New York City
42nd Street Light Rail?
Vision 42 has proposed closing NYC's 42nd Street to car traffic and adding light rail along its length. The Mayor isn't interested, but lots of others are.
Some New Yorkers Can't See the Forest for the Trees
MillionTreesNYC says they're on track to reach their goal by 2017. Trees provide shade and allay problems of air pollution. They've planted hundreds of thousands of trees already... and received some complaints.
Bloomberg's Housing Plan Gains, Loses
Despite the NYC Mayor's progress in preserving or creating affordable housing, overall the city has seen net losses.
Keeping Manufacturing in NYC
This interview with Adam Friedman of the New York Industrial Retention Network, illuminates reasons for retaining manufacturing in NYC, such as sustainability and job creation.
NYC Subway Riders Need Help!
Cuts in MTA staff in subway stations leave transit riders lost, feeling unsafe. Vendors and repair staff are reluctantly picking up the slack.
International Walk to School Day/ Livable Streets Education Invade Washington Square
Did you know that yesterday was International Walk to School Day? While many communities may have let this important public awareness opportunity pass by, New York City public school students were out in full force. Perhaps one would expect nothing less in a city where 80% of students already walk to school (transit trips require walking, too!).
Municipal Vaporware: Why NYC's Data Mine is A Data Dump
This morning, Mayor Mike Bloomberg unveiled New York City's long-awaited Big Apps contest. Big Apps seeks to promote the Internet industry in the Big Apple (it's sponsored by the New York City Economic Development Corporation) and make local government more transparent.I've been following the evolution of open data initiatives at the municipal level for about a year now, and was really hoping that New York was going to set the bar for future efforts across the country. It doesn't. In fact it's hard to understand why some notable local tech superstars like investors Fred Wilson and John Borthwick would sign on to such a lame effort.
Seeing the Unbuilt City
A new iPhone App/public art experience allows the user to take a stroll through New York City and 'see' visionary buildings that never got built, ranging from Buckminster Fuller's dome to Antoni Gaudi's cathedral.
NYPD Putting the Brakes on Illegal Bike Rentals
High demand from tourists near Central Park has attracted unlicensed bike rental vendors in NYC. Competition is getting tougher as police crack down on the booming business.
PlaNYC Charging Ahead
Though its flagship congestion pricing proposal was nixed by the state legislature, New York City's PlaNYC environmental plan is moving forward. Neal Peirce takes a look at its progress.
Making Roofs Cooler in New York City
Under a new service program called NYC Cool Roofs, volunteers are painting New York's rooftops white to try to lower urban temperatures and save energy.
Getting Creative About Finding Places for Parks
New York City is developing a handful of new parks on industrial lands and otherwise underused spaces. Urban Omnibus talks with Adrian Benepe, the city's commissioner of parks and recreation about the new projects.
Public Art Thrives in Hard Times in Manhattan
A public art park has sprung up on a corner in Manhattan on loan from a local developer waiting to build on the land.
Tracking Trash with M.I.T.
M.I.T.'s Senseable City Laboratory launched a project to track the journey of garbage and recyclables, using small electronic sensors, in Seattle and New York City, in part to highlight the high cost of waste to the environment and cities.
What's Happening - And Not Happening - At Ground Zero
Eight years after terrorists felled the World Trade Center towers in New York City, progress on rebuilding the site has been slow and mired in controversy.
New York City's Data Collection Chopped in Half
New York City has for decades collected data about itself through more than 2,500 statistical indicators. But now, that number has been chopped down to about 1,200. Officials say it creates a streamlined look at the city, but others call it a loss.
MTA Struggles to Relocate Residents
As construction on the Second Avenue subway in New York City is set to begin next year, MTA and current residents struggle to answer the question of where to relocate the people in its way.
The City of the 21st Century
Shanghai could be them model city of the future, according to a new exhibit.
High Line Assessment District Dropped
Plans to create an assessment district near New York City's new High Line linear park have been dropped.
To Share or Not to Share? The Great Transit Data Debate
Some transit agencies keep it under wraps, while others share it widely. Three cities in the U.S. show how the availability of transit arrival data is a wild frontier.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
