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
Help Wanted: Streetswiki Writing Talent
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Description: As a part of Streetsblog’s impending redesign we are launching a new web site called Streetswiki. Streetswiki is a free, web-based, community-created encyclopedia dedicated to sharing knowledge about sustainable transportation policies, practices and ideas from around the world. Like Wikipedia, its articles will be written and edited by anyone with a bit of unique […]
Congestion Pricing Populist Soundbite Contest
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Why do Richard Brodsky and Walter McCaffrey get to have all of the populist soundbite fun? Last Friday, in a story about the Committee to Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free stepping up its lobbying efforts, the Daily Politics blog published this gem of a rallying cry from pro-congestion lobbyist Walter McCaffrey: "You are in the […]
Ideas Competition for Brooklyn’s Grandest Plaza
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The Grand Army Plaza Coalition (GAPCo) and The Design Trust for Public Space have launched a website for their "Ideas Competition" called Reinventing Grand Army Plaza, which is intended to generate new visions for the plaza’s design. The jury will award three cash prizes to the winners, and along with other top entries will be […]
Missing: Urban Policy in the Presidential Campaign
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In its lead editorial yesterday, the New York Times called out the presidential candidates for their failure to address issues facing U.S. cities in this year’s campaign. If only the Des Moines Register’s editorial board had published something like this back in November… By now, many Americans have heard the presidential candidates talk about issues […]
Brodsku
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You’ve got to hand it to Westchester Assemblyman Richard Brodsky. His anti-congestion pricing shtick is so finely honed it almost reads like haiku poetry. Here’s a bit of verse I derived from a recent Q&A in a newspaper that covers important New York state political issues like, who is Albany’s most eligible bachelorette? In the […]
Quinn Calls for Comprehensive Citywide Ferry Service
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City Council Speaker Christine Quinn made a big pitch for enhanced ferry service in her State of the City Address today: With some neighborhoods more than three quarters of a mile from a subway station we need to examine other modes of transportation. It’s only natural to look at our natural highways … our water […]
London Imposes $50 Guzzler Fee on SUVs and Lux Roadsters
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London Mayor Ken Livingstone is on a tear. Yesterday he announced a £500 million investment in new bicycling infrastructure. Today, he approved a plan to charge the drivers of SUVs, high powered sports cars and other large engine, high emission vehicles a £25 fee ($48.75!) to drive into Central London’s congestion charging zone. Simultaneously, low […]
Supermodels Demand an Auto-Free New York
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Remember the orange bikes locked up all around Manhattan during Fashion Week that managed to outrage the NYPD and Ghost Bike memorialists in equal measure? It turns out they weren’t just an advertisement for fashion house DKNY, they were part of a comprehensive "fashion plan to eliminate all motor vehicles in NYC by the year […]
Has Richard Brodsky Ever Paid a Subway Fare?
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Television news legend Gabe Pressman hosted a debate on congestion pricing between Westchester Assemblyman Richard Brodsky and Partnership for New York City President Kathy Wylde on Friday. The transcript is online at WNBC and it’s worth a read if you want to see Wylde catch Brodsky in a couple of small but significant mistruths and […]
State Senator’s Car is Towed During Congestion Pricing Meeting
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Sources who wish not to be named send along the following story: State Senator Martin Malave Dilan, who hasn’t yet come out in favor of congestion pricing despite the fact that only 2 percent of the people who live in his Brooklyn district are regular car commuters, was attending a congestion pricing meeting at State […]
Tale of Two Cities: Bicycling in Chicago and Los Angeles
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Two news stories came across the wire yesterday that highlight vast differences in the way U.S. cities treat the use of bicycles for transportation. First, there was this story out of Chicago: Chicago bicyclists, Mayor Daley (pictured right) knows your pain. The mayor introduced an ordinance Wednesday that would slap fines ranging from $150 to […]
Reinventing Grand Army Plaza on Lopate Tomorrow
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More and more, we’re seeing grassroots, community-driven Livable Streets project gaining traction on the citywide level. Here’s another example of just that: Tomorrow, Tupper Thomas of the Prospect Park Alliance and Deborah Marton of the Design Trust for Public Space will be discussing the Reinventing Grand Army Plaza project on "The Leonard Lopate Show." Tune […]