The removal of two vehicle lanes will make way for pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and public space.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced new design concepts that would pedestrianize parts of the city’s famed Park Avenue for 11 blocks between 46th and 57th street. The designs would add plants, seating and “streetscape amenities,” and remove one vehicle travel lane in each direction.
AMNY reports: “Officials said this would allow medians to expand and accommodate seating, plantings and other pedestrian and cycling amenities. New crosswalks would connect the medians along the corridor. Details on bike lane connections have not been announced yet. However, transit reps said potential cycling improvements are being studied in coordination with the city’s broader bike network. A typical median could include planting areas, a north-south bike lane and a pedestrian pathway.”
The plan was originally set into motion a year ago by former mayor Eric Adams. The city will continue collecting public feedback through May.
Read the full story below.
FULL STORY: DOT to cut driving lanes on Park Avenue to allow more green space, pedestrian safety
The Once and Future Park Avenue Promenade
The debate about whether the pedestrian-oriented changes made to the New York City streetscape during the pandemic should be permanent has a high-profile battleground on Park Avenue.
Even 'Starchitects' Need a Good Pitch to Win
'Starchitects' compete for prime real estate in New York City, and selling their stuff isn’t as easy as one might think. See four famous architects in action as they pitch designs for a new office tower on Park Avenue.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
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.
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