New York City

Big Data Brings Big Benefits to Bloomberg's New York

Alan Feuer profiles the work of New York City's Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, a "geek squad of civic-minded number-crunchers" turning the city's trove of digital data into actionable information.

March 25, 2013 - The New York Times

Has Commuter Cycling Peaked in New York?

A new study conducted by the City of New York shows that after years of phenomenal growth, commuter cycling remained flat in 2012 during the typical riding season, reports Matt Flegenheimer. However, ridership during the colder months did increase.

March 24, 2013 - The New York Times

Hunger Grows for New York's Grand Urban Food Market

Author and food blogger Mark Bittman makes an impassioned plea for New York to build its very own grand urban food market, and he's got the perfect site in mind - the former Fulton Fish Market.

March 14, 2013 - The New York Times

After Cleaning House, NYC Housing Authority Tackles Overdue Repairs

Using funds made available by savings captured through administrative reforms and other sources, New York's beleaguered Housing Authority has made considerable progress in tackling one of its most pressing problems - its backlog of maintenance jobs.

March 12, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

Judge Sours on Bloomberg's Sugary Drink Ban

The day before it was to go into effect, a New York State Supreme Court judge has invalidated New York City's ban on large sugary drinks, reports Michael M. Grynbaum.

March 12, 2013 - The New York Times

NYC Details Midtown Upzone; Will Critics be Quelled?

Just as the debate over the planned rezoning of the Midtown East neighborhood ossified into two strongly opposed camps, the city has provided more details on their recommendations and outlined an ambitious schedule for public review.

March 4, 2013 - Crain's New York Business

Mapping New York's Informal Street Furniture

Street Plans Collaborative, a New York-based urban planning and design firm, has begun an ambitious project to map the city's informal sidewalk seating culture. The project is asking the pubic to submit entries from their own observations.

March 3, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

How Will New York's Landscape Change Once Mayor Mike Leaves Office?

Ryan Holeywell looks at the land use legacy of the Bloomberg Administration - perhaps his "signal achievement" - and wonders if his successor can continue the momentum.

March 2, 2013 - Governing

Even New York's 'Affordable' Housing is Too Expensive

A new report calls into question who's benefiting from the Bloomberg administration’s plan to build or preserve 165,000 affordable housing units in the city. Are federal guidelines to blame for 'affordable' units being too costly?

February 21, 2013 - The New York Times

Could New York be Carbon-Free by 2050?

A new report shows that New York City could be 90 percent carbon-free by 2050, "without breaking the bank," if it upgrades heating systems and transportation to renewable electricity, reports Taz Loomans.

February 21, 2013 - Inhabitat

Wright's Usonian High-Rises Foiled by the Great Depression

Frank Lloyd Wright's design for a Usonian high-rise on the Bowery featured rotated open floor plans to provide living space variation.

February 17, 2013 - Curbed NY

Could New York's Bike Gains Disappear Under New Mayor?

Under Mayor Bloomberg's tenure, New York City has made great strides in improving its bicycle infrastructure. But as his final term comes to an end, some fear the next mayor may "end this period of bike-friendly programs and policies."

February 13, 2013 - The New York Times

Housing Homeless Provides Payday for NYC Landlords

Because of an acute shortage in accommodations for the city's homeless, NYC's Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is willing to pay exorbitant sums to house the needy in privately owned buildings. The practice is not without its critics.

February 11, 2013 - The New York Times

An Appraisal of Ed Koch's Impact on New York

Former New York City mayor Ed Koch passed away on Friday at the age of 88. For the popular figure who was known for stopping constituents on the street to ask, “How’m I doin’?”, Joseph Berger endeavors to deliver an answer.

February 4, 2013 - The New York Times

Recounting One of America's Greatest Preservation Victories

As New York's Grand Central Terminal celebrates its 100th birthday, Kent Barwick recalls how he and a motley group of advocates including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis saved the building from being buried beneath a skyscraper.

January 29, 2013 - The New York Times

Parking Privatization Efforts Not Spreading Smoothly

In the wake of the problem-plagued privatization of Chicago's parking meters in 2008, two WSJ reporters assess conversions (or attempts) in Indianapolis (2010), Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and New York, as well as what went wrong in Chicago.

January 28, 2013 - The Wall Street Jounal

New York Goes to the Dogs

In its dogged pursuit of the most important stories in New York, WNYC has fetched the dog licensing records of the City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and produced an informative map of the most common names and breeds by zip code.

January 26, 2013 - WNYC

Katrina and Sandy: Devastating Storms, But That's Where the Similarities End

Roberta Brandes Gratz examines the many differences, and few similarities, between the two most devastating urban storms of recent memory. Among the most elemental differences: one devastated neighborhoods, one a city; one was man-made, one natural.

January 25, 2013 - Citiwire

Inaccessible Transit Turns NYC Into a Tribulation

In a short film for The New York Times, Jason DaSilva documents how New York's famed public transit system, which serves millions of riders every day, fails the city's disabled residents.

January 18, 2013 - The New York Times

Sandy Already Changing How Buildings are Designed in NYC

From roof mounted gas-powered generators to emergency floodgates and watertight mechanical rooms, developers and their designers in New York are already incorporating preventative measures into new and revised designs for their buildings.

January 17, 2013 - The New York Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.