For 21 years this urban St. Nick has been delighting visitors to the South Street Seaport in New York.
A true New Yorker, this Santa takes the subway to work, and lives in a rent controlled apartment. He has greeted politicians and children alike, and has been doing so for over 2 decades, making him one of the longest-running Santas at any one location in the city. He is 83 years old and one of his friends, a local shopkeeper once told him "Please. I know you as Santa, and you are my Santa, and I don't want to know you as anything else. "
Thanks to Ken Firestone
FULL STORY: After 21 Years at the South Street Seaport, Still Believing in Santa Claus
Manhattan Preservation Groups Block New Development—On a ‘Historic’ Parking Lot
A judge ruled against a decision by the Landmarks Preservation Commission to approve a 324-tower in the South Street Seaport Historic District, highlighting the tensions in a city facing a dearth of affordable housing.
MTA Poised to Break Ridership, On-Time Service Records
New York City’s transit system saw strong increases in ridership and improvements in service quality in the first half of 2025.
Aging NYC Subway Cars No Match for Extreme Heat
The MTA receives thousands of complaints about broken air conditioning on subway cars each summer.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie