The Municipal Art Society of New York

The City recently released its PlaNYC 2.0,  an update to the Bloomberg administration’s plan for guiding sustainable growth in New York City. On Tuesday May 24, David Bragdon, director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability will highlight what’s new in the plan. Continue Reading>>

MAS is looking forward to hosting this weekend’s Jane’s Walk in New York City, a series of free neighborhood walks and bike rides throughout all five boroughs, celebrating the legacy of Jane Jacobs. This is the first year MAS is coordinating Jane’s Walk in New York City, and we have more than 20 walks led by local residents and urban enthusiasts planned for the weekend. Continue Reading>>

Last night, MAS hosted an evening dedicated to the city’s largest public spaces as part of the second annual MAS Streets Month. Held at the Scholastic Auditorium, a robust and interested audience attended Shared Streets: Making It Work, offering guests who are passionate about New York’s public realm an opportunity to hear a presentation on new initiatives by DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. Her address was followed by a lively presentation by Gil Penalosa, Continue Reading>>

Back by popular demand, it’s the second annual MAS Streets Month! Thanks to the popularity of our first Streets Month programs, we are back with a great lineup for this April. Great cities start with great streets, and next month, MAS will celebrate what’s new, interesting, and controversial about New York City’s largest and ever-changing network of public spaces.

New York’s streets have seen a great deal of change in the past few years. Continue Reading>>

Earlier this month, MAS hosted a provocative panel on bringing equitable WiFi to all New Yorkers. NYC’s Chief Digital Officer, Rachel Sterne, delivered an informative keynote about the city’s plans to offer more services online, as well as the recent advances in providing access to 311 reporting data online.

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Join MAS as we celebrate the remarkable dedication and work of Diane von Furstenberg at our annual gala on April 28, at the magnificent beaux-arts New York Public Library.

Ms. von Furstenberg will be awarded the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal for her tireless work as an urban pioneer, civic activist and preservationist. Continue Reading>>

The MAS April/May newsletter and calendar is hitting mailboxes across the city right now. This issue features MAS Streets Month programs and tours, and our May 11 program on the future of New York City’s skyline.

In addition to our Streets Month tours, there’s a daylong visit to Tottenville in Staten Island, as well as our annual tour of Jane Jacob’s West Village, in honor of Jacobs’ birthday—this year would have been her 95th! Continue Reading>>

MAS members will be treated to a special appearance at our Annual Meeting on March 29 by Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts and longtime friend of MAS. Landesman will deliver a keynote address as part of our 20-year retrospective on the transformation of Times Square, andwill open the program with remarks on the creative economy and the importance of the arts community as a cultural and economic driver.

“We are so delighted that Rocco will be with us that night, since he was one of the pivotal players in the revitalization of Times Square,” said MAS President Vin Cipolla. Continue Reading>>

Social media guru Rachel Sterne, in her new post as the City’s first Chief Digital Officer, will deliver a keynote at our March 8th program, “Wireless City: Can All New Yorkers Get Connected?“. In 2009, Rachel was recognized as one of “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs” by Businessweek and is a noted speaker on social media and technology. Continue Reading>>

Internet access, once a luxury, is quickly becoming a key livability issue for New York and other cities. With many government agencies providing services online and communities becoming increasingly dependent on high-speed Internet access, it is critical that we integrate access into future city planning initiatives. Continue Reading>>

The Municipal Art Society released a list of 11 initiatives and places that will have the most significant effect on livability in New York City in 2011.

“Each item on our Livability Watch List has the potential to profoundly change the way New Yorkers experience their communities and their city,” said Vin Cipolla, MAS president. “How they progress in 2011 will affect livability in New York and cities everywhere.” Continue Reading>>

The MAS March newsletter and calendar is hitting mailboxes across the city right now. This month features our March 8 program—Wireless City: Can All New Yorkers Get Connected?—where panelists will discuss the benefits and challenges in making wireless Internet available in New York. The Municipal Art Society will present a panel of experts who will explore some of the models employed, as well as the challenges in making WiFi access a priority. Continue Reading>>

MAS President Vin Cipolla looks back at MAS’s successful year as we head into 2011. Read his year end report below:

What an exciting year it has been for the Municipal Art Society. From moving our home to the landmark Steinway Building last January to a year of provocative new programs, we’ve enjoyed a period of tremendous growth. As 2010 comes to a close, I’d like to review the progress we’ve made and thank you all for supporting our work. Continue Reading>>

Walking and rolling took center stage at this year’s MAS Jane Jacobs Forum, as we considered these forms of transportation that are so often overlooked.

MAS president Vin Cipolla opened the evening by pointing out that more people walk to work in New York City (9.2%) than in any other major U.S. city. But, Nicholas Turner, a managing director at the Rockefeller Foundation, noted that walking is not even classified as transportation Continue Reading>>

Two themes emerged during the MAS Conference on Preservation and Climate Change in New York City on October 16: there is a substantial amount of common ground between the goals of preservation and sustainability, but it is largely unrecognized; and the preservation community needs to be much more actively engaged in shaping green building and sustainability policies. Continue Reading>>