• An appeals court will allow the stalled, $5 billion Atlantic Yards project to begin fundraising for the Barclay’s Center arena, which will take up most of the 22-acre development. Community leaders in the opposition, who don’t like hearing their neighborhood called “blighted,” still have lawsuits in the works. (Atlantic Yards Report)
• Hard to tell right now, but 15,000 jobs might have been saved by stimulus funds for highway projects in CA. What is clear is that local transpo agencies are dragging their feet when it comes to awarding contracts, which means CA’s economy isn’t yet feeling the stimulus boost. (Contra Costa Times)
• “Innovative” transportation brings to mind Portland and Austin, sure…but Mexico City? The capital’s Bus Rapid Transit system, called Metrobús, is a fascinating public-private partnership that took only three years to implement and carries almost half a million passengers daily — all on clean-burning diesel buses. (Atlantic)
• If all goes as planned, Boston will finally see the open space it was promised twenty years ago when the city undertook the Big Dig. Federal funds are helping to build the footbridges, paths, bike lanes, and parks connecting the North and South Banks. (Boston)
• “Civil inattention” occurs when we acknowledge others in public places but don’t take any special interest in them. A reviewer looks at this and other findings from scientific studies of subway riders. (Slate)
• And a parting thought: Among the things you shouldn’t do when flying into LAX this holiday season is illegally strap eleven lizards in money belts to your chest. Just a suggestion. (news.com.au)
(Pic via SHoP Architects)
November 24th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
It seems to me that the Brooklyn residents may be more upset about having their property taken away from them than about the name calling, and rightly so. These types of projects do not have a good track record of actually delivering on the promised density and economic development. Often they fail and actually destroy the existent economic value of the community. And even the projects that don’t fail outright almost always take from modest home/business owners and give to wealthy well-connected developers. The Atlantic Yards project is one of the most repugnant examples of this type of reverse Robin Hood abuse. Victory indeed.
November 24th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Ick. Does *anybody* like the Atlantic Yards project?
November 25th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Austin has innovative transportation? There’s the city buses and a single light rail line which hasn’t opened yet…surely you dont mean the double decker highway which still today racially segregates the city
November 25th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Thanks for the Boston update. Figures that I’m no longer living in that city.
November 27th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Andrew: Bruce Ratner likes the project - he got the yards for half the assessed market value, and is now going to pay in small installments over 10 years. Everyone who’s connected to Ratner, including Bloomberg, likes the project as well. It’s just the people who actually have to live in New York’s neighborhoods who don’t like it.