New York

New York City Mayor Goes Out With a (Covid Policy) Splash
Mayor Bill de Blasio's second term ends on New Year's Eve. On Dec. 6, he announced the nation's strictest COVID mandate: All workers in New York City must be at least partially vaccinated by Dec. 27. Did he consult with his successor, Eric Adams?

'Daylighting' Project to Restore Nature in the Big Apple
More cities are returning waterways to a more natural state—in some cases unearthing them from subterranean pipes in a process known as "daylighting." A new example can be found, perhaps surprisingly, in New York City.

Opinion: It's Time To Put People Ahead of Cars in SoHo
A proposal from SoHo Broadway Initiative aims to prioritize pedestrian and bike infrastructure and discourage car traffic to make the neighborhood safer and more comfortable for the people who live and work there.

Main Street Redevelopment Hopes To Lure NYC Commuters to Village of Brewster
Officials in the Village of Brewster, a community of just over 2,000 people in New York's Putnam County, hope a redesign of their downtown will attract new residents who want to escape the clamor of the city.

Minor Defendants: Kids Are Being Named in Evictions
Absurd as it may sound, minor children are sometimes named in eviction filings. If a child’s name makes in onto official court records—especially if those records are public and online—the damage can be irreversible.

Assessing and Reversing Environmental Injustice in New York City
New York City launched its first ever environmental justice study just before the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world upside down. The study took on a new urgency throughout the months and years that followed.

Bike Traffic Up 88 Percent On New Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane
Bike ridership nearly doubled after New York City installed a new bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Gowanus Rezoning Moving Forward: Could Bring 8,000 New Apartments to Brooklyn
A controversial zoning—one of the last of a de Blasio administration that has rezoned parts of every borough in the city—last week cleared a key City Council committee.

Brooklyn's First Supertall Skyscraper Almost Done
The tallest building in Brooklyn is nearing completion. The Brooklyn Tower will reach 1,066 feet tall.

Robert Moses, Robert Caro Back in the News, Along With a Debate About Systemic Racism
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg set off a social media frenzy by referencing an anecdote from "The Power Broker." While some didn't understand the reference, others repeated long-standing questions about the source.

Post-Cuomo Penn Station Updates Could Move Project Forward
The controversial renovation of Penn Station could move forward with a scaled-back plan.

As Rent Relief Efforts Drag on, Treasury is Redistributing Funds
"This is not about reward and punishment … It’s about speeding up effective relief for families in need of housing security and eviction protection."

Updating New York City's Urban Design Principles
Anita Laremont, newly appointed director of the New York Department of City Planning and chair of the City Planning Commission, elaborates on the city's priorities for the public realm and the role for good urban design to enhance quality of life.

As Solar Scales Up, Development Controversies Follow
Utility-scale solar is increasingly looking east to develop new facilities and encountering a common form of resistance from local communities.

Affordable Housing: 'In the Direct Path of Climate Change'
Managers of affordable housing at the deadly northern end of Ida's path review what worked, what didn't, and what we might need to abandon altogether.

New York Plans to Improve Access to Hart Island, the Nation's Largest Public Cemetery
Managed for decades by the Department of Corrections, the island could soon become a public park with regular ferry service and expanded visiting hours.

Bus Lane Plans Continue Retreat in New York City—This Time it's Fifth Avenue
The de Blasio administration caved to the interests of a Manhattan real estate developer and shelved a plan to prioritize bus transit over private automobiles on one of the most famous corridors in the world.

A Car-Free Vision for Downtown Brooklyn—Updated for the Covid-Era
In December 2019, the Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Vision set ambitious goals for removing cars from one of New York's central business districts. Then came the pandemic and new tests for those ambitions.

How Albany Can Reclaim Its Waterfront From a Bad Highway
Finding full-scale highway removal nearly impossible, advocates in the New York state capital turn to creative workarounds to reconnect the city to the Hudson River.

Zoning for Transit Accessibility
Using zoning codes to improve accessibility to public transit facilities is a new, but well overdue, idea.
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