Countless street-gazing tourists and residents of New York have wondered what the mysterious markings - one that looks like a blue poker chip, the other a yellow E - embedded in New York's streets signify. Kate Hinds has the answer.
Although the answer to the markings mystery isn't as scintillating as we had hoped, it'll definitely make for interesting small talk at your next dinner party.
"According to [utility company Con Edison] spokesman Robert McGee, the blue plastic disk is a Con
Ed calling card. It's placed on streets that the utility was responsible
for repaving. In some cases, they have numbers in the center; these
designate the year Con Ed did the work."
"One of the things that has been attempted over the years is to get
the various city agencies...to coordinate on street openings," McGee said.
"By getting everyone on the same page, the city can try to minimize the
amount of times a street is ripped up," notes Hinds.
"And those yellow letter E's that can be found on city streets and sidewalks? Also Con Ed. E7 means the road was paved in 2007."
FULL STORY: Two NYC Street Mysteries Solved

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

Downtown Portland Ready for Maine's Tallest Building
The city of Portland anticipates a major new urban development addition called the “Old Port Square” project.

The EV “Charging Divide” Plaguing Rural America
With “the deck stacked” against rural areas, will the great electric American road trip ever be a reality?

Judge Halts Brooklyn Bike Lane Removal
Lawyers must prove the city was not acting “arbitrarily, capriciously, and illegally” in ordering the hasty removal.
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)