DIVIDED OVER DISTRICT LINES
Several Asian-American groups in Queens have criticized the fact that the existing State Senate and Assembly districts split a cohesive Asian-American community along the border of Queens and Nassau counties. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, “identifying communities and keeping them whole are among the most important goals for the… 
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Two of the co-founders of an innovative “video map” of New York discuss personal expression, urban exploration and the civic possibilities of video. |
NEW YORK’S PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
Omnibus fans rejoice: once again, Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times‘ new architecture critic, shows his passion for design in the public interest. His latest article profiles exemplary public architecture that, over the past few years, has transformed the landscapes of underserved areas of New York. Kimmelman applauds the recent effort…
TIMES SQUARE PLAZAS MADE PERMANENT
On Tuesday, September 27, Manhattan’s Community Board 5 met with Craig Dykers of Snøhetta to review their plans for the Times Square pedestrian plazas of the not-so-distant future. No more lawn chairs, no more paint as marker for where the car space ends. The plan calls for a leveling of the streets and curbs, to create a continuous pedestrian surface of dark concrete. Inlaid into the pavers will be steel rivets to reflect the bright lights of the big city. Benches and street furniture…
PLACE PULSE
When we familiarize ourselves with new surroundings, we often rely on our instincts more than guidebooks or demographic studies. We feel it out, without consciously asking ourselves the questions of whether a neighborhood seems safe, active, clean, unique. Place Pulse, a new tool from the Macro Connections group out…
URBAN UMBRELLA
Two years ago, the NYC Department of Buildings and AIA New York sponsored a design competition to develop an innovative solution for city scaffolding. This week, the winning team unveiled the prototype of the “urban umbrella.” The UrbanSHED competition asked designers to create better “sidewalk sheds” — the ubiquitous blue plywood and metal scaffolding structures seen around town. The winning design…
ADAPTIVE TRAFFIC
The Department of Transportation has announced a new program to combat traffic congestion in Midtown with a $1.6 million real-time traffic management system: Midtown In Motion. Through a system of microwave sensors, cameras and EZ-Pass readers, DOT will monitor traffic congestion in a 110-square block area from Second to…
CONNECTED USA
The MIT SENSEable City Lab, AT&T Labs-Research and IBM Research recently launched the “Connected States of America,” an interactive map using anonymous mobile phone data to illustrate emerging communities formed by social connections in geographically disparate areas. The base map shows color-coded states and regions, and allows users to click on any county to see which areas share the most…
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Michael Chen investigates the physical, spatial and technological significance of the infrastructure of mobile communication networks. |
DON’T BE A JERK
The NYC Department of Transportation just launched “Don’t Be a Jerk,” a new bicycle safety ad campaign as part of the umbrella initiative BikeSmart, which aims to educate cyclists and other road users about sharing our streets safely. The video campaign features celebrities like Mario Batali, John Leguizamo and…
