Digital City Briefs - New York City

Atlantic Yards: Barclays Center Arena

Bringing Sports Fans Closer to Action

2012-09-23T06:40:00.000-04:00

Barclays Center – New York City’s newest sports and entertainment venue - is scheduled to open on September 28th. The Center will be accessible via 11 subway lines, the LIRR and 11 bus lines. The Center will feature Cisco’s Connected Stadium intelligent network, which will allow its management to control wired and wireless access, security, surveillance, ticketing, and point of sale transactions.

The Center will provide a mobile app that will connect sports fans to live action wherever their seats are located. The high-definition video and digital content will be broadcast on 700 HDTV's and approximately 100 concession menu boards throughout the venue. “Future versions will include real-time video viewing, the ability to order concessions from your seat and pick them up without standing in line, and more.”

Reference: Barclays Center Utilizes Cisco To Transform Fan Experience In One Of The Most Technologically Advanced Arenas In The World, Cisco, September 19, 2012

Other Recent Posts:

Converting Roosevelt Island into Silicon Island

Promoting Energy Efficiency by Benchmarking Buildings

Time Magazine’s Digital Strategy

2012-08-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

No one should be surprised to learn that the ad revenues at print magazines are in decline. For example, Time magazine's ad revenue fell 13.6 percent compared to its year ago revenue. Time Inc., the publisher of Time, Sports Illustrated and People, is trying to develop a strategy to thrive in the digital world.

Studies show that morning readers prefer headlines and news flashes, afternoon readers prefer to watch either a slide show or a video, while the night readers engage in longer articles. Studies also show that an average smartphone owner spends 1.4 hours a day browsing a device.

Time Inc. is focusing on developing digital products to fit this daily news cycle. “There’s all this found time, and our strategy is to program to that.” By targeting such “found time” in the daily news cycle, Time hopes to thrive in the digital world.

Reference: Chozick, Amy, Time Inc.’s New Chief Rethinks Magazines for a Digital Audience, The New York Times, July 29, 2012

Other Recent Posts:

Converting Roosevelt Island into Silicon Island

Promoting Energy Efficiency by Benchmarking Buildings

Converting Roosevelt Island into Silicon Island

2012-08-22T06:18:00.000-04:00

New York City is building a new applied science campus to be known as “NYCTech” which is expected to create $23 billion of economic activity over the next 30 years, and spin off about 600 high-tech companies. The campus will be a consortium of Cornell University and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The 11-acre, 2 million square-foot “net-zero” campus will be built on Roosevelt Island. The 400,000 square-foot first phase will be finished by 2017, while the entire campus is expected to be completed by 2043.

“In addition to providing cutting edge research and teaching, NYCTech will offer support for the kinds of businesses that excel in NYC - urban planning, medicine, advertising, and finance. Services to get these businesses off the ground will include pre-seed financing, legal support, partnership building, and business competitions designed to spur innovation.”

Reference: Silicon Island Rising in NYC, Net-Zero Energy Campus, February 21, 2012

Other Recent Posts:

Promoting Energy Efficiency by Benchmarking Buildings

Promoting Energy Efficiency by Benchmarking Buildings

Empire State Building’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit

2012-08-16T20:52:00.002-04:00

After completing an energy efficiency retrofit of its base building, the Empire State Building is already generating savings worth $ 2.4 million in its first year of operations, exceeding its first year goal by five percent. The energy efficiency will improve further as tenants upgrade their work areas. The retrofit project team includes the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) Cities program as well as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

“These results are important as they establish a successful, commercial real estate model for reducing costs, maximizing return on investment, increasing real estate value, and protecting the environment.”

Reference: Empire State Building Beats Savings Estimates One Year After Innovative Retrofit Project, C40 Cities, May 31, 2012

Other Recent Posts:

Design Competition for Tiny but Affordable Apartments

Promoting Energy Efficiency by Benchmarking Buildings

2012-08-10T20:46:00.001-04:00

New York City completed its first comprehensive study of energy use in some of the largest buildings in the city. Although the covered buildings account for only 2% of city’s one million buildings, they consume 45% of energy used by all buildings in the city. The older buildings performed better than the newer ones, perhaps because of fewer windows and thicker walls.

“The report is a preamble to assigning scores to individual buildings on their energy use and publicizing them to further encourage property owners to make necessary improvements, not unlike the grade system the city uses for restaurants.”

Reference: Navarro, Mireya, Wide Differences Found in Buildings’ Power Use, New York Times, August 2, 2012
Illustration Credit: NEW YORK CITY LOCAL LAW 84 BENCHMARKING REPORT, City of New York, 2012

Other Recent Posts:

Virtual Tourism - New York City

Design Competition for Tiny but Affordable Apartments

Virtual Tourism - New York City

Using Predictive Analytics to Prevent Fires

2012-08-10T20:35:00.002-04:00

According to a report in the NY Daily News, “The raging Bronx inferno that killed three people highlights the city's growing failure to crack down on illegal firetrap apartments.” How does one identify such firetrap buildings before they become raging infernos?

Steven Goldsmith, the former Deputy Mayor in “The Coming Era of Preemptive Government” asked a pointed question, “What if the city could predict at which of these locations a fire is most likely to occur?” If the city could predict such an occurrence using existing data, it could then apply its limited resources in a strategic way to inspect and vacate such buildings.

Reference: BENJAMIN LESSER AND BRIAN KATES, Illegal firetrap apartments in New York City pose deadly and growing threat, April 26, 2011
Goldsmith, Stephen, The Coming Era of Preemptive Government, Governing, December 21, 2011

Other Recent Posts:

Design Competition for Tiny but Affordable Apartments

Design Competition for Tiny but Affordable Apartments

Virtual Tourism - New York City

2012-07-17T21:07:00.002-04:00

Digital technologies have radically changed tourism. A tourist today has many options to experience different settings in space and time.

Digital assisted tourism refers to the use of apps for mobile devices such as iPhone and iPod to enhance the travel experience. Such apps can provide personal guidance on issues of interest, and fill in the missing information about a place’s history and legends.

Virtual tourism goes one step further. It recreates the experience of travelling in a digital form. It can also recreate historical settings which no longer exist.

“Virtual tours can be especially useful for universities and in the real-estate industry, looking to attract prospective students and tenants/buyers, respectively, eliminating for the consumer the cost of travel to numerous individual locations.”

Reference: Three-dimensional virtual tourism, Wikipedia

Other Recent Posts:

A Brief History of Digital Cities initiatives

Measuring Livability of World Cities

Resources:

Urban Life in a 130 Square-Foot Apartment

Design Competition for Tiny but Affordable Apartments

2012-07-10T21:22:00.002-04:00

New York City is sponsoring a design competition for affordable housing consisting of 275 to 300 square-foot apartments. The city will waive zoning regulations which require a minimum living space of 450 square feet per apartment. The submissions are due by September 14th.

“Among other criteria, the submissions will be judged on designs for common spaces in the building and on their success in drawing air and light into the units.”

Reference: Yee, Vivian, Efficiencies Wanted; Emphasis on Efficient, New York Times, July 9, 2012

Other Recent Posts:

A Brief History of Digital Cities initiatives

Measuring Livability of World Cities

Other Resources:

Relevant Educational Programs

Relevant Publications

New York City’s Digital Road Map

2012-07-10T20:55:00.000-04:00

A road map was developed in 2011 to make New York City a leading digital city in the world. It has four major components: Access to Technology, Open Government, Engagement, and Industry.

“NYC Digital is continuing to introduce new goals as existing goals are met. The next steps will be providing education and outreach. Crucial on the goal list will be to provide high-needs individuals with federally funded broadband.”

State of the Digital City: Government 2.0 - Wagner Policy Alliance NYU

Reference: Haller, Chris, New York City’s Road Map for the Digital City, engagingcities.com, May 14, 2012

Other Recent Posts:

A Brief History of Digital Cities initiatives

Measuring Livability of World Cities

Impact of Job Cuts on 20 Worst Hit Areas in USA

Traffic Congestion in US Metro Areas

Other Resources:

Relevant Educational Programs

Relevant Publications

Affordable Housing and New Developments

Glenmore Gardens, Brooklyn NY

2012-06-29T20:51:00.003-04:00

The Glenmore Gardens project involves sleek, semi-detached two family homes, which were built at a very affordable $110 per square foot cost. The project was funded through NYC Housing Preservation and Development’s “New Foundations Program.”

Reference: Arieff, Allison, Affordable Housing That Doesn't Scream 'Affordable', the atlanticcities.com, October 21, 2011
Photo Credit: Courtesy Arieff, Allison, Affordable Housing That Doesn't Scream 'Affordable', the atlanticcities.com, October 21, 2011

Other Recent Posts:

New Urban Housing

Urban Housing for 132 Apartments

Noteworthy Affordable Housing, The Bronx NY

2012-06-29T20:40:00.004-04:00

The Via Verde project is a subsidized housing project that exceeds LEED Gold standards. It has sustainable features such as green roofs, solar shading and rainwater harvesting, and includes spaces for growing fruits and vegetables, bike storage and open recreational area.

“In stark contrast to the proliferation of “green luxury” condos popping up all over New York, here sustainability isn’t used as a marketing tool but rather as a way to create what residents wanted: a healthy place to live.”

Reference: Arieff, Allison, Affordable Housing That Doesn't Scream 'Affordable', the atlanticcities.com, October 21, 2011

Other Recent Posts:

Affordable Housing and New Developments

New Urban Housing

Urban Housing for 132 Apartments

Pier 76's Proposed Transformation

2012-06-15T20:57:00.002-04:00

New York City’s Javits Convention Center could expand further towards the Hudson River. It is currently undergoing a $463 million renewal and expansion. A redesigned convention center could include 1 million square-foot casino and hotel development and possibly a Ferris wheel. Other sites being explored include Willets Point, Sunnyside Queens, Yonkers raceway and the Governor’s Island.
Before a casino becomes a reality, a constitutional amendment allowing full scale gambling must be enacted. If that does not happen, the casinos may lose interest in this project, because “Convention centers are not that profitable."

Reference: Kuczala, Jon, For new convention center, all bets are on, CrainsNewYork.com, June 10, 2012

Photo Credit: Arnold Reinhold under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.

Hudson Yards

Atlantic Yards: Barclays Center Arena

Resources:

Reduced Funding for Highways and Major Streets

Ambitious Plans for the 125th Corridor in Harlem

2012-06-06T06:21:00.000-04:00

An ambitious revitalization plan for the 125th Street Corridor in Harlem includes eight large scale developments, between the Hudson River on the West to East River on the East. Some of the proposed developments are listed below:

A parking garage located between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard will be transformed into a 19 story tower and cultural hub featuring a theater, recital hall, rehearsal space and entertainment venues.

Columbia University is expanding on to a 17 acre, $6 billion super-campus between Broadway and 12th Avenue near the Hudson River.

A landmark building located at Park Avenue known as “The Corn Exchange Bank” will rehabilitate its historic façade and add an additional six stories of office and retail space.

The Victoria Theater site which is adjacent to the Apollo Theater, will be turned into a $140 million, 26 stories high mixed-use complex with a hotel, several theaters and apartments.

A retail market site at 260 West 125th Street will be redeveloped as a National Jazz Museum, Harlem Visitor’s center and movie theaters.

A 22 block area under the Metro-North tracks known as “The Marqueta Mile” will be redeveloped as an upside down High Line Avenue, with an open air market offering food, arts and crafts.

The Taystee Bakery site between Morningside Avenue and Amsterdam Avenues will be redeveloped as a 328,000 square-foot complex for retail, manufacturing, commercial and creative tenants. The Harlem Brewing Company will have its brewery and a beer museum and other facilities at this location.

Reference: Feiden, Douglas, 125th St. Commercial Corridor adds another possible star; already developing Taystee Bakery, other sites, New York Daily News, May 21, 2012

London Property Market Skyrockets with Turmoil in Greece

What's Happening With Boston's Redevelopment?

Columbia University Expansion - Reweaving the Urban Fabric

2012-05-28T14:20:00.004-04:00

Columbia University Expansion project is a $6.3 billion development consisting of 16 new buildings to accommodate academic, administrative and campus housing facilities. The development will occupy 17 acres in the West Harlem section of Manhattanville. “Today, an urban campus isn't defined by gates and walls, but by weaving the university into the fabric of city life.”

Columbia University has assembled an internationally famous team of architects, headed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop for its master plan. Jerome L. Greene Science Center, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Davis Brody Bond, is expected to be completed soon, with the entire campus slated for completion by 2030.

Following urban design principles have been used in the master plan for this campus:

· 1 Revival of street life by encouraging retail stores for consumers and businesses.

· 2 Preservation of existing streets for pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

· 3 Focus on human-scale urban design that honors the past.

Reference: Manhattanville in West Harlem, Columbia University, http://neighbors.columbia.edu/pages/manplanning/proposed_plan/DesignElements.html

Restrictive Zoning and Quality Education

Economic Impact of Universities

Hudson Yards

Public Housing as Neighborhood Revitalization

2012-05-18T21:07:00.000-04:00

Public housing in the form of massive super-block developments replaced dilapidated and overcrowded tenements during the postwar era. These developments embraced modernist architectural values and saw themselves as “towers in the park” that were shielded from the decay of an industrial city. Eventually these isolated towers served as breeding grounds for poverty, vandalism and criminal behavior at many public housing developments.

The “Home-ownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere” program (HOPE VI grant program) was established in 1989 as a possible solution by the Federal Government. The program was designed to replace poverty and crime stricken towers with low rise single and multifamily homes that would match the scale of the neighborhood. The first round of grants totaling $570 million were awarded in 1993. Within ten years the HOPE VI program had become the most visible Federal initiative to house the urban poor. The HOPE VI program also awarded grants for renovation of existing structures, but many housing authorities chose to demolish and rebuild than pump more money into dilapidated developments.

Many housing authorities began to build high density residential projects by mixing the traditional public housing clients (those earning less than 30 percent of area median income) with middle income (those earning less than 60 percent of local median income) and market rate units. They leveraged the financing provided under the HOPE VI program with Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) as well as private financing for market rate and affordable housing units. While the HOPE VI program has been highly successful in providing quality low rise housing at a neighborhood scale, it has also driven up real estate values in the inner city neighborhoods. Most of the HOPE VI projects have failed to replace all of the housing units that were torn down, thus forcing vulnerable population to look for alternative accommodations in the form of Section 8 vouchers or private housing.

If the goal of HOPE VI or public housing in general was to encourage self-sufficiency, the efforts have failed miserably since only about five percent of residents have left the housing assistance program. Moving people into quality housing does not alter the requirements for education, skills development or urban amenities. The government has begun to realize that it is not just housing but the neighborhood revitalization, which should be the focus of their efforts. They have begun to look at education, early childhood development, transportation, employment readiness, drug rehabilitation and other social and cultural programs to move people out of the cycle of housing assistance. The holistic, big picture thinking is essential for integrating those on assistance with the rest of the community to eliminate the stigma of poverty and public assistance.

Here is a video on “How Public Housing Transformed New York City 1935-67:

Reference: Raskin, David, Revisiting the Hope VI Public Housing Program’s Legacy, Governing Magazine, May 2012

Photo Credit: Looking west from Corlears Hook towards Manhattan Civic Center by Wikiwiki718 under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Resources:

The First Elevated Park in the World

Atlantic Yards: Barclays Center Arena

2012-05-10T21:15:00.003-04:00

After more than eight years of protests, petitions and lawsuits, $4.9 billion Atlantic Yards project will see its first major building – the $450 million Barclays Center arena - open its doors in a few months. This 19,000 seat basketball arena will be the home for the Nets. The 22 acre Atlantic Yards site will see 14 new residential towers and two new office buildings over the next 25 years. The development project has already transformed the Brooklyn neighborhood, which has seen rapid appreciation in home values; improvements in subway, express train and shuttle bus services; new upscale entertainment and fashion venues, and the destruction of quiet tree-lined streets with historic brownstones into what some call “Manhattanization” of Brooklyn. The critics fear drunken sports fans and overcrowded streets filled with trash everywhere, destroying properties and quality of life.
Here is a brief video showing Barclays Center Renderings:

Reference: Berger, Joseph, Impact of Atlantic Yards, for Good or Ill, Is Already Felt, New York Times, April 16, 2012

Re-Imagining Future of Cities

Sao Paulo’s Minhocão: A Public Space on an Elevated Highway

Hudson Yards

2012-05-03T20:30:00.002-04:00

Hudson Yards is a $15 billion, 12 million square feet development which would include nine residential towers, three office towers, a retail complex, a school and a cultural center. It will also have 12 acres of open space, and the entire development will be over existing rail yards. It offers an ambitious vision for the West Side of Manhattan, bounded by 10th and 12th Avenues between West 30th and West 33rd Streets. After a number of proposals fell apart including a proposal for the 2012 Olympics, the current developer team includes a partnership of Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group. A subway line is being extended into the district, and the High Line Park extends to one of its edges.

Here is a brief video

Beijing’s $40 billion Urban Transformation

Urban Spectacles and Global Appeal

Mega Housing Projects and Residential Towers

Hotel Boom in the Outer Boroughs

2012-04-28T10:04:00.001-04:00

Although it is still difficult to secure financing, at least 15 hotels have opened in New York City in 2011. Many of them are outside Manhattan. Marriott opened a 666 room hotel in 1998 near Brooklyn Bridge and was the first hotelier to venture away from Manhattan. Hotel Vetiver, Wyndham garden Hotel and Four Points Sheraton Hotel opened recently in Long Island City in Queens, just one subway stop from Manhattan. Fairfield Inn and Suites is scheduled to open this summer in Long Island City. Smaller mid-market properties are more profitable in outer boroughs. It is easier to build these types of smaller hotels because the return on investment is much quicker.

The room rates are typically lower by as much as $50 to $60 in Brooklyn or Queens. And the room rates in general are still 18 percent below where they were in 2007 during the boom years.

Here is a video on how to find the best hotel deals in New York City:

For additional videos click on "Links to Videos Referenced in Previous Posts" on the right sidebar.

Reference: Stellin, Susan, Stylish Hotels Sprouting in Brooklyn and Queens, New York Times, 4/24/2012

Anti-Aging Spa Treatment in a Timeless Hotel

London Hotel Accommodations

Waiting For The Streetcar

NYC's Tallest Tower

2012-04-25T20:02:00.000-04:00

The Port Authority’s Executive Director announced today that Freedom Tower will be the tallest building in New York City within a few days. One World Trade Center, (its official address) is only four feet below Empire State Building’s 1,250 feet height. It will cap off at 1,368 feet and 104 floors when completed.

This will mark an important step in New York City’s recovery since 9/11 and a big display of New Yorkers’ toughness and resilience.

Here is a brief video that shows what the finished tower would look like:

For additional videos, click on "Links to Videos Referenced in Previous Posts" on the right sidebar.

Chicago's Downtown

New Delhi's Main Bazar

Sustainable Urban Design on the Waterfront

Pedestrian Plazas and Bicycle Lanes

2012-04-23T20:20:00.000-04:00

New York City has added 270 miles of on-street bike lanes since 2007. All together it has 720 miles of bike paths, which include 520 miles of on-street lanes. That is quite impressive. There are 18,800 commuters who commute regularly using a bike. New York City is also in the process of starting a bike share program which will deploy 10,000 rental bikes at 600 stations throughout the city. The bike share program will be similar to those in Boston and Washington DC.

66 percent of Manhattan residents are in support of bike lanes. However a majority of residents in Staten Island (61 %) and Queens (53%) do not support bike lanes, according to an article in Next American City. People do not object to putting bike lanes on on-way streets, but they oppose them on major arteries, which they argue would slow traffic in both directions.

Bike lanes and pedestrian centered public plazas are an integral part of Mayor Bloomberg’s PLANYC initiative, which aims to make New York City a greater, greener and sustainable city by 2030.

Here is a brief videoon how NYC is transforming Public Plazas

For additional videos, click on "Links to Videos Referenced in Previous Posts" on the right sidebar.

Park and Charge Station for Electric Cars:

Social Media App to Navigate Cairo’s Traffic

Personal Rapid Transit System in the Silicon Valley

NYU Expansion Plan: Still Too Big?

2012-04-20T20:19:00.001-04:00

NYU established its NYU 2031 plan in 2010, to add 6 million square feet of academic space throughout the city by their bicentennial year of 2031. NYU proposes to build half of this square footage at two Washington Square super blocks in Greenwich Village. The Municipal Arts Society of City of New York opposes the plan because it believes that “the proposed development would needlessly diminish the quality of life for neighborhood residents and would set troubling precedents for similar approaches in other parts of the City.”

Recently NYU submitted a scaled down version of its plan, which reduced the height of one of the buildings - Mercer Building - from 248 feet to 162 feet, and reduced the density by 17 percent. For many in the local community, the project is still too big and it threatens to overwhelm the fabric of Greenwich Village. The plan is trying to address important principles set out by a task force which include, “to build on our own property, to avoid the use of eminent domain, to avoid displacement of existing residential tenants, to protect and enhance open public space and make it more accessible for public enjoyment”.

Watch a video "The University in the Neighborhood: Debating NYU's Expansion Plan"

Reference MAS NYC
For photos of proposed plans: MAS NYC

Restrictive Zoning and Quality Education

Columbia University Expansion - Reweaving the Urban Fabric

Economic Impact of Universities

Second Largest City in 2025

2012-04-18T20:23:00.001-04:00

McKinsey Global Institute in an April 2012 report entitled “Urban America: US cities in the global economy” states that “The overwhelming role that cities play not only as home to the vast majority of Americans but also as the dominant driver of the nation’s economic growth and a major continuing contributor to world GDP growth argues for a keen focus on their prospects.”

It highlights key challenges and opportunities for America’s cities as they plot their path to recovery. “In the next few years, many cities are likely to grapple with the dampening impact of de-leveraging on economic activity as the public sector and individuals attempt to pay off high debt levels, as well as persistently high pockets of unemployment. They also face longer-term headwinds including the aging of the population, which will require even more emphasis on boosting productivity, innovation, and skills.”

Reference and photo: Urban America: US cities in the global economy, McKinsey Global Institute

No Consensus on Rio+20 Summit Action Plan

Seoul City Tour

Downtown Toronto Skyline

NYC's Development HUB

2012-04-14T13:21:00.000-04:00

New York City has recently announced its technologically advanced building permit review and approval platform known as “The NYC Development Hub”.

Watch a brief video here

The HUB offers following “firsts”:
All construction plans are filed and reviewed electronically, eliminating the use of paper.
Plan reviews take place in a virtual environment using a shared, secure website.
Plan reviews are conducted by groups of Department experts.
All City agencies involved in the approval process collaborate to accelerate the approval process.

Illustration Credit: 2011 Annual Report NYC Buildings

The Second Avenue Subway

Resources:

The Second Avenue Subway

2012-04-12T21:04:00.004-04:00

"First proposed in 1929 and more recently dubbed by New York magazine as “the line that time forgot,” the Second Avenue subway line on the East Side of Manhattan has been a perennial wish-list item for the better part of a century. The line would ease overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue line, which currently shuttles 1.3 million people every day, but over the years it’s been repeatedly delayed by economic downturns and political in-fighting. A construction attempt in the 1970s was eventually aborted due to lack of funds. Finally, in April 2007, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) broke ground on the Second Avenue line. The first phase -- a $4.45 billion two-mile section with two new tunnels and three new stations on the Upper East Side -- could be operational by the end of 2016, according to the MTA.

But the Federal Transit Administration is not as optimistic. It believes the project could take significantly longer and will end up costing $410 million more than MTA’s estimate. And that’s just Phase 1. Extending the line uptown to Harlem and downtown to the Financial District, a total of 8.5 miles, is expected to cost at least another $13 billion, and none of that money has been secured. A fully functional Second Avenue line could remain a Big Apple fable for many years to come."

Reference: The 5 Biggest U.S. Infrastructure Projects Plus 5 at Risk

Link to The Future Beneath Us | Second Avenue Subway

NYC's Development HUB

Resources: