It’s hard to believe that August is already upon us, and fall is right around the corner. We at MAS have had a busy summer preparing for a provocative, informative fall season, as we introduce our first annual Next for New York programs.

Next for New York will explore the next wave in urban planning, preservation and climate change, and civic activism, as well as specific projects that will help shape the future of New York City.

This year, Next for New York includes three major events: Preservation & Climate Change Conference, the MAS Summit for New York City and the Jane Jacobs Forum. These programs will engage New Yorkers in stimulating discussions about urban livability and the future of our city and cities around the world.

“There’s no question that cities are pivotal as nations everywhere are dealing with growing populations, climate change and threats to sustainability,” said MAS President Vin Cipolla. “Through this very exciting annual series, MAS will examine a host of issues that New York is facing as a global city that also is a city of distinct neighborhoods.” Continue Reading>>

In an article that was posted today on Huffington Post, MAS President Vin Cipolla took aim at critics who believe that New York City is taking landmark preservation too far. He argued that preservation is a key ingredient in maintaining sustainable cities. “There is no reason why we have to choose between protecting our historic resources and developing New York City,“ he writes. “With comprehensive planning, we can balance the city’s growth while preserving the places that give New York City its identity and soul.”

To view the full article, click here.

For more information on the Municipal Art Society’s inaugural Summit for New York (October 21-22), where people will gather to discuss the present and future of New York’s sustainability and livability, click here.

The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) is updating its Comprehensive Waterfront Plan and is looking for public input in creating a framework that will guide land use decisions along the city’s shoreline. DCP has committed itself to extensive public involvement to identify the goals and issues to be addressed by the Plan, and this Thursday, April 8, at 6:00 – 8:30 p.m., is the first public meeting in this year-long visioning process of public consultation.

The Plan has the potential to profoundly transform New York City’s waterfront, and MAS encourages waterfront enthusiasts and members of the public alike to take this opportunity to offer their input to help set the direction for the future of what is, perhaps, our city’s greatest natural resource.

The meeting will be held at: Murray Bergtraum High School, 411 Pearl Street, Manhattan [MAP], and in the coming months, borough-specific meetings will be held to identify opportunities for each waterfront neighborhood. If you are unable to attend the meeting, but would still like to submit your ideas and comments to DCP, click here to open an online form.

“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>>

Please join us for the final ImagineConey program this Tuesday, February 17, at 6.30 p.m. at MAS to see presentations of submissions to the ImagineConey initiative by members of the public and design professionals. Presenters will include Frederick Schwartz, Philip Tusa, Henry Jones and others. MAS staff will also present the results of the design workshop (charrette) held last November in which an international team of designers, economists and creative producers participated. The event is free, but reservations are strongly recommended. Click here to RSVP or call 212-935-2075.

Imagining Coney: Bold Ideas, Technicolor Dreams, and Fanciful Concepts
Tuesday, February 17, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., at the Municipal Art Society
A review of over 350 ideas submitted from around the world by the general public and professional designers.

Last night, the Municipal Art Society’s new exhibit ImagineConey: Bold Ideas for Coney Island opened with a party at our Urban Center Galleries, featuring Miss Cyclone as the evening’s MC, with sword-swallower The Great Fredini and Steve the Strongman providing sideshow entertainment that was both fascinating and gruesome at the same time.

Check out the slideshow above for photos of the opening, and visit our Facebook page to watch two short videos of the Great Fredini performing. We also took the opportunity to “live-tweet” this captivating event on Twitter, so please check out our tweets after the jump to learn about some of the more intriguing points of the evening. Continue Reading>>

Over 150 Coney Island residents and fans attended last night’s ImagineConey meeting, held at Our Lady of Solace Church on Mermaid Avenue. MAS planning committee members presented the public’s submissions to ImagineConey as well as the results of a charrette held in November. MAS also outlined the critical next steps we believe must be taken for Coney Island:

New York City Should Buy the Land for an Amusement Area. At current land values, it is unrealistic to expect private developers to construct amusements in Coney Island. Building on it’s successful effort to purchase a parcel last November, New York City should purchase enough land for a Coney Island Amusement Area of sufficient scale that could then be managed by a private, third-party entity overseeing a mix of large, small and mid-scale operators.

Refine Vision for a Viable Coney Island. Building on the strategic plan developed by the city, key stakeholders should develop a specific master plan for Coney Island that incorporates 25 acres of amusements, excluding retail and hotel uses, to support a minimum of 3.4 million visitors annually. The refined vision should include a signature, iconic ride that re-establishes Coney Island as world-class destination and enough rides to support up to 15,000 visitors at any one time. Continue Reading>>

This is the fourth in a series of posts describing the latest submissions to ImagineConey, the MAS initiative to develop bold new ideas for Coney Island. Click to view the first , second (AnimalConey!) , and third (InventiveConey!) in the series.

Coney Island was once the greatest entertainment destination on the planet – from the great parks of the 1900’s through to the Nickel Empire of the 1930’s and ‘40s – and many New Yorkers remain nostalgic over Coney’s golden age.

And while much of the historic fabric of Coney Island has been lost, much can still be preserved or renewed– from structures that are already city landmarks (like the Parachute Jump) to the Shore Public Theater. And we can always rebuild or reinvent what we have lost. This week’s ImagineConey post focuses on the submissions that explore how the historic elements of Coney can be renewed or recreated to exploit the enormous nolstagia that exists:

• Landmark the Shore Theater and bring Coney Island themed theater and movies. Regular showings of The Warriors or original bio-epic films about Coney Island and its residents
• Reuse Historic Buildings Hendersons as a nightclub, and the Playland building as an arcade again
• Rebuild Victorian Whipcream Buildings. Only this time, make them fireproof Continue Reading>>

The hundreds of ideas for the future of Coney Island that have been submitted so far to ImagineConey are some of the most creative, thoughtful ideas ever submitted in a process of this kind — from a proposal to build a Sushi Skate Park to rebuilding the Elephant Hotel.  You can view them by clicking on the Gallery button on the ImagineConey website. If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to submit an idea, the deadline for submissions is now January 15, and an exhibit featuring all the ideas and the charrette results will open at the MAS on January 27 2009.

Now, it is critical that we demonstrate to the decision-makers that New Yorkers passionately believe that Coney Island should become a great amusement and entertainment destination once again.  So please join us on January 14 at 6.30PM, where the MAS will be participating in a public meeting in Coney Island at Our Lady of Solace Church. Continue Reading>>

This is the third in a series of posts describing the latest submissions to ImagineConey, the MAS initiative to develop bold new ideas for Coney Island. Click to view the first and second in the series.

This week’s ImagineConey post focuses on ideas submitted that embody Coney’s tradition of being a testing ground for invention and technological advances. In addition to entertaining visitors, Coney Island was a place where entrepreneurs came to try out their zany ideas. The hotdog was invented at Feltman’s while the first baby incubators were set up in Coney Island before they were accepted by the global medical community. Luna Park’s use of one million incandescent light bulbs was also a global first. Here are some of the inventive-submissions to ImagineConey:

• Build the first ever Inverted Wooden Roller Coaster where the thrill of a shaky roller coaster can be experienced with your feet dangling below you.
• Create a Bubble as a Roof to enclose some amusements in a gigantic bubble similar to those made with soap and water, but less prone to popping. Continue Reading>>