Planning & Development

via mas.org

The Municipal Art Society is rolling out a three-part Web series this month focusing on youth and city planning. 

In a blog post on MAS's Web site, Sideya Sherman points out that 27 percent of New York's more than 8 million residents are below the age of 19, and that 10 percent of that subset are between the ages of 12 and 19.

But while these youths "make intensive use of the public spaces, businesses, and parks and playgrounds in their own neighborhoods and in neighborhoods where they attend school ... youth participation in neighborhood decision-making is rare."

The barriers? Not being able to vote, the inevitable intimidation factor at adult-dominated community board and other local meetings, and general disengagement from civic life, according to Ms. Sherman:

Flickr via Ed Yourdon

• Public co-working is on the move in New York.

• The Daily News took an in-depth look at the cycling/pedestrian/driver debate.

• Baratunde Thurston talked about the future of...

• Ground broke on the East River Waterfront Esplanade.

• Urban backyard farming is taking hold in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.

• Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey talks New York City.

• The future of the hyperlocal

• There's a new Web site that tracks city candidates' positions on transit issues.

• We caught up with Janette Sadik-Khan at a bike-sharing demo in Union Square.

• Steve Cohen says it's time to find funds for city infrastructure.

NYCEDC

More future-of-the-New-York-City-waterfront news: City and state officials broke ground this morning on phase one of the East River Waterfront Esplanade in Lower Manhattan.

The $148 million project, which is being built by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and stretches about two miles from the Battery Maritime Building to Pier 35, will create new open space along the East River waterfront, as well as more than 400 construction-related jobs. It's being funded with $138 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and $9.7 million from federal and New York state transportation funds.

UPDATE: Azi Paybarah reports:

“This design, without any question, is as innovating and exciting as the High Line,” said Amanda Burden, chair of the city planning commission. She said it “will not only be an attraction citywide, globally, it will also provide incredible amenities” such as “bar stools on the railing” and “bleacher seating” so you can get “right down to water level.”

When a reporter asked about delays that previously stalled the groundbreaking on this project, Robert Lieber, the deputy mayor for economic development, said, "this is an enormously complicated project” and “it’s better to measure twice and cut once” and “make sure you have the right design in place before you go forward.”

Read the press release, with more details about the project and quotes from elected officials, after the jump:

Here's the mayor's press release on the four new city housing developments being kick-started with federal stimulus money:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Governor David A. Paterson today announced that New York City is first City in the nation to begin construction of new affordable housing using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP). Four housing developments – three in Harlem and one in East New York – will comprise 739 units of affordable housing and their construction will provide more than 2,800 construction jobs. The Tax Credit Assistance Program aims to increase the supply of newly constructed or recently renovated affordable housing units that otherwise would not have come to market due to current economic conditions. The $60 million in stimulus funding spent on the first four developments accounts for more than 70 percent of New York City’s Tax Credit Assistance Program allocation. Building affordable housing in neighborhoods across New York City is a central component of the Bloomberg Administration’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan to create jobs for New Yorkers today, implement a vision for long-term economic growth and build affordable, attractive neighborhoods. The announcement was held at the East Harlem site for one of the housing developments, Hobbs Court, where the Mayor was joined by Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, Department of Housing and Preservation and Development Commissioner Rafael E. Cestero, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John B. Rhea, New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal Commissioner Deborah VanAmerongen and Phipps Houses President and CEO Adam Weinstein.

via Empire State Future

Yet another conference about the future of New York: Empire State Future and the New York Department of State are hosting a summit on Oct. 7. called "Revitalizing NY: Building a New Economy Through Sustainable Development."

There will be panels on all the usual suspects—transportation, housing, green jobs, climate change, food systems, etc.

From Empire State Future:

There's no doubt that the economic crisis upon us is severe, the worst in many decades. Couple this with the ominous ecological and social challenges of our time, and the future of New York State may look bleak. But if we consider the remarkable human and natural resources, ingenuity, and history of innovation and determination of the people and communities of our state, we can be encouraged.

There is opportunity--and necessity--to apply this innovation and determination to an imperative: development of economies and communities that recognize and embrace the reality of scarcity, but through superior design of places and products, improve quality of life for all while using substantially less natural and financial resources.

Please join Empire State Future and The New York Department of State in Schenectady on October 7 for a Summit on revitalizing New York State through sustainable development. This Summit is designed for all participants to both learn about and contribute innovations and ideas for actualizing sustainable development in New York State, and to strengthen the connections among those working on this common quest.

No word on speakers yet, but you can view the schedule here.

• @mikebloomberg's Tweets yesterday were the mayor's own (@mikebloomberg, City Room)

• There's even a photo of the mayor's first Tweet! (Huffington Post)

• The future of Pier 57 (Gothamist)

• A debate over park plans on Randall's Island (Gotham Gazette)

• A snapshot of Brooklyn's Treehouse co-working space (PSFK)

• Municipal Art Society updates (MAS)

Ed Reed via nycservice.org

About 200 young, civically-minded workers are beginning jobs today at non-profits and public agencies throughout the five boroughs as part of the inaugural NYC Civic Corps program, which is striving to bolster volunteerism in New York.

The Daily News reports:

More than 700 hopefuls applied to be in the inaugural class of NYC Civic Corps.

"We were looking for a real commitment to public service because this year is really a sacrifice," said Diahann Billings-Burford, the city's chief service officer, who was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to oversee volunteer programs. "It's also a great opportunity for someone young to gain some significant work skills and great responsibility."

...

The city partnered with AmeriCorps VISTA to start the new program. The first year is operating with $4.7 million in federal stimulus funds, which pay for the stipends and health benefits. In addition, corps members who successfully complete the program will receive a $4,725 education award to help pay off loans and future tuition costs.

The city kicked in about $750,000 for some management positions. Officials are hoping to continue the program next year with additional federal funding.

Corps workers are trained to help current employees organize programs and increase outreach. But Billings-Burford said they will not take the place of any workers.

"This program could not be used for direct service," she said. "VISTA is very conscious of work displacement."

Some of the corps members will be assisting with sustainability projects like energy efficiency and reducing the city's carbon footprint. One group will be helping the city's affordable housing communities create "green committees" as part of the New York City Housing Authority's push to make low- and moderate-income developments more environmentally friendly.

• The bike access bill has passed the full City Council. (Streetsblog)

• The Council also has approved the 175-block Greenpoint-Williamsburg contextual re-zoning. (Brooklyn 11211)

• A new Quinnipiac poll finds that New Yorkers like a car-free Times Square. (Mobilizing the Region)

• A crash course on the Atlantic Yards. (Next American City)

• City cyclists are planning a "tweetup." (New Amsterdamize)

• Recent Columbia J-school grads are optimistic about the future of journalism. (Village Voice)

• Here's a report from this week's NY Video 2.0 meet-up. (NYConvergence)

• Check out a salon on the future of advertising in New York. (PSFK)

vige via flickr

It didn’t look like much, the racetrack in Queens. On Monday, the Aqueduct, whose angular Jetsons grandstand must have looked modern when it was built in 1959, hulked empty next to a parking lot, its asphalt crevices luxuriant with weeds. A lone seagull flew overhead, and aside from the distant roar of jets departing J.F.K. and the white din of traffic from North Conduit Avenue, the Aqueduct sat silent.

And fallow.

It is these 210 acres that have caught the gambler’s eye of casino magnate Steve Wynn, who was scheduled to land in New York City on Monday, July 27. On July 29, he is to personally present to Governor Paterson’s office his proposal for the racetrack’s redevelopment.

This week, Albany will also host solicitous visits from New York City’s largest office landlord, SL Green CEO Marc Holliday, and teammate Hard Rock; MGM and its partner, the Florida-based developer Peebles Corporation; and a cleverly devised consortium called Aqueduct Entertainment Group that combines both national investors like the Navegante Group and local ones like the Rev. Floyd Flake–founded Empowerment Development Corporation. Other bidders likely to make in-person pitches include: Mohegan Sun; Penn National Gaming; and Delaware North, which won development rights to the Aqueduct last year, before the credit freeze prevented it from keeping its financial commitments to the state.

If all goes as planned, these tête-à-têtes should mark the culmination of an eight-year state quest to award development rights for New York City’s first casino—Las Vegas lite, in Ozone Park. It will include thousands of electronic slot machines, known in the industry as VLTs, or video lottery terminals; and, depending on which developer wins, all manner of other amenities, like hotels, restaurants and parking garages.

The rights are worth billions of dollars over the 30-year term of the lease agreement, both to the developer and to the state, which will garner an estimated $300 million annually in revenue.

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