Aaron Naparstek
AARON NAPARSTEK is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparsteks journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. Naparstek is the author of "Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage" (Villard, 2003), a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the endless motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Prior to launching Streetsblog, Naparstek worked as an interactive media producer, pioneering some of the Web's first music web sites, online communities, live webcasts and social networking services. Naparstek is currently in Cambridge with his wife and two young sons where he is enjoying a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Naparstek is a co-founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. You can find more of his work here: http://www.naparstek.com.
Recent Posts
Revenge of the Free Riders
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From Transportation Alternatives’ Spring 2008 magazine: The biggest hurdle congestion pricing faced was the simple fact that the people required to enact the legislation were the ones who stood to pay the most because of it. On Monday, April 7, Sheldon Silver walked out of a closed door meeting of State Assembly Democrats and announced […]
It’s Man Vs. Car in NYC and Tim Robbins is “The Rectifier”
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Granted, I always secretly hoped that Tom Hanks would play the Aaron Naparstek role in "Honku: The Movie" but Tim Robbins’ new film "Noise" is, without question, the early runner-up for Streetsblog’s 2008 Movie of the Year: David (Oscar-winner and New York City resident Tim Robbins) is a successful lawyer who can’t stand the fact […]
Pricing Foe Hakeem Jeffries Demands G Train Service Increase
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How cynical is this? Brooklyn Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries is calling on the MTA to increase service on the G train. His office just sent out an invitation to a "Save the G Train" rally on Wednesday, May 21 at 6:30 pm at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Fort Greene. Hakeem Jeffries was, of course, […]
Ken Coughlin, Leading Car-Free Park Activist, Suffers Heart Attack
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Ken Coughlin, occasional Streetsblog contributor, long-time coordinator of Transportation Alternatives’ Car-Free Central Park campaign and all-around mensch suffered a heart attack on Saturday. T.A. board member Jeff Prant and executive director Paul Steely White visited Ken at St. Lukes Roosevelt on the Upper West Side on Sunday. They say he’s in relatively good spirits and […]
Cleveland Indians Ace Cliff Lee: The Southpaw Straphanger
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Cliff Lee’s $4 million arm hangs from a subway strap. With a 6-0 won-loss record and a 0.81 earned run average, Cleveland Indians southpaw Cliff Lee is, for the moment, the hottest pitcher in Major League Baseball. His delivery is so smooth, so perfect looking, it’s hard not to think Sandy Koufax. Last Wednesday, Streetsblog […]
Feds Launch New Pedestrian Safety Program
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The federal government is launching a new pedestrian safety initiative that is apparently modeled on New York City DOT programs from the late ’80s and early ’90s. The Onion reports: WASHINGTON-In an attempt to address rising pedestrian deaths, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a new educational outreach program Monday to encourage people to […]
Sign a Petition to Clinton and McCain at GasTaxScam.com
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Man, those Nigerian spammers are getting better every day. Here is a curious piece of e-mail that landed in the Streetsblog inbox today. If you click the link at the bottom of the e-mail and visit this web site GasTaxScam.com, you’ll find an open letter to Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain that you can […]
Chicago Gets NYC’s Congestion Pricing Money
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The New York State Assembly is doing a great job… for the people of Chicago. Remember the $354.5 million federal grant that New York City was going to get to implement congestion pricing before the deal collapsed in Albany? US DOT Secretary Mary Peters announced today that Chicago will receive $153 million of New York […]
Looking for a New State Legislator? Try Craigslist.
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Upset about the way your State Assembly rep voted on congestion pricing? Here’s a novel approach to finding a new one: Craiglist. While Manhattan’s Richard Gottfried was one of the few state legislators who supported congestion pricing, at least one Chelsea resident appears to be in the market for a new Assemblyman. And why not? […]
Après Congestion Pricing, It’s Time to Look at the Paris Model
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Amsterdam Ave. and 76th St. with street space reallocated to walkers, bikes and buses. When Transportation Alternatives, Project for Public Spaces and the Open Planning Project started the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign nearly three years ago, the plan was to build a movement that would work block-by-block and neighborhood-by-neighborhood to reclaim the city’s […]
Keep Hope Alive?
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Over at the Daily Politics, Liz Benjamin reports that state leaders are negotiating behind closed doors and congestion pricing is still on the table. City Room is also reporting that Governor Paterson called an emergency meeting and the plan was still under discussion as of 5:45 pm. Streetsblog readers will recall that congestion pricing looked […]
With Congestion Pricing Dead, a $17 Billion Transit Deficit Looms
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We’re putting in some calls and getting some initial reactions to the State Assembly’s failure to bring New York City’s congestion pricing plan to a vote today. Michael O’Loughlin at the Campaign for New York’s Future said: Congestion pricing is dead. Long live congestion pricing. The Assembly still has to come up with a plan […]