Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Quality of Life

Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Project: Ten Years On

By Aaron Naparstek | | 5 Comments
March 1996: Residents in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Boerum Hill are tired of their streets absorbing overflow from the nearby Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Neighborhood groups have tried repeatedly to convince the City to protect the neighborhoods from rush hour through traffic. So far, the City has done nothing but promise further study. DOT […]

Street Hockey: The New Stickball?

By Aaron Naparstek | | 3 Comments
More evidence that hockey — and livable streets — aren’t just "a white thing." From the New York Times’ Metropolitan Diary (along with a photo sent in by the author)… Dear Diary: Several Saturdays ago we had our Bedford-Stuyvesant block party. Cars were cleared by 7:30 a.m., yet by noon there was barely a soul on the […]

Pedestrian-Friendly Changes for Grand Army Plaza

By Aaron Naparstek | | 11 Comments
More public space for Grand Army Plaza: DOT says that it would give the street space highlighted in green to the Parks Department for use during public events and car-free hours in Prospect Park. Since the beginning of 2005 I have been helping to organize a group called the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. The group is focused on improving the pedestrian experience […]

MTA Response to Pokey: Traffic Congestion = “Vibrancy”

By Aaron Naparstek | | 11 Comments
The MTA’s response to the annual Pokey Awards ceremony is always worth looking out for. Rather than using the publicity generated by the event to build political capital for some bus service improvement or another, the Transit Authority’s response falls somewhere between defensive and infuriated. This year’s statement is a doozy and reminiscent of Mayor Bloomberg’s famous […]

Planetizen Interview With Amanda Burden

By Aaron Naparstek | | 5 Comments
Planetizen publishes a Q&A with New York City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden. She says some great things and below are excerpts. After reading this interview, the question I come away with is, simply: Where in the world has Amanda Burden been during the discussion of the "Atlantic Yards" development in Brooklyn? How could it be that […]

Important Manhattan Transportation Forum on Thursday

By Glenn McAnanama | | 4 Comments
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is holding a day-long forum on Manhattan’s transportation future. Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Colombia, will be the keynote speaker. This should be a great event. Peñalosa is the inspiring and visionary politician who transformed his city of 7 million into a model for sustainable urban transportation. In recent months Peñalosa […]
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