Tag: Open Space

  • Grow Up, Boston

    Grow Up, Boston

    Boston is facing an identity crisis, and it needs to grow up – literally. Is it a global city, with ample night life opportunities, or a New England town, shutting down with the MBTA before midnight? In many respects, Boston’s identity is based upon its backbone – its outdated, stressed transportation infrastructure. Relatively unique to…

  • Connect

    Connect

    It’s winter again in Boston. Anyone who was there last year during February and March knows what that means. The ability to move about the city could come to a screeching halt in the blink of an eye. . The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, or the “T”) completely shut down last winter after repeated large winter storms,…

  • A Riel (Estate) Plan for NYC

    A Riel (Estate) Plan for NYC

    Riel, 2015 Born and bred in Brooklyn, I firmly believe that the New York region remains the cultural capital of the world. With more people in the metropolitan area than in the entire continent of Australia, New York continues to harbor diverse and creative opportunities due to its inherent dynamism and density, catalyzed by the…

  • Ten Arcane Facts About New York City

    Ten Arcane Facts About New York City

    1,     Beavers on New York City Seal:   New York City seal has two beavers between the arms of a windmill denoting that the city was founded by Dutch fur traders. The date on the city seal had been 1664 when Dutch surrendered the city to British. In 1974 the City Council decided to change the…

  • Enabling Communities to Build Their Own Plazas

    Enabling Communities to Build Their Own Plazas

      All over the country more and more cities are catching on to the idea that public space can be created quickly and cheaply; expensive master plans are becoming a thing of the past. Typically a community partner—a business improvement district or non-profit community organization—can apply through the municipality to transform an excessive roadway into…

  • Glimpse: Fulton Center

    Glimpse: Fulton Center

    “Glimpse” is a new PYC series for on-the-go readers interested in concise, image-laden posts… The well-lit Fulton Center will be completely opened within the next few months, but I was granted access to the construction site in late August, in the company of Daniel Peterson, PE, who came up with the floor plan for the Fulton Center.…