New York City
The Sun Also Hides Behind Skyscrapers
The Washington Post details the concern over the shadows cast by skyscrapers on the city street below. The latest high-profile case study of the ability of skyscrapers to block the sun: New York's Midtown.
99-Cent Stores: the Weed of the Urban Commercial Environment
A proliferation of 99-cent stores in the Woodhaven neighborhood in Queens has strangled the commercial offerings in the neighborhood. But can residents or the local business improvement district do anything about the trend?
FEMA Proposes New Flood Maps: 450,000 More New York Houses Included
FEMA has been hard at work since Hurricane Sandy re-evaluating the risk of floods in New York. Newly proposed maps would cast a much wider net for flood risk on private property.
New York Subway Ridership Hits 65-Year High While Bus Ridership Declines
Subway ridership statistics for 2014 were cause for celebration at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), but the city's bus lines are not experiencing the same growth in popularity.
The Rise of the Fifth Borough
With real estate prices rising in the other boroughs, Staten Island is starting to look more like Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Extensive retail and residential developments are underway in what has always been New York City's suburban borough.
OneNYC Plan Released in New York
Meet the new plan; it's not like the old plan.
NYC Public Housing Still in Grim Shape
Public housing doesn't suffer the derision that it used to, but housing agencies remain strapped. Critics and residents contend that the New York City Housing Authority, the largest landlord of them all, continues to let down the city's neediest.
Inside the $1 Billion 'Hipster Mega-Project' at Brooklyn's Sunset Park
Henry Melcher reports on the massive investment plans for Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Why Are New York Transit Projects So Expensive?
Going back to Robert Moses, New York City has a history of underestimating the price of major construction projects. Inflated infrastructure costs are prompting stakeholders to seek out root causes.
More on the Cost of Anti-Growth Policies
As urban centers start making better sense for a digital economy, NIMBY policies might be worth re-examining. In addition to driving up the cost of housing, they may compound inefficiencies and slow down the economy.
Iconic Queens Clock Tower Anchors 915-Foot Skyscraper
In a complex saga involving the MTA, an 88-year-old tower, and a planned 77-story apartment behemoth, affordable housing may be first to fall by the wayside.
Inside Controversial Jersey City Bikeshare Plans
The New Yorker looks into the motivations of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop—who takes the bike route less traveled.
Federal Dollars Still Erasing Sandy's Footprint
Subway restoration and resilience efforts depend for a large part on federal relief. South Ferry Station, still new when the storm hit, will basically be rebuilt from scratch.
Movement on the Walk Score Leaderboard
The newest rankings of the most walkable cities in the United States, courtesy of Walk Score, contains a few surprises along with its standard annual recognition of New York City.
Management, Not Technology, Will Solve California's Drought
It should come as no surprise that Eduardo Porter, who writes the Economic Scene column for The New York Times, is not enamoured by technological silver bullets like desalination as ways for California to survive it's four-year plus drought.
New York Reconsiders Air Rights for Landmarks
An old idea has new life in the de Blasio Administration—less restrictive air rights regulations for landmarks like St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Big Changes, Additions for Citi Bike
Big changes are taking place at Citi Bike as the Big Apple looks to improve on its earliest efforts at bikeshare.
New York Will Phase Out C Train 'Brightliners' By 2017
Once the subway's pride, R-32 'Brightliner' trains that operate on the C line will soon disappear from service. Mid-century promo videos notwithstanding, the line's rolling stock was in dire need of an update.
The Huge Potential for Passive Buildings in the Big Apple
In NYC, unlike most areas in the United States, buildings, rather than transportation, are the major source of carbon emissions. Passive buildings, with their negligible heating and cooling costs, could help meet carbon reduction goals.
Weisbrod Op-Ed Makes the Case for Proposed Zoning Changes
An op-ed by Carol Weisbrod, chairman of the NYC Planning Commission, makes the case for the de Blasio Administration's zoning policy as the key mechanism in its housing policy.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
