Urbanists get a private tour of the Lincoln Center’s new primary entryway along Columbus Avenue.

If you’re a young person living or working in New York, you play a vital role in this city. More than one-third of all New Yorkers are under the age of forty and the collective influence of young New Yorkers on this city’s future will be substantial.

Whether you’re a new or a native New Yorker, your voice and passion for urban living is something we at MAS recognize and share. For over ten years, MAS has offered hundreds of individuals, early in their careers, broad exposure to the critical issues of urban planning, design and public space through our Urbanist program.

We invite you to join us! MAS seeks to engage an even larger group of young New Yorkers in our work, by adding a new level of membership in 2010. Consider joining at the basic-Urbanist level, $65 annually, or at the Leadership level, $250 annually.

Urbanist members are invited to join MAS President, Vin Cipolla twice a year for a policy briefing and private reception. Our next meeting will take place at MAS on the evening of Wednesday, January 13, 2010. E-mail Alexis Meisels for more information.

Click here to read more about the MAS Urbanists, additional member benefits and upcoming events.

“What if you could live, work and raise sheep in the same building?” is just one of the provocative ideas raised by the proposals commissioned by the Downtown Alliance in the newly installed exhibit in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. Chris Reynolds, MAS Urbanist and Assistant VP of Planning for the Downtown Alliance, and representatives of the firms Beyer Blinder Belle and ARO/Architecture Research Office recently led a group of MAS Urbanists on a special guided tour of the exhibit.

The Downtown Alliance, also known as the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District, commissioned input from architects, urban planners, and artists for this outdoor exhibit, imagining the changes that might lead to a vibrant future for “Greenwich South,” an area roughly bounded by Broadway to the East, West Street to the East, Liberty Street to the North, and Battery Place to the South. Continue Reading>>

This Friday the Tribute in Light will illuminate the skies over Lower Manhattan for the eighth year to commemorate the attacks on the World Trade Center. The Tribute in Light honors those who were lost on September 11, as well as those who worked so hard to get our city through its greatest trial.

The idea for the lights was independently conceived by several artists and designers, who were brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The Tribute in Light is now produced annually by the MAS on the September 11th anniversary. It was designed by John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and with the generous assistance of Con Edison. Continue Reading>>

It is forecast that by 2030, there will be one million additional people living in the City of New York. However, our transit systems – our roads, our subways, our buses – are already at or near capacity. How will all these people get around? Will the city they inhabit have a people-friendly, walkable cityscape, or will they inhabit a warren of automobile corridors?

On June 16th, the MAS Urbanists participated in a walking tour of some of the areas of Manhattan in which the Department of Transportation (DOT) is testing how street capacity can be increased. Led by Ed Janoff, DOT Senior Project Manager for Streetscapes and Public Spaces, urbanists observed how the agency, with a small budget, cooperation from other city departments, and a very limited design vocabulary, is creating new public spaces. While these spaces will have more permanent design elements added over the next three years, part of the beauty of these new spaces derives from the ingenuity with which they were arranged. Continue Reading>>

The Urbanists — the MAS membership group of young New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s —  joined advocacy staff on Wednesday night for an informal, insider’s presentation of the advocacy campaigns MAS is championing this year.

Over drinks, Urbanist members learned about the critical role that historic preservation plays in the future of a sustainable city (“the greenest building is the one that is already built”); saving the irreplaceable 19th century buildings of Admiral’s Row, adjacent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and adapting them to new uses; and, the new vision and plan for Coney Island, one of America’s most iconic neighborhoods. Continue Reading>>

Last week, the MAS Urbanists got a behind-the-scenes look at New York City’s state-of-the-art 311 call facility. Winner of a MAS Annual Award in 2008, 311 was launched five years ago and now receives more than 40,000 calls per day. Executive Director Joe Morrisroe and members of his staff enthusiastically presented the ins and outs of this information hub.

Even though most calls are predictable (noise complaints in the summer, heat/hot water in the winter, parking questions year round) there are always important anomalies. They offer social services, and have provided informational services for over 2,000,000 callers during peak times like during  the NYC transit strike of 2005. Continue Reading>>

Do you know what the name of Henry Hudson’s ship was, or which Midtown skyscraper is named for a woman’s cosmetic? What about the identity of the figure on horseback outside the Museum of Natural History, or the name of Kennedy Airport before it was named for the late president?

If so, you should have joined MAS and quiz-masters Greg Young and Tom Meyers, aka The Bowery Boys (pictured), last night at Common Ground Bar as they put teams of New Yorkers through their paces on a variety of topics relating to New York City history. Congratulations to NYC Trivia Night champions Steve Scofield and Julia Mucci - the Astoria Aces, edging out the Certificates of No Effect in a tight-fought contest, winning themselves a variety of New York City maps and books from the MAS bookstore Urban Center Books.

However, if you couldn’t make it last night, you can still test your knowledge of the city by downloading the quiz questions here and the answers here and playing at home. Continue Reading>>

On Tuesday, October 14, Greg Young and Tom Meyers, hosts of the popular weekly New York City history podcast The Bowery Boys, will join MAS in hosting a spirited evening of New York City trivia: history, architecture, culture, and more. Come and test your knowledge about the city you call home, meet new people, and lift a glass to New York. A bonus speed round will determine the champions. Put together your team of experts (only four persons per team, please) and join us.

New York City Trivia Night
Tuesday, October 14, 6:30 p.m.
At Common Ground Bar and Restaurant, 206 Avenue A, between 12th and 13th Streets MAP
Free, but reservations are strongly recommended due to limited capacity.  RSVP online or call 212-935-2075.

For details of other upcoming MAS programs, visit www.mas.org/programs, and to download the full schedule of MAS fall programs in PDF form, click here.

The proliferation of chain stores and bank branches is an increasing threat to the character of diverse neighborhoods throughout New York City.  By highlighting successful innovations that have been adopted in other cities and exploring the distinct pressures faced by business owners, this program aims to provide local merchants, community members, and municipal representatives with tools and strategies to safeguard small-scale retail, drive economic development, and establish a constituency pushing for policy reform.

Solutions for Preserving New York’s Neighborhood Businesses
Monday, October 6, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
At the West Side Institutional Synagogue, 120 West 76th Street at Columbus Avenue, MAP
FREE, but reservations are strongly recommended. RSVP online or call 212 935 2075. Advance ticket purchase is available until 3:00 p.m. the day of for programs that are not sold-out. Attendees are advised to arrive fifteen minutes prior to the event start time, as late seating is not guaranteed. Those without reservations will be admitted, space permitting, on a first-come, first-served basis. Continue Reading>>

The Urbanists held their annual Summer Party at the soon-to-be-opened Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO on Tuesday, July 15. The venue was originally built in 1905 and has recently been skillfully converted into a LEED certified building. MAS Urbanists and their friends joined MAS staff to celebrate our current preservation efforts, especially those focused on conversion and reuse of historic buildings, with music and dancing.