Aaron Naparstek
AARON NAPARSTEK is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparsteks journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. Naparstek is the author of "Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage" (Villard, 2003), a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the endless motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Prior to launching Streetsblog, Naparstek worked as an interactive media producer, pioneering some of the Web's first music web sites, online communities, live webcasts and social networking services. Naparstek is currently in Cambridge with his wife and two young sons where he is enjoying a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Naparstek is a co-founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. You can find more of his work here: http://www.naparstek.com.
Recent Posts
Our 20,000 Post! Streetsblog’s Original Boss Aaron Naparstek Marks the Occasion
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We asked our founding editor to reflect on how far — and how not far at all! — the livable streets movement has come in 15 years of doing this.
Some Great Story Ideas for New York Post Reporter John Doyle
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Cross-posted from Naparstek.com Hi John, I was glad to see you writing about the NYPD’s bike crackdown in Monday’s New York Post. I hope you’ll consider following up with some more reporting on this issue in the coming days. There are lots of interesting questions to explore when it comes to bicycling and the NYPD’s […]
Naparstek Steps Down as Editor-in-Chief of Streetsblog
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Aaron Naparstek in his Livable Streets Power Broker pose. This will be difficult news for those of you who are already reeling from Oprah’s retirement, Simon Cowell’s abandonment of "American Idol" and Sewell Chan‘s departure from City Room, but here it is: I am leaving my job as editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. For all of the […]
NYPD’s Bedford Avenue Circular Saw Massacre Caught on Tape
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The NYPD’s 94th Precinct in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is working hard to build on its reputation for being New York City’s most infamous bike thieves. Too much demand for bike parking in the neighborhood? "I know what to do," says the 94’s commanding officer Dennis M. Fulton. "Bust out the circular saw!" This time Greenpoint resident […]
On Tuesday Your Vote is Really Going to Count
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We’re off today for Yom Kippur but here’s a reminder: Two important citywide elected positions are going to be decided in tomorrow’s Democratic primary election run-off. David Yassky and John Liu are vying to be New York City’s next Comptroller and Bill de Blasio and Mark Green are running for Public Advocate. Since no serious […]
New Yorkers: Tomorrow Your Vote Really Counts!
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If you live in New York City you’ve probably been conditioned to believe your vote doesn’t count all that much. Fundraising and media appearances aside, presidential campaigns mostly ignore New York while the Electoral College ensures that the votes of people who live in places like North Dakota and Wyoming are nearly three times more […]
The House Is Debating Its Climate Legislation Right Now [Updated]
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Kate Sheppard from Grist is Tweeting the heck out of the climate bill debate on the floor of the House of Representatives today (218 votes and counting). Barbara Boxer, who is working on the Senate version of this bill, yesterday reminded sustainable transport advocates that this is probably going to be their only chance in […]
Live Webcast: Environment & Public Works Committee Hearing
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Watching Ray LaHood’s testimony to the Senate EPW committee, Elana Schor tweets that the fat lady is singing for the House of Representatives’ effort to get the transportation reauthorization done quickly. And there are lots of other fireworks as well. You can follow all of the action live on the committee’s web site, right now, […]
Nothing Says Tranquility Like the Hum of a Huge Diesel Engine
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The Mark Sanford scandal is a bit off topic for Streetsblog but Sean Roche at the Newton Streets & Sidewalks blog points us to this incredible passage from one of the e-mails between the South Carolina governor and his mistress in Argentina. Sanford writes: To me, and I suspect no one else on earth, there […]
DOT Responds to Park Slope Bike Lane Uprising With Thermoplast Surge
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DOT contractors are putting down new bike lane markings on Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue this afternoon. In addition to refurbishing the original bike lane laid down in 2004 and the sharrows installed in 2006, the crews are adding reinforcements, like the chevron markings through the intersections pictured below. It would be entirely fitting if these […]
Tweeting Live from the Congress for the New Urbanism in Denver
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OK. I’ve finally succumbed to Twitter and I’m using it to keep track of interesting quotes, observations and tidbits at the 17th annual Congress for the New Urbanism conference in Denver. There’s a lot of great stuff happening here and plenty of interesting people. I’m not sure how much of that I can convey in […]
Introducing Streetsblog Capitol Hill
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We are excited to announce the official launch of Streetsblog Capitol Hill. With major transportation, climate and energy legislation coming before Congress in the next year or two we felt that it was critical to have a talented journalist down in Washington D.C. covering the issues on a daily basis. With the financial support of […]