Streets Month
MAS Streets Month
April 4: Shared Streets: Making it Work
April 12: Big Streets: Using and Reusing City Thoroughfares
Streets Tours
MAS Taking it to the Streets for the Month of April
Great cities begin with great streets. Streets comprise more than a quarter of the city’s land area. They are where New Yorkers do business, socialize, play and gather. Their design and maintenance have a direct impact on the livability of neighborhoods. That’s why April is Streets Month at MAS—we are devoting all programming next month to New York’s changing streetscapes.
Our programs will focus on shared streets and big streets. We’re delighted to announce that we will be joined by New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Gil Peñalosa, who transformed streets in Bogota, Colombia, and John Norquist, president of the Congress for the New Urbanism and former mayor of Milwaukee.
Shared Streets: Making it Work
When: Monday, April 4, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Reception to follow.
Where: Scholastic Auditorium, 557 Broadway at Prince Street. MAP
Cost: $15, $10 MAS members and students.
1.5 LU CES credits and 2.0 CM credits
Streets provide critical connective tissue in cities, not only ensuring the movement of people and goods, but also underpinning much of the social, commercial and cultural vibrancy of a city. What practices are cities around the world adopting to make streets more than just corridors for moving traffic? Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has advanced an ambitious rethinking of New York City’s streets. What effect have Select Bus Service, dedicated bicycle lanes, pedestrian plazas, and other initiatives had on livability in New York?
Introduction:
* Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City Transportation Commissioner
Moderator:
* Andrea Bernstein, WNYC, director of the Transportation Nation Project
Panelists:
* Gil Peñalosa, executive director of 8-80 Cities and former commissioner of Parks, Sports and Recreation in Bogotá, Colombia
* Kate Slevin, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign
* Sam Schwartz, president, chief executive officer and founder of Sam Schwartz Engineering
View full bios of the panelists.
Big Streets: Using and Reusing City Thoroughfares
When: Tuesday, April 12, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Reception to follow
Where: New York Institute of Technology Auditorium, 1871 Broadway at 62nd Street. MAP.
Cost: $15, $10 MAS members and students.
APA and AIA credits are available.
As populations in cities around the world continue to grow, and gridlock becomes more prevalent, we are witnessing creative ways of dramatically repurposing the street infrastructure built decades ago. In some cities, this has included the removal of elevated highways, altering the transportation modes and reconnecting original neighborhoods. Other cities have intensified uses under existing expressway infrastructure, or upgraded landscaping and urban design features that make the areas more walkable and transit-friendly. New York City has many options to improve its largest thoroughfares. What should be our priority in addressing the fates of our elevated routes like the Sheridan Expressway? Panelists will discuss their experience with leveraging the potential of infrastructure in the context of urban design and other ideas for repurposing roadways to make them more appropriate for the way urban citizens now use them.
Introduction:
* John Norquist, president of the Congress for the New Urbanism and former mayor of Milwaukee
Moderator:
* Michael Grynbaum, The New York Times
Panelists:
* Joan Byron, director of policy at the Pratt Center for Community Development
* Michael A. Manfredi,, principal of Weiss/Manfredi
* Vaughn Fauria, president of NewCorp Inc., based in New Orleans
* These programs are made possible through the generous support of The Rockefeller Foundation and their annual Jane Jacobs Medal. Jane Jacobs recognized the vital role of streets in strengthening city life by providing opportunities for civilizing and enjoying interactions between people and their surroundings.
Streets Month Tours
Saturday, April 16, 11:00 a.m.
Sharing the Streets: Buses, Bikes & Pedestrians
Join us for a first-hand look at the pros and cons of New York City’s reconfigured streets, pedestrian plazas, bike lanes and Select Bus Service. In addition to infrastructure, we will discuss efforts to improve our city’s bicycle riding culture through social marketing. This is a bus and walking tour, with a subway connection.
Tour Leaders: Cate Contino, Straphangers Campaign; Caroline Samponaro, Transportation Alternatives; and Nancy Gruskin, the Stuart C. Gruskin Foundation
Meet at: The Select Bus stop outside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. MAP.
Cost of Tour: $15, $10 MAS members. Bring a MetroCard.
Saturday, April 23, 11:00 a.m.
Rethinking the Sheridan: From Bronx River to Hunts Point
The impact of the Sheridan Expressway is best understood by walking through the neighborhoods that border it. As we walk, we’ll learn about the environmental, social and economic burdens the highway brings as well as see the many ways that local residents have already re-imagined and redeveloped the spaces along the expressway.
Meet at: Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, 1384 Stratford Ave. MAP.
Cost of Tour: $15, $10 MAS members.
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