“Greening up” public housing
Simple, cost-effective environmental retrofitting of public housing is well within the realm of possibility.
Revisiting the Rising Currents solutions: creating buffer zones for the city
As a series of posts on City Atlas have shown, the storm that swamped New York on October 29th pushed climate change onto the national…
A tiny train for a tiny city // Un tren pequeño para una ciudad pequeña
The New York Botanical Garden unveils its Holiday Train show, which will be open from November to January.
Nature-culture conference about Central Park
New York has many landmarks that characterize the city, capturing its essence as an environment at the intersection of nature and culture. Central Park is chief…
Is it “natural”?
How natural is “natural”? Asking us to reconsider the human element in the creation of NYC’s “natural” landscapes.
The High Line enters its final stage of development
The final stage of the Highline’s development, known as Highline at the Rail Yards, begins construction.
Gone fishin’: Hunts Point Landing Park now open to everyone
Hunts Point Landing Park has been transformed from what was once a dead-end street into a beautiful park for all to enjoy.
A glimpse of the future, underground
Exhibit modeling planned underground park presents the future of illuminating the depths below NYC’s streets with natural sunlight.
Brooklyn’s Barclays Center opens Friday to cultural and environmental acclaim
The Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets, opens this Friday and will feature many key sustainable construction elements.
High Line 4.0: Green Carceri
Springing off of the success of Manhattan’s popular Highline park, a new project, Green Carceri, has been announced. The mixed use building will act as natural extension of the park and serve as a neighborhood farm among other functions.
Green roofs 101
From beehives to gardens to fully-functioning farms, NYC residents have begun to utilize the city’s rooftops in ongoing efforts to go green. But what exactly is a green roof?
Solar powered streetscape coming soon
New York City will soon sport a new attraction: a solar powered streetscape on Columbus Avenue, an exciting installation that gives us a preview of the future with renewable power.
The Bronx River, restored
The Bronx River is coming back to it’s former beauty, piece by piece. Michael Kimmelman of the New York Times shows how it is changing.
LowLine update: a park under the street
The Delancey Underground Project has recently won approval from Manhattan’s Community Board 3 and is moving forward on research with the support of the community and generous donations.
The Tappan Zee: from bridge to park?
With a replacement in the works for the Tappan Zee Bridge, interest is gathering for the possibility of transforming the soon-to-be retired bridge into a public park.
Can you kickstart a city?
Is crowdfunding website Kickstarter a good way to redesign cities? Alexandra Lange thinks not. In a provocative post at Design Observer, she says: “A suitable funding platform for a watch is not a suitable funding platform for a city.
Reimagining the city, beginning with sidewalk sheds
The everyday sidewalk shed — what can be done with it? A team in the MFA Transdisciplinary Design program at Parsons/The New School saw potential: the result, Softwalks, is a design intervention, a kit that can give sheds features of public furniture or other uses to serve the community.
Olmsted’s Homesteads
It was 190 years ago yesterday, April 26 1822, that Frederick Law Olmsted was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Though he held many titles over a…