DDC Celebrates Water Main Upgrades in Park Slope

On November 1, 2024, the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) announced the completion of a $40.7 million project that focused on protecting Brooklyn residents from the future impacts of climate change. The project was managed by the  Department of Design and Construction on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation. The upgrades in Park Slope aim to improve stormwater drainage and the overall capacity of the … <Read More>


Could Public Space Stewards Help Make New York City More Livable?

By Mark Chiusano

For obvious reasons I was recently revisiting a small controversy over the usage of public space in a certain midtown Manhattan building: Trump Tower.

In 2016, Donald Trump and New York City went back and forth over whether the building had to keep some public benches in the lobby. During construction decades earlier, the tower had been allowed to rise higher in exchange for a little bit of public space (some of <Read More>


City Celebrates Completion of First Part of East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

On October 17, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the completion of the first section of the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project. The East Side Coastal Resiliency project is a $1.45 billion project that will create a 2.4-mile-long flood barrier on the Lower East Side from Montgomery Street to Asser Levy Playground between East 23rd Street and East 25th Street. The $1.45 billion project is being built in two sections. The northern … <Read More>


City Launches Trade-In Program for E-Bikes and Batteries

On October 23, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the final rules regulating the City’s $2 million trade-in program for electric-powered mobility devices, such as electric bikes, and their batteries. This program is part of the City’s “Charge Safe, Ride Safe: New York City’s Electric Micromobility Action Plan” which aims to mitigate the risk of deadly e-bike fires, caused by uncertified lithium-ion batteries by promoting public safety and reducing the illegal … <Read More>


Parks Dept. Celebrates Reopening of Kelly Park Playground in Brooklyn

On October 22, 2024, New York City Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue, New York State Senator Simcha Felder, and members of the community celebrated the unveiling of the newly reconstructed Kelly Park Playground. Kelly Park Playground, located at Ave. S, Moore Pl. between East 16th Street and East 17th Street in Brooklyn, is named after Brooklynite William E. Kelly. Born. Kelly, born in Brooklyn in 1872, served as county postmaster and Clerk of Kings County before … <Read More>