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
“Modal Bias” on Brian Lehrer Today at 11:20 am
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Streetsblog editor Aaron Naparstek will be talking with Brian and others about why motorists, cyclists and pedestrians don’t seem to get along too well these days. Feel free to call in. 93.9 FM. From the WNYC web site: Why cyclists, drivers and pedestrians can’t just get along, with Aaron Naparstek, editor of Streetsblog, a blog […]
Leave Your iPod at Home Tomorrow
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The first annual MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK is coming to New York tomorrow, Thursday, June 21. For one day, public space throughout the five boroughs — sidewalks, parks, community gardens, and more — will become impromptu musical stages, dance floors, and social meeting points for 550 different musical acts. Time Out New York provides a […]
Q&A With Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan
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Streetsblog interviewed DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan at 40 Worth St., Monday, June 18. Photo: Brad Aaron Janette Sadik-Khan: Four days. Streetsblog: Left in the legislative session? JSK: Yeah, well, maybe four days left, maybe more days. August in Albany. What can be better? SB: (Laughing) So, let’s start with something other than congestion pricing. How […]
New “Bike Boxes” Send Cyclists to the Front of the Line
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Ian Dutton of the Houston Street bike safety initiative snapped these photographs of yet another never-before-seen street design feature here in New York City. This is what’s called a "Bike Box" at the intersection of W. 9th St. and Sixth Ave. Bike boxes allow cyclists approaching the intersection with a red signal to position themselves […]
Biking [on the Wrong Side of the Road] is “Normal” [in London]
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Emily Thornberry, Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury in London and chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary cycling group, debunks 10 persistent myths about bicycle commuting in this op-ed for London’s Guardian: In London, cycling to work is at last becoming "normal": it is no longer the reserve of Lycra-clad men. As a member […]
Quinn Announces Her Support for Congestion Pricing
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City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced her support for congestion pricing at a press conference this morning on the Hudson River Greenway at Charles Street: Over the past two months I have been carefully reviewing the 127 items included in PlaNYC 2030. Many of these grew out of the Mayor’s Sustainability Task Force, which the […]
No Smoking, Typewriters or Fedoras in This “City Room”
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The New York Times metro reporting team has launched its new blog, City Room, with a flattering profile of Streetsblog by Sewell Chan, the web site’s bureau chief. Regardless of the flattery (and legendary columnist Pete Hamill’s recent admonition not to "waste your time with blogs") I suspect City Room points to the future of […]
It’s the Bus Riders, Stupid.
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Is Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan, a regressive tax, unfair to New York City’s poor and working class? That’s what Westchester Assembly member Richard Brodsky and quite a few of the other critics claim. Before last week’s public hearing before the state legislature Brodsky cited a study commissioned by City Hall showing the mayor’s plan […]
A Bronx Cheer for Congestion Pricing
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At a press conference today, a group of Bronx and northern Manhattan elected officials have signed on in support of Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing effort. They are: Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Assembly member Michael Benedetto Assembly member Adam Clayton Powell IV Bronx Democratic Chair and Assembly member Jose Rivera. Council member James Vacca. Council […]
Andy Wiley-Schwartz Starts at DOT on Monday
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Department of Transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan continues to assemble an impressive management team. Following in the footsteps of Bruce Schaller and Jon Orcutt, Project for Public Spaces vice president and transportation program director Andy Wiley-Schwartz is heading over to 40 Worth Street where he will be reporting to Deputy Commissioner Schaller at DOT’s new Office […]
Brooklyn Community Board Supports DOT’s 9th Street Plan
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Last night, Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 narrowly voted in favor of a resolution supporting the Department of Transportation’s plan to put Park Slope’s 9th Street on a "Road Diet." So, that’s that. After two months of fighting it’s all over but for the Thermoplast. We would enjoy saying that the group of 9th Street residents […]
If Congestion Pricing Had to be Approved by a Legislature…
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In the fall of 2005, prior to Mayor Bloomberg’s second term election victory, I began working on a story for New York Magazine about the broad-based coalition that was coming together to push for congestion pricing and a whole array of new urban environmental policies for New York City. While that story never quite came […]