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Film Scout Parking Permits Rescinded
The other night in the Financial District, the buildings of Trinity Place were lit-up all noir-like, and light illuminated the steam temporarily wafting skyward from an orange stack. The lighting set up a visual image of a comic book, larger-than-life metropolis that will appear in Spiderman III. I enjoyed watching a take or two of traffic on the streets as the star flew through the air on some kind of hoist, and generally I am a fan of Hollywood filming here because besides creating jobs, it usually improves the city's image, and encourages tourism, and reminds viewers around the world of the excitement that daily life here can include: New York remains the ultimate movie setting because it is the place where anything can happen. But the New York's huge film industry has been leaning on a not-so-secret crutch that has now been eliminiated. (Hat tip to The Oil Drum.) An essay by Francis X. Clines in the Times brings to light some news:
July 13, 2006
Other Cities’ Mayors on Bicycling
London Mayor Ken Livingstone:"Cycling is the fastest, cheapest, most healthy and environmentally friendly way to get around London, which is why we are investing almost £20 million this year to improve cycle facilities in the capital. The number of cyclists on our roads has doubled since 2000 and we've already exceeded our cycling targets five years ahead of schedule, on top of achieving a shift from car use to public transport. I will now be looking at setting tougher targets so we can continue to build on this success and encourage many more cyclists in London."
June 29, 2006
Eyes on the Street: Brooklyn Bridge, Thurs. June 29, 8:45 am
Manhattan-bound on the Brooklyn Bridge this morning,
on the way to Transportation Alternatives' City Hall rally. The traffic
jam on the right, the smog-cloaked city in the background, the sparsely
populated bike path -- this is what a broken transportation system
looks like.
June 29, 2006
Jane Jacobs Tribute Tonight
There will be a public celebration for Jane Jacobs this evening, 5:00 pm, under the arch in Washington Square Park.
June 28, 2006
Streetsblog Interview: Stefan Schaefer
This afternoon we met up with Stefan Schaefer, director, producer and editor of the new documentary film, "Contested Streets."
June 28, 2006
New Film Fires up Faithful in Manhattan Debut
Like Al Gore, the idea of making New York safer for walkers and bicyclists commands more popular support than government action would suggest. Also like the former veep, the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign is using film to rally support. (The campaign has never struggled, though, to keep its weight under control.)
June 28, 2006
Untangling Traffic: Bloomberg’s Forgotten Promise
On July 11, 2001, Republican mayoral candidate Michael Bloomberg issued a policy paper on traffic and transportation. The paper was called "Untangling Traffic" and it's opening sentence exclaimed, "Traffic is a mess!"
June 19, 2006
Why Only One Museum Mile?
Some images and reflections from last night's Museum Mile Festival:
June 14, 2006
Pedestrian-Only Fifth Avenue: Tonight, a Three Hour Test
Tonight is the Museum Mile Festival. From 6:00 to 9:00 pm, twenty-three blocks of Fifth Avenue from 82nd Street to 105th Streets will be closed to traffic for the event billed as "New York's Biggest Block Party." Admission to the museums is free and there are all kinds of events, workshops and street performances.
June 13, 2006
555 Hudson Street
Jane Jacobs lived at 555 Hudson Street when she wrote "The Death and Life of Great American Cities." I happened to be in the neighborhood yesterday afternoon and I saw this bouquet of flowers and card on the front door. The card reads, "Jane Jacobs, 1916-2006. From this house, in 1961, a housewife changed the world."
April 27, 2006