Construction on the Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar, a potential legacy project for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, was supposed to begin in 2019. The fate of the heavily debated project will rest with the next mayor.
"A 16-mile streetcar line along the East River in Brooklyn and Queens was going to be one of Mayor Bill de Blasio's signature projects, expanding transportation access to neighborhoods like Red Hook that are relatively far from the subway," writes Dan Rivoli.
But with the original expected construction date already well past, Mayor de Blasio has conceded that the fate of the Brooklyn-Queens Connector will rest with the city's next mayor, who will be elected in 2021.
"The project has faced mounting challenges, including questions about de Blasio's plan to pay for it with tax revenues from new development along the line. Three years ago, he downsized the plan to 11 miles, but raised the cost and called for federal financing," explains Rivoli of the numerous roadblocks the streetcar was navigating before the pandemic. Since the pandemic, the project has ground to a halt.
NY1 reached out to nine Democratic candidates for mayor, finding just one, Loree Sutton, who vowed to build the streetcar. Sutton has since dropped out of the race.
FULL STORY: Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Is in Hands of Next Mayor, But No Democrat Running Fully Embraces It
The Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Plan Won't Die
The Brooklyn-Queens Connector, known as the BQX streetcar, was spotted making plans on the Internet earlier this month.
Brooklyn-Queens Connector Streetcar Plans Released
Plans for the Brooklyn-Queens Connector, otherwise known as the BQX, are still on the table, despite reports of the project's demise.
BQX Streetcar Lacks Funding in de Blasio's Proposed Budget
It's been awhile since the proposed BQX Streetcar project had any forward momentum in New York City.
The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.
New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.
A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.
Ranking Exclusionary Zoning: D.C., New York Metro Areas Top the List
A new database measures the restrictiveness of exclusionary zoning practices around the country. Exclusionary zoning, it turns out, is much more prevalent than commonly acknowledged.
Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Rates of Pedestrian Deaths, Study Says
The consequences of historic redlining continue to have consequences in the present day United States. Add another example to the list.
Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
