The Municipal Art Society of New York

MAS President Vin Cipolla will moderate a panel at Megaprojects, a one-day international conference organized by The Center for Urban Real Estate at Columbia University (CURE) on May 11. The conference will convene leading developers, architects, engineers and urban planners to explore megaprojects, while addressing the issues faced and the lessons learned in developing and operating megaprojects in New York as well as in London. Continue Reading>>

MAS, along with over 200 individuals and organizations, testified at Wednesday’s City Planning Commission hearing regarding NYU’s application to expand in Greenwich Village. MAS spoke out against the proposal, recognizing the Manhattan Borough President for his success in negotiating changes to the plan, but continuing to argue that the project needs to benefit NYU, the neighborhood and the city as a whole. Continue Reading>>

After the NYU proposal was heavily criticized by Community Board Two, it was the Borough President’s turn in the ULURP process to opine on its plan to add 2.4 million square feet of new development to two superblocks just southeast of Washington Square Park. In response to the concerns he raised NYU has agreed to modify its proposal to make a number of significant changes, the details of his position can be found here. Continue Reading>>

MAS is very pleased to present a special Arts Forum panel discussion on Tuesday, April 24th supported by ArtPlace and the Rockefeller Foundation, Measuring Vibrancy: The Impacts of Arts and Culture Investments in Placemaking. MAS is convening urban leaders from the development, design, economic development, research, and real estate communities nationwide to discuss options for measuring the impacts of creative placemaking. Continue Reading>>

Nearly 200 community members, NYU students and faculty packed the Scholastic auditorium Tuesday evening to listen to an expert panel debate NYU’s plans to add a significant amount of density to two Greenwich Village area superblocks (Watch the video here).

To kickoff the evening, MAS President Vin Cipolla briefly outlined NYU’s plans to add nearly half the square footage of their ambitious 6 million square feet expansion plan to the Greenwich neighborhood. Continue Reading>>

On March 14, the City Council approved the proposal to redevelop the former St. Vincent’s Hospital site on West 12^th and 7^th Avenue into a mixed-use development with a new 16,667 square foot park. The agreement that was reached includes a number of community benefits, including the commitment by the Bloomberg Administration and the New York City Department of Education to build a new public school at 75 Morton Street.  MAS has been focused on this project since it was announced in 2007. Continue Reading>>

Join MAS on Tuesday, March 27, for a panel discussion on NYU’s expansion plan.  New York University is the latest city institution to evoke controversy with its ambitious expansion plan which would more than double the amount of density on two Greenwich Village area superblocks. NYU, like Columbia and Fordham, is an important New York City institution; however, each institution’s success relies as much on its location within New York City as in its state-of-the-art facilities. Continue Reading>>

Last night, MAS, along with the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), Manhattan Community Board 5, Borough President Scott Stringer and State Senator Thomas Duane, hosted a workshop to help decide how bike share will work and where stations should be located in Midtown Manhattan.

The workshop was attended by over 60 local residents and business owners, who gathered to explore the best locations for bike share stations in Midtown. Continue Reading>>

As an organization concerned with livability, MAS has spent several months analyzing NYU’s development plans and attending NYU presentations and community board meetings to better understand how NYU’s proposal to add 2.5 million square feet to their core campus will impact the Greenwich Village neighborhood. Our position takes into consideration NYU’s very real need to deal with pressures created by institutional growth and attempts to balance those pressures with the need to ensure that development is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Continue Reading>>

To emphasize the importance of improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of the city’s older buildings, MAS testified in support of the Department of City Planning’s (DCP) proposed Zone Green Text Amendment. The amendment would remove zoning impediments to the construction and retrofitting of buildings to improve energy efficiency and environmental performance, helping New Yorkers save money on energy expenses, which according to the DCP averages about $15 billion each year. Continue Reading>>

After weeks of well attended, at times raucous public meetings, on February 23^rd Manhattan’s Community Board Two voted resoundingly to recommend the denial of NYU’s proposal to add approximately 2.5 million square feet to their core campus in Greenwich Village. The Board’s resolution denounced the amount of density proposed by the addition of four new buildings to two area superblocks, besieging the community with 20 plus years of constant construction. Continue Reading>>

Ahead of 2012’s Fall Fashion Week, the City announced new initiatives to help strengthen New York City’s fashion industry.  In October of 2011 MAS released a report on the Garment District which documented the critical assets of the district and outlined a number of recommendations to strengthen the industry. Our report: Fashioning the Future: NYC’s Garment District can be found here. Continue Reading>>

This past week, there has been a sharp spike in the media attention given to the Moynihan Station development project.  It began with an article written by Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic at The New York Times, arguing that the planned redevelopment of the Javits Convention Center provided an opportunity for Madison Square Garden to be relocated to the southern end of that site, near 34^th Street and 11^th Avenue. Continue Reading>>

On January 23, 2012, the City Planning Commission (CPC) voted to approve the application submitted by the Rudin Management Company to redevelop the site of the former St. Vincent’s Hospital on West 12^th Street and Seventh Avenue. The development includes 450 apartments with retail on the East Site and new open space on the Triangle Site (see map below). For more background information on the project, including MAS’ previous work, click here. Continue Reading>>

Mary W. Rowe, vice president of strategy and partnerships at MAS, is this week’s guest writer for City Builder Book Club. The City Builder Book Club is a joint venture between the Centre for City Ecology and Creative Urban Projects to facilitate a deeper understanding of how cities work by hosting a guided reading and discussion of books that have developed and challenged ideas on urbanism. This winter, the book club is reading at book many of us at MAS hold dear, Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Continue Reading>>