The possibility of many more urban dwellers driving than ever before, even in transit-rich locations like New York City, is still very real.
"A Manhattan garage operator is betting that city dwellers in the Covid age are driving more, and would pay a premium for a personal place to put their cars," reports Oshrat Carmiel.
"Centerpark converted an Upper East Side garage into a condominium -- but instead of apartments, it’s selling 23 parking spaces, and hired a luxury real estate broker to market them for sale to the public for as much as $350,000 each."
Kirsten Jordan, the Douglas Elliman Real Estate broker who’s marketing the units, is quoted in the article saying the new, Covid-era twist on adaptive reuse is designed specifically in response to anticipating the needs of New Yorkers with no plans to return to the subway.
The data would seem to support that assumption, according to Carmiel, even after so many months of pandemic living. "As of mid-July, weekday subway ridership had plummeted 54% from the pre-Covid days, according to the Partnership for New York City. The number of city-bound travelers on the suburban commuter rails was down more than half."
The increased demand for parking in New York City has also been evident in the political controversies regarding outdoor dining and bus-only lanes around the city.
FULL STORY: Manhattan’s Newest Covid-Age Real Estate Bet: Condos for Cars
New York MTA Cuts Bus Service
The transit crisis continues.
Tracking the New York Subway's Uneven Recovery
Ridership on the New York Subway has a long way to go to return to pre-pandemic normal, and the setbacks of recent months haven't helped the cause.
NYC Transit Ridership Patterns Have Shifted to the Outer Boroughs
Signs of the times, and more evidence of the essential service provided by public transit throughout the pandemic.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association