The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway: Time is Running Out

One year ago, in January 2020, the Expert Panel assigned by Mayor Bill de Blasio to study the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway issued its Final Report. Mayor de Blasio in 2019 appointed the seventeen-person Expert Panel* of which I was a member, following the angry rejection of New York City DOT’s plan for reconstructing the section of the BQE adjacent to Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo and Downtown Brooklyn. City DOT presented its plan publicly September 2019. The … <Read More>


City Begins Process of Installing 10,000 New Bike Racks with Bronx Installations

Bronx Park East will be getting new bike racks in addition to pedestrian and cyclist improvements. On March 5, 2021, the Department of Transportation began the installation of bike racks along Bronx Park East in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx. This begins the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation’s, Hank Gutman, goal to install 10,000 new bike racks by the end of 2022.



Landmarks Calendars Proposed Historic District in Harlem

The proposed district is in two sections and prominently features many rowhouses. On February 2, 2021, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District in Harlem for future designation. The greater proposed historic district represents the area’s significant connection to the Harlem Renaissance and advancements in politics, education, healthcare, literature and culture.


Landmarks Calendars Three Sites Amid Launch of Equity Framework

The Equity Framework aims to increase diversity in New York’s landmarks and work within the Landmarks Preservation Commission. On January 19, 2021, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar three sites for designation as part of the agency’s launch of an equity framework designed to better represent New York City’s diversity and underrepresented populations. The three sites calendared for proposed designation are the Conference House Park Archeological Site in Tottenville, Staten Island, the Holyrood Episcopal … <Read More>


City Council Passes Two Bills Aimed to Help Cultural Sector Access Public Spaces

The program follows the concept of the Open Restaurants program. On December 10, 2020, the City Council passed two bills designed to provide arts and cultural institutions across the city with more access to public spaces in response to the damage to the City’s cultural sector because of the COVID-19 pandemic.