New York

Friday Funny: Is This the Rapture? (Or Is This Gentrification?)
Gentrification has been described as the end of the world before. But not like this.
Brooklyn Community Board Rejects Upzoning Proposal
The latest chapter in the ongoing supply vs. demand chronicles takes place in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, where a community board came down firmly in opposition to new density in their neighborhood.
Track the Cycles of New York's Skyscraper Habit
Much has been made of New York's current boom in high-rise construction. A new interactive feature by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat allows for some historic perspective on the city's penchant for building skyward.
Residential Construction Still Riding a Tax-Break Surge in NYC
Big investments in residential building in New York City indicate the strength of the city's economy, according to an article in Crain's New York Business.

MTA Capital Plan Approved—Thanks to Compromise from Cuomo and de Blasio
A long, contentious political process has finally produced an approval for a massive capital investment program for the New York MTA. Some questions about funding remain, however.

Does Brooklyn Suffer From a Lack of Gas Stations? The Chamber of Commerce Thinks So
For the center of the hipster universe, the Brooklyn Chamber's recommendations may come as a surprise.
Watch and Learn: The Critical Importance of New Hudson River Tunnel
The Regional Plan Association has created an animated video that simply and artfully explains the importance of a new Hudson River tunnel.
Friday Funny: A Sample of New York Transit's Negative Yelp Reviews
The online customer review platform Yelp and the New York public transit system: A match made in heaven?

Op-Ed: Why Cities Need the 'Poor Door'
Drawing on a distinction between equality and equity, Rick Jacobus argues that so-called 'poor doors' are a necessary compromise to promote affordable housing and neighborhood integration.
Port Authority Clears Major Hurdle for Bus Terminal Redesign
An expensive, contentious project to redesign and possibly relocate the Port Authority Terminal finally has a way forward: an international design competition to be concluded a year from now.
Newark and New York
Only 10 miles separate New York City and Newark, New Jersey, but the two can seem worlds apart. Damon Rich, who moved from New York in 2008 to lead Newark's planning office, speaks about how his work there has shaped his perception of both cities.

The Unexpected Unpleasantness of New York's New LED Street Lights
As New York rolls out its LED streetlights, one resident bemoans the ugly blue glow taking over the city.
Checking on the Status of Rebuild by Design
The hoopla has subsided surrounding nearly $1 billion awarded by HUD to fund coastal resilience projects on the Atlantic Coast, but the work of implementing the winning Rebuild by Design projects has continued.
A Tale of Two Chelseas
The neighborhood of Chelsea in Manhattan, location of the High Line and one of the hottest real estate markets in the city, provides a case study of the wealth gap, with each side living in close proximity.
Survey: Residents of Public Housing Don't See the Benefits of Gentrification
Conventional planning think says that mixed-income development benefits low-income neighborhoods. But a survey finds that residents of public housing in New York don't agree—rather, they feel left behind by newcomers to the neighborhood.

New York's Visionary Model of Utilities Reform
Utilities profit from building more power plants—a flawed model for a diminishing natural monopoly.
Explained: East New York's Big Zoning Changes
Some residents of East New York argue that mandatory inclusionary zoning and other changes proposed for the neighborhood will only help displace low-income residents.
New York Department of City Planning Adds an Office of Regional Planning
With hot-button issues like the Hudson Tunnel crisis forcing a new perspective about the connection of New York city to its surrounding region, Mayor de Blasio has responded by creating a new office of regional planning.
Large Capital Infusion for New York's Community Parks Initiative
$285 million in capital dollars through 2019 will help fund parks in New York not called the High Line and lacking high-profile private backing.
Editorial: Bike and Pedestrian Proposal for Verrazano-Narrows Bridge an Expensive Joke
A strong scent of snark is detected in a recent editorial criticizing the possibility of building a shared bike and pedestrian path on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to State Island.
Pagination
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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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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