Suburban Nation co-author Jeff Speck cracks the new New York Street Design Manual and finds a lot of useful material and some that falls short.
"[F]irst, let's dispense with the obligatory assessment: Do you need to buy this $35 book? Yes, if you are involved in any way in the design of city streets. Yes, also, if you can plop it on the lap of someone who is. Since this collection of best practices is put forward as the recommended policy of our nation's biggest city, its potential clout makes up for any flaws or limitations in its contents. Of course, its only weakness as a political tool stems necessarily from the same source: I can already hear my Midwestern clients complaining that they don't want to become New York. But we know that deep down, just a little bit, most of them would like to share some of the magic of America's most sustainable city."
Read the full story: New Words on the Block
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