Recent Posts
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Three visions of the city
As Boozy so entertainingly informed us, Le Corbusier’s vision for a city was the Radiant City, of rows of identical buildings and skyscrapers separated by parkland. Robert Moses’ vision for the city included wide expressways (which eventually became choked with traffic) cutting across boulevards of urban renewal style projects. And Jane Jacobs famously… Keep reading…
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Freeways that never were
In the 1950s and 60s, urban planners were busy constructing freeways across America, through plains and mountains where they were needed, and into the centers of cities where they bulldozed vibrant communities and hastened sprawl and urban decay. Keep reading…
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Gowanus tunnel?
In The Power Broker, Robert Caro describes the Gowanus Expressway as one of Robert Moses’ first of many terrible highway projects. He ran the highway right down the center of Sunset Park, completely covering the then-vibrant Third Avenue despite the neighborhood’s pleas to run it closer to the waterfront. The Gowanus needs to be replaced, and since the… Keep reading…
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Bravo Gale
For many reasons, some known, some not known, the New York City Department of Transportation is still mostly stuck in the SimCity Classic phase of urban planning thinking, closer to Robert Moses than Jane Jacobs. While they did recently suggest, to the surprise of many observers, converting a segment of Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn to be pedestrian-only, DOT Commissioner… Keep reading…
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Low rent for metal tenants
I pay approximately $4.36 per square foot per month for my apartment. But to park my car right outside, if I comply with alternate side parking rules, costs zero. Keep reading…
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Good ideas almost everyone wants
The New York Times came out in favor of congestion pricing. Local business leaders want it, activist groups want it… but Bloomberg still doesn’t. Keep reading…
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More than a thousand words
None but the most corrupt of politicians would think that moving Yankee Stadium over to a public park, farther from the highway, replacing that park with some space on top of garages and other parkland crammed up against the river far away from the neighborhood, and having the city kick in $70 million for this, could possibly be a good idea. Keep reading…
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Grand Street is crazy wide
Last night, heading to a party on the Lower East Side, I decided to drive. As Transportation Alternatives’ recent study (PDF) showed, the top reason most people who drive into or out of Manhattan do so is because it’s faster. And from Hoboken to the LES late on a Saturday night, it sure is, and (once you already have paid the sunk cost of having a car) cheaper too:… Keep reading…
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Thin layer of ice found in hell
Smart growth, transit-oriented development - there are many names for the idea of building mixed-use, walkable communities. Whatever you call it, it’s starting to catch on in suburban communities from San Mateo to Silver Spring. But most are areas with existing transit, near to already walkable cities. What about America’s great bastions of… Keep reading…
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WMATA expansion plans
New York City’s subway first opened in 1904, and Boston’s in 1908; but by the 1960s, Washington DC still had no subway system. A comprehensive plan designed at that time has by now been built, with a few changes. Therefore, WMATA has developed a new master plan to keep systems in good repair, extend trains to eight cars, make pedestrian access improvements,… Keep reading…