New York
Excavations Unlock New York City’s Dramatic Geologic Foundation
A decade of subterranean excavations on the Third Water Tunnel, the Second Avenue Subway, and the Long Island Rail Road’s East Side Access Project has provided geologists with unprecedented access to New York City’s physical structure.
New York Mayor de Blasio Details Vision Zero Traffic Safety Plan
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio gathered Police Commissioner William Bratton and Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg to make the potentially historic policy announcement: the Vision Zero plan, which treats all traffic deaths as preventable.
Using Public Surveillance to Track Pedestrian Congestion
A startup called Placemeter is using public surveillance to track pedestrian traffic in New York City to provide real time information about wait times at services and facilities around the city.
Subway Transfer Signage a No-Go in NYC
A recent guerrilla campaign designed to ease train-to-train transfer on the New York subway displeased both the MTA and regular commuters.
Are Social and Economic Justice Planning Outcomes?
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Planning Commission Chair Carl Weisbrod while promising planning decisions that produce economic and social justice benefits. The question is to what degree planning can influence those outcomes.
New Study Claims Airbnb Is Fudging Its Numbers
Airbnb, arguably the most famous symbol of the sharing economy, has a court date with the New York State Attorney General in March. Meanwhile, a new report has evidence that Airbnb is fudging its numbers relevant to a key issue in the case.
Friday Funny: A Map for Finding Lost Mittens
It’s Valentine’s Day, and it’s been a long winter in most parts of the country, so in the interest of staying warm and rightful pairs sticking together, here’s a website that lets people map the locations of lost mittens around New York City.
City Visas: The Right Way to Lure Talent?
Should dying cities like Detroit get their own visa programs to attract skilled foreign workers? What about prosperous cities like New York and London?
An Unflattering Look at Transit Accessibility
A newly released series of animated GIFs provides a powerful visualization of how paltry even the most robust transit systems in the world look to those with special needs.
A Discussion About the Post-Gentrification Discussion
“At this point I’m battling gentrification fatigue,” proclaims Dax-Devlon Ross, who has written extensively about his experiences as a self-proclaimed “black gentrifier” in West Harlem.
De Blasio Selects Planning Director
Mayor Bill de Blasio has selected Carl Weisbrod, the co-chairman of his transition team and a veteran New York City real estate executive to be the Chair of the City Planning Commission, aka Planning Director. Housing affordablity will be a priority.
What Makes A ‘Metropolitan Version of Nature’?
Metropolis Magazine examines the 21st century efforts at creating wild places in cities, exemplified by the Buffalo Bayou Promenade in Houston and the Passaic River in Newark.
Massive Swan Kill Planned in New York
“Across millennia [mute swans] symbolized transformation and devotion, light and beauty,” says a recent article in Wired. Not so much in New York City, where the city’s population of mute swans will be reduced to zero to protect other native species.
MoMA’s Latest Controversy: Free Sculpture Garden Access
As part of an already controversial expansion plan, MoMA will allow free access to the cloistered sanctuary of its sculpture garden. Not everyone is a fan of the idea, saying crowds will spoil the effect.
The Dramatic Impact of LED Streetlights on Celluloid
Los Angeles recently completed a comprehensive installation of LED streetlights—and New York City is not far behind. Among the unintended consequences of the new technology? Cities will now look completely different on film.
Behold the First-Ever Regional Transit Map of New York
For anyone not a fan of the Seattle Seahawks, the best result of this year's Super Bowl might have been the first-ever regional transit map of New York.
‘Mass-Transit Super Bowl’ Not-So-Super for Attendees
With parking limited around the stadium for yesterday’s Super Bowl, attendees relied on the New York region’s transit system to get to and from the game. After months of worry about the weather, mass transit was the Least Valuable Player on game day.
Can Billion Dollar "Shock and Awe" Investment Jump-Start Buffalo's Economy?
Two years after Governor Andrew Cuomo outlined an ambitious 10-year, $1 billion effort to revive the Buffalo Niagara economy, the areas targeted for investment are beginning to become clear, reports David Robinson.
NYC's Street Design Revolution in 25 Images
The transformation in the way New York's streets are designed, used and conceived is one of the most visible legacies of the Bloomberg administration. Branden Klayko assembles before and after images of 25 of the city's transformative road diets.
Is Lowering the Speed Limit the Best Way to Improve Street Safety?
In the aftermath of recent pedestrian fatalities, a lot of attention has been placed on lowering speed limits across New York City to improve safety. But the city's former traffic commissioner argues that other approaches would be more effective.
Pagination
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority