Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Urban Planning

The Case for Active Transportation, by the Numbers

By Sarah Goodyear | Oct 24, 2008 | 3 Comments

Thanks to commenter Stephen for prodding us to post on the new report from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, "Active Transportation for America" (download the PDF here). What makes the report notable are the numbers it contains. It’s jam-packed with quantifiable benefits that would result from increased investment in infrastructure that encourages and supports pedestrians and cyclists. […]

Public Picks Grand Army Plaza Design

By Brad Aaron | Oct 10, 2008 | 8 Comments

The people have spoken, choosing a design for Grand Army Plaza that connects it to Prospect Park, taking Flatbush Avenue underground and making pedestrians the primary users of the space. "Canopy," a plan submitted by a team of French designers, took people’s choice in the "Reinventing Grand Army Plaza" competition, sponsored by the Design Trust […]

Jan Gehl Reflects on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf

By Matthew Roth | Oct 9, 2008 | 3 Comments

"When I was a visiting professor at Berkeley in the 1980s, I used to come to Fisherman’s Wharf and walk around," Danish urban designer Jan Gehl said Wednesday night, to more than 100 San Franciscans at the Pier 39 Theater near Fisherman’s Wharf. "Now it’s like deja vu; it’s exactly like I remember it 25 […]

Jan Gehl Says San Francisco Must be Sweet to Pedestrians and Cyclists

By Matthew Roth | Oct 8, 2008 | 7 Comments

It’s a good day in a city’s urbanist evolution when Jan Gehl comes to town, and now San Francisco can add itself to the growing list of cities around the world that have embraced his people-first approach to urban design and planning. Hoping to keep pace with the progress in New York City over the […]

Streetfilms: Interview With the Transportation Engineer

By Ben Fried | Sep 26, 2008 | 5 Comments

In his storied career at New Jersey DOT, Gary Toth played an indispensable role changing the culture of the agency, promoting a place-based ethic instead of the auto-centric transportation planning dogma. Today Toth heads transportation initiatives at Project for Public Spaces, where he has written "A Citizen’s Guide to Better Streets." The book, which will […]

How Would You Reinvent Grand Army Plaza?

By Brad Aaron | Sep 12, 2008 | 11 Comments

This morning officials announced the winners of the "Reinventing Grand Army Plaza" competition, a contest that drew 200+ proposals for transforming the gateway to Prospect Park into a public space worthy of its landmark status. A jury composed mainly of designers, planners and community advocates selected four designs to receive cash prizes, while winnowing the […]

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