Brooklyn
What Does it Take to Be New York City’s Next 'It' Market?
“Underpriced land and room for upward growth in rents is the magic formula that developers seek in the next hot neighborhood.” Just to the east of prospect Park in Brooklyn is a place that has both.
Pop Quiz: What's the Difference Between Aerobic Decomposition and Anaerobic Digestion?
Yes, one is with and the other without oxygen, and both divert waste from the landfill—but in terms of the end products, what is the advantage of anaerobic digestion? Simply put, does society face a shortage of compost or renewable energy?
Whole Foods as Gentrification Bellwether
Whole Foods' newest store in Gowanus, Brooklyn is causing local vendors and artists to tread "a fine line" between reaching new customers and supporting what they think of as new, "big" development.
Breakthrough Building is Assembled Like an Airplane Engine
In Brooklyn's Navy Yard, the largest modular high-rise building in the world is being assembled one floor at a time by teams of 10 to 15 union workers. Sydney Brownstone tours the milestone in modular construction.
Brooklyn Brands Borough's First Bike-Friendly Business District
One of Brooklyn's busiest streets has been branded a "Bike-Friendly Business District", with cyclists offered discounts at participating stores. But without plans for a dedicated bike lane, cycling advocates are skeptical of the pronouncements.
Community Benefits Agreement in Brooklyn Draws Criticism from Local Organizations
An agreement between Related Developers and a community organization that has gotten substantial support from an area councilman to support a job training and referral program draws criticism from some groups who feel left out.
Got Protected Bike Lanes?
While Angie Schmitt doesn't ask this question in her article on the movement behind these lanes, she writes that cities without them "are being left behind". They're popular because they effectively address the #1 reason for not riding: safety
Can a Temporary Park Change Lifestyles in Brooklyn?
A pop-up park in Williamsburg has brought bike tracks, an urban farm, an outdoor 'reading room', and other amenities to Brooklyn's historically industrial waterfront. Can the temporary oasis bring lasting change to its users?
Burying Parking Lot Paves Way for Planting Paradise
For nearly a decade, the City of New York has sought to build Willoughby Square, a marquee public space in downtown Brooklyn. Thanks to a city-brokered agreement, a 'high-tech, mammoth underground garage' will help finance construction of the square.
From Peak Car to Peak Parking?
Fewer cars on the road, less driving, why not fewer parking spots? Cities like D.C., L.A., Denver, Philadelphia are responding by reducing or eliminating parking minimums, while Portland, which had already eliminated them, are bringing them back.
On the Limits of Social Change Through Design
Ginia Bellafante looks at the fate of a public housing project conceived with much fanfare in the early 1970s by progressive architects following the theory of 'Defensible Space' authored by architect and planner Oscar Newman.
Epidemic of Condo Clones Spreads in Brooklyn
What's the deal with the Belvedere "brand" of similar looking condominium buildings that have sprouted over the last decade in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn? Elizabeth A. Harris investigates.
Urban Camouflage: Using Buildings to Disguise Infrastructure
The infrastructure necessary to keep a city's systems running can frankly get kind of ugly. See what some cities have done to help disguise unsightly infrastructure.
Excitement Builds as First New York Bike-Share Stations Deployed
Brooklyn Spoke excitedly reports on the first sightings of what will eventually become the largest bike-share system in the United States. NYC DOT has begun installing docking stations throughout the city.
Is a New Cobblestone a Better Cobblestone?
In Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, NYCDOT is looking to replace the area's historic cobblestones with artificially aged new ones to improve accessibility and bike-friendliness. Preservationists and residents are aghast at the "phony urbanism."
A Cultural Mecca Grows in Brooklyn
With the Bloomberg administration's investments in transforming the area around the acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music finally bearing fruit, the emerging cultural district is earning comparisons to the city's premier arts hub - Lincoln Center.
How New York's Hasidim Solved the City's Affordable Housing Problem
The certainly won't win any design awards, but new multi-family residential buildings erected by Hasidic developers in Brooklyn show that it's possible to build spacious and cheap housing in New York for families small and large.
Filmmaker Tells Her Side of Williamsburg's Gentrification Story
As SHoP unveils massive redevelopment plans for the Domino Factory site in Williamsburg, Su Friedrich rails against the gentrification that has already transformed the neighborhood in her film Gut Renovation, which premiered at Film Forum last week.
Refined Plans Unveiled for Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Site
Alan G. Brake outlines the redesigned plans to develop the site of the historic Domino Sugar refinery along Brooklyn's East River waterfront. The $1.5 billion plan is the latest, and perhaps last, turn in the site's tortured redevelopment saga.
Bred in Brooklyn, Hipsters Now Colonizing the Suburbs
Facing increasing property prices, Brooklyn's hipsters must decide whether to abandon their lifestyle and recreate it "upstate."
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
