What We’re Reading – November 1st 2022

Seven articles curated by the Wagner Planner staff:

Why Halloween Can Be Dangerous in America (Bloomberg CityLab) – It’s not because of the 12-foot skeletons. “Cars kill more pedestrians on Oct. 31 than any other day of the year.” 

NO TRICK, ALL TREAT: City to Ban Cars on Some Streets for Halloween (Streetsblog) – “The celebration, nonetheless, attracted a small number of car zealots who consistently berated Rodriguez and other officials — even when one local Assembly member evoked the many children who had previously been killed by drivers in the area and whose lives might have been saved had they lived on a car-free street.”

On Car-Free Streets, Many New York Restaurants Thrived (NYT) – ““During the pandemic, New Yorkers clearly loved eating outdoors — but we now also have empirical evidence of the positive role that dining on Open Streets had on local neighborhood economies and our broader city recovery,” said Ydanis Rodriguez, the city’s transportation commissioner.”

10 years after Sandy, Hudson River tunnel just as vulnerable to flooding – and a fix isn’t coming until 2038 (Gothamist) – “Officials from New York, New Jersey, and Amtrak involved in the project, dubbed the Gateway Program, now admit they can do little more than cross their fingers that another flood won’t hit in the meantime.”

13 Years, 3 Mayors, Countless Community Board Meetings, and Just One Building (Curbed) – “Untangle the whole thing and you can begin to understand why it is so hard to turn a parking lot into an apartment building in the most crowded city in America, where survival is indeed starting to feel miraculous.”

NYC Had 88,830 Vacant Rent-Stabilized Apartments Last Year, City Housing Agency Estimates (THE CITY) – “Tenants around the city are accusing landlords of holding open apartments without renting them — and in some cases, they allege, encouraging tenants to vacate..”

Harlem Public Housing Site Is Sold To Luxury Developer For New Tower (Patch) – “The $6 million land sale, plus $22 million in air rights, will allow Grid to build a 26-story tower containing 393 apartments and a supermarket on the now-empty site at 1440 Amsterdam Ave., near West 131st Street.” 

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