The Municipal Art Society of New York

Two hundred years ago, when the NYC Commissioners released their plan for the City, a reporter remarked on the lack of squares and open spaces in the plan. “Worry not” replied one of the Commissioners “as the Rivers will be our parks.” This promise went unfilled for nearly 200 years, but as the greatest achievement of New York City’s waterfront during the 20th century, Hudson River Park is indeed helping to fulfill it. Continue Reading>>

On September 17, 2002, Mayor Bloomberg and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced a settlement to the longstanding lawsuit that the AG’s office brought against the City in 1999 in response to the Giuliani administration’s plan to auction off more than 100 community gardens. The nearly 700 GreenThumb gardens throughout New York City have been under an injunction for the past several years, pending the outcome of this lawsuit. Continue Reading>>

In a show of remarkable unanimity, five different coalitions involved in the rebuilding of New York after 9/11 have gathered the common conclusions of their studies in one unified Imagine New York, the Labor Community Advocacy Network (LCAN), New York City Arts Coalition, New York New Visions, and Rebuild Downtown Our Town (R.Dot) contend that the program for the rebuilding must call for an inclusive citywide and regional approach to rebuilding that addresses key social and economic concerns, not just the physical construction in Lower Manhattan.

Four enormous city blocks, just south of the United Nations along the East River, offer a rare opportunity for a world-class development in Midtown Manhattan. Con Edison’s plan to close the Waterside plant now occupying the site could lead to the conversion of an isolated industrial area into a lively, mixed-use destination tied into the surrounding neighborhoods and connected to the East River. However, with this massive opportunity comes the potential to make colossal mistakes. Continue Reading>>

The Mayor’s Office recently submitted a bill to the City Council proposing an authorizing resolution for the installation, operation, and maintenance of a coordinated street furniture franchise. One company will be given the franchise, which will cover bus shelters, newstands, information kiosks and self-cleaning automatic public toilets. The Municipal Art Society supported this effort five years ago when it was proposed by the Giuliani administration, and is pleased that the Bloomberg administration is reviving this effort to bring well-designed and well-maintained furniture to the streets of New York. Continue Reading>>

The New York-based team of Rogers Marvel Architects and Ken Smith Landscape Architect has been chosen as the winner of the competition to redesign the elevated public plaza at 55 Water Street.

The elevated plaza at 55 Water, approximately one acre in size, commands beautiful panoramic views of New York Harbor from the Brooklyn Bridge to Governors Island. However, because it is nearly invisible from street level and its current primary point of access is a dimly lit escalator located off of Water Street, this great asset has gone underutilized. As one of the last stages of a $150 million renovation project of 55 Water Street, the New Water Street Corporation will implement the redesign of the elevated plaza in the spring of 2003, transforming it into a truly grand public space. Continue Reading>>

After more than a year of studies, the City administration announced that the new traffic configuration at Columbus Circle — aimed at taming vehicular traffic and giving more space back to pedestrians — proved more successful than anticipated. The new configuration follows the actual circle and allows for a center space close to 180 feet in diameter, as well as substantially widened surrounding sidewalks. The traffic studies concluded that this layout works–for cars, for pedestrians and for bicyclists. Continue Reading>>

The Society has been involved in efforts to establish reasonable controls on billboards and other signage in New York City since the turn of the 20th century. Despite the fact that the City has had signage regulations on the books for years, it fought a losing battle with the outdoor advertising industry. Gargantuan, brightly lit signs have continued to proliferate throughout the city, defacing our streets and sidewalks — particularly noticeably in architecturally significant neighborhoods such as SoHo — and impeding views and creating traffic hazards on arterial highways.

In 2001, the City enacted a tough new enforcement mechanism that provides City officials with the tools they need to crack down on illegal signs.

A new bill (proposition 14B) was voted out of the Transportation Committee of the City Council on Thursday August 8, 2002. On the following Thursday the full council voted to adopt the bill, which will now wait 180 days for the Mayor’s signature and will be sent to the Department of Transportation for rules to be adopted.

Once the bill is enacted, the City will have the ability to get rid of newsracks that do not follow the guidelines outlined in this new bill.