On June 24 in Brooklyn, a driver in an SUV struck and killed four-year-old Luz Gonzalez, with many onlookers claiming the incident was a hit-and-run. The New York Police Department disagrees, and has refused to prosecute the driver, sparking multiple street protests. Beyond seeking justice for … [Read more...]
Sandy Ikeda’s “Eyes on Brooklyn Heights” Jane’s Walk this Sunday
Sandy Ikeda has led a Brooklyn Heights Jane's Walk every year since 2011 in celebration of Jane Jacobs' 101st birthday. Meet at the steps of Borough Hall (facing the Plaza and fountain) Sunday May 7th at 12:15. When you think of a city you like, what comes to mind? Can a city be a work of art? How … [Read more...]
Look beyond Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn for solutions to a lack of retail
Robbie Whelan's got a column in today's Wall Street Journal on Brooklyn's Fourth Avenue, which is something I've been thinking a lot about since I moved to Brooklyn earlier this year. If you don't recall, last year the City Council passed a zoning amendment to require new residential developments on … [Read more...]
TRD: Bushwick is staying industrial – no residential rezoning for East Williamsburg!
The Real Deal says that Bushwick, a neighborhood on the L that's seeing a lot of housing demand spill over from Williamsburg, is not getting a residential rezoning. TRD describes how the "sought-after northwestern area [...] is zoned for manufacturing, so residential building is largely banned … [Read more...]
2012 Market Urbanism Meetup
Readers, We are going to have a reader meetup on May 5. It will be a format similar to last year. Market Urbanism friend, Sandy Ikeda will be giving a tour of Brooklyn Heights as part of the Jane Jacobs Walk program that celebrate's the life and legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs. Sandy's tour was so … [Read more...]
Meetup before Sandy’s Jane’s Walk this Sunday
From the comments and emails I've gotten, there will be a pretty decent turnout of Market Urbanists at Sandy Ikeda's Jane's Walk on Sunday, "Eye's on Brooklyn Heights." Here are the details from the site; Date: Sunday May 8, 2011 Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm Meeting Place: The tour will meet at the … [Read more...]
Ikea Provides Private Transportation, Santiago-Style
[photo: flickr: moriah] In a perfect tie-in to yesterday's EconTalk podcast on public transportation, Ikea's new Brooklyn store provides free bus and ferry service to locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Not only is it free, but it's nicer than the $2/ride public alternative. Most … [Read more...]
Could a Private Street Look Like This?
photo at Brooklyn Paper was attributed to Montague Street Business Improvement District Stephen at rationalitate occasionally brings up that truly privatized streets could be converted to other uses. I think it would be inevitable that on streets with many shops and cafes, such as Montague … [Read more...]