Aaron Donovan
Before he began blogging about land use and transportation, Aaron Donovan wrote The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund's annual fundraising appeal for three years and earned a master's degree in urban planning from Columbia. Since then, he has worked for nonprofit organizations devoted to New York City economic development. He lives and works in the Financial District, and sees New York's pre-automobile built form as an asset that makes New York unique in the United States, and as a strategic advantage that should be capitalized upon.
Recent Posts
The Weekly Carnage
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L.I. Driver Dead as Airborne Crash Hits Second Floor (NY Post) Two Friends Fighting by Side of Van Wyck Are Killed (Newsday) L.I. Motorist Kills Nephew (NY Post) Crash in Woodbridge, N.J., Kills 2 and Injures 2 (NYT) A Third Person Dies in Woodbridge Crash (NYT) Pals Lived and Died Together (Star-Leger) N.Y. Soldier Dies in Arizona Traffic Accident (AP via Newsday) […]
The New Green: Alternative Energy, Conservation, & Urban Design
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The Broadway Democrats forum whas invited speaker Dr. Klaus Lackner, affiliated with Columbia University’s Earth Institute, and Neil Chambers, president, Chambers Design, Inc., Founder, Green Ground Zero WHERE: Bank Street College, 610 West 112th Street (between Broadway & RIverside Drive) WHEN: 8 – 9:30 p.m. COST: Free
Informational Community Forum on Vision 42
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An information community forum, with presentation and discussion on Vision 42, a cross-town light rail proposal for 42nd Street. WHERE: Lower level auditorium of the SUNY College of Optometry, 33 West 42nd Street WHEN: Oct. 24, 6 to 8 p.m.
Last Day to Catch ‘Changing Streetscapes: New Architecture & Open Space in Harlem’
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Walk down almost any street in Harlem and you will see a transformation underway. Changing Streetscapes highlights recent construction and development in five areas: housing, commercial development, cultural and institutional projects, and landscape and planning. This exhibit offers a snapshot of the unfolding fabric of Harlem. The City College Architectural Center has documented the transformation […]
Conference: Regional Planning Comes of Age
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A groundbreaking conference exploring the promise and practice of regional land use planning in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, on the 25th Anniversary of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan. The conference will include plenary addresses and seminars on regional land use planning aimed at preserving natural and historic resources while strengthening communities in our dynamic […]
Climate Change, Peak Oil and the Permaculture Solution
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WHO: Andrew Leslie Phillips WHERE: Friends Meeting House, 15 Rutherford Place on 15th Street between Second and Third Avenues, Manhattan WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006; 6:30 p.m. COST: Free, $1 or $2 donation appreciated SPONSORS: Neighborhood Energy Network, Friends in Unity with Nature, NYC Peak Oil Meet-up We live at a confluence in history. Peak oil and […]
Traffic and Parks – Can They Co-Exist?
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As new parks develop and congestion increases, will traffic need to be further curbed to accommodate park goers? Or can traffic and parks co-exist peacefully in our burgeoning city? Join Henry J. Stern, President, NYCivic, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Transportation Alternatives‘ Executive Director Paul Steely White, and others for an evening of discussion […]
The Weekly Carnage
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This week we have two separate instances of children killed horsing around on the street. Kids, be careful out there. Also, it seems like we’ve had a lot of bus crashes lately. Queens Woman, 67, Killed in Hit-and-Run (Daily News) Boy, 13, on Way to School Seriously Injured by Bus in Queens (NYT) Playful Shove Nearly Cost the Boy His […]
Cars, Ethanol and Patriotism
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The Times had an interesting article yesterday for which a reporter drove through the Midwest to find out how ethanol users, distributors and producers are adjusting to the new fuel blend. One of the most striking things was that use of ethanol is accompanied by a sense of patriotic pride. One person, for example, says, "We are in favor […]
Car Alarm Ruins Otherwise Excellent Meal
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I had dinner last Saturday with a couple of people at Enzo’s Cafe on Arthur Avenue after a day spent helping prepare the route for the New York City Century bicycle tour, which this year will be sending twice as many people to the Bronx as it has in the past. To enjoy great outside air, we sat on the sidewalk. As one of […]
The Weekly Carnage
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Demonstrating that New York isn’t the only place with traffic fatalities, this week we learn that roadside memorials to those killed in traffic crashes have become a business in Chicago. As for our area … Fatal Hit-and-Run Is Second in 9-Hour Span in Manhattan (NYT) Marine Held in Chelsea Hit-and-Run (NY Post) Hit-and-Run: Time For Serious Hearings […]
Rally for a Livable Houston Street
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(Photo by Will Sherman of Transportation Alternatives) As promised, members of Manhattan Community Board 2 and Transportation Alternatives held a rally yesterday where many elected officials spoke of the need for improved bicycling and pedestrian facilities on the Interstate Highway in our midst, Houston Street. Eighty years ago, Houston Street was a narrow street not much wider than Prince or Bleecker Streets […]