losses.
15 October 2009 - 2:00pm
The New York Times

Keeping Manufacturing in NYC

This interview with Adam Friedman of the New York Industrial Retention Network, illuminates reasons for retaining manufacturing in NYC, such as sustainability and job creation.
9 October 2009 - 8:00am
Urban Omnibus

NYC Subway Riders Need Help!

Cuts in MTA staff in subway stations leave transit riders lost, feeling unsafe. Vendors and repair staff are reluctantly picking up the slack.
8 October 2009 - 2:00pm
The New York Times

International Walk to School Day/ Livable Streets Education Invade Washington Square

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 04:45

Did you know that yesterday was International Walk to School Day? While many communities may have let this important public awareness opportunity pass by, New York City public school students were out in full force. Perhaps one would expect nothing less in a city where 80% of students already walk to school (transit trips require walking, too!). 

Municipal Vaporware: Why NYC's Data Mine is A Data Dump

Tue, 10/06/2009 - 10:55
This morning, Mayor Mike Bloomberg unveiled New York City's long-awaited Big Apps contest. Big Apps seeks to promote the Internet industry in the Big Apple (it's sponsored by the New York City Economic Development Corporation) and make local government more transparent.

I've been following the evolution of open data initiatives at the municipal level for about a year now, and was really hoping that New York was going to set the bar for future efforts across the country. It doesn't. In fact it's hard to understand why some notable local tech superstars like investors Fred Wilson and John Borthwick would sign on to such a lame effort.

Seeing the Unbuilt City

A new iPhone App/public art experience allows the user to take a stroll through New York City and 'see' visionary buildings that never got built, ranging from Buckminster Fuller's dome to Antoni Gaudi's cathedral.
2 October 2009 - 7:00am
BLDBLOG
Syndicate content