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
Public Hearing: West Side Transportation Issues
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Do you have thoughts about improving the bicycle, pedestrian and transportation environment on the Upper West Side? In conjunction with Councilmember Gale Brewer, the Department of Transportation would like to hear your thoughts, concerns and ideas regarding transportation issues from West 55th to 86th Streets (PDF). From the DOT:The New York City Department of Transportation is […]
National Park(ing) Day
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Today is National Park(ing) Day, a time for street activists to repurpose thousands of square feet of public space — now dedicated to private car storage — into beautiful, temporary parks. New parks will be created in all five boroughs and will feature grass, seating, participatory art projects, bicycle-powered smoothies and other fun and thoughtful park designs.
Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: Urban Detectives
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In the spirit of Jane Jacobs, children ages 8 to 12 can go and explore Greenwich Village — the neighborhood she called her home and fought to save. Equipped with detectives’ notebooks, junior detectives will investigate the city fabric, secretly observe people moving through town, discover the history of older buildings, learn to read building […]
Walking Tour: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: LOMEX Remembered
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In conjunction with a new exhibition, Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, eight walking tours will take participants to places associated with Jane Jacobs’ life and work and to communities that illustrate her planning principles — or call them into question. LOMEX RememberedImagine it, an elevated eight-lane highway slicing through the heart of […]
Walking Tour: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: Battery Park City: A New Neighborhood Rises
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In conjunction with a new exhibition, Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, eight walking tours will take participants to places associated with Jane Jacobs’ life and work and to communities that illustrate her planning principles — or call them into question. Battery Park City: A New Neighborhood RisesThe planners of Battery Park City […]
Walking Tour: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: Gramercy Park: Retaining Identity Amid Constant Change
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In conjunction with a new exhibition, Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, eight walking tours will take participants to places associated with Jane Jacobs’ life and work and to communities that illustrate her planning principles — or call them into question. Gramercy Park: Retaining Identity Amid Constant ChangeA classic Manhattan neighborhood, Gramercy Park […]
Walking Tour: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: Greenpoint: Transforming a Working Class Haven
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In conjunction with a new exhibition, Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, eight walking tours will take participants to places associated with Jane Jacobs’ life and work and to communities that illustrate her planning principles — or call them into question. Greenpoint: Transforming a Working Class HavenNear the end of her life, Jane […]
Walking Tour: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: Forest Hills: Garden City in the City
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In conjunction with a new exhibition, Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, eight walking tours will take participants to places associated with Jane Jacobs’ life and work and to communities that illustrate her planning principles — or call them into question. Forest Hills: Garden City in the CityRecently ranked the no. 1 "cottage […]
Walking Tour: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: Brooklyn Heights: America’s First Suburb
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In conjunction with a new exhibition, Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, eight walking tours will take participants to places associated with Jane Jacobs’ life and work and to communities that illustrate her planning principles — or call them into question. Brooklyn Heights: America’s First SuburbJane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford both lived in […]
Car-Free Grand Concourse
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Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr. presents Bronx on the Move, a series of family fitness events. Power walks led by Health People, Inc., learn bike safety tips, improve your riding skills and pump up your tires at Transportation Alternatives’ bike station, dance workshops instructed by Contemporary Ballet Theatre, relay races and other games offered by […]
The Weekly Carnage
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Fatal Crashes (15 Killed This Week; 492 Killed This Year) Queens: Drunk Driver, 22, Killed, 4 Passengers Hurt (Daily News, NY Post) Manhattan: Fatal Hit-and-Run; Suspect Arrested (Gothamist) Jackson Twp., N.J.: 3 Teens Die Where 2 Died This Year (Star-Ledger) Seaford, L.I.: Pedestrian, 80, Struck by Motorist; No Charges (Newsday) West Babylon, L.I.: Cyclist, 14, Struck and Killed […]
Panel: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: The Oversuccessful City, Part 2: Neighborhood Character in the Face of Change
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Every neighborhood in New York is in want or need of something that it does not have. Pursuit of convenience or a better life motivates a great deal of development and growth. And yet, as Jane Jacobs warned, the satisfaction of these desires — actually achieving the careful balance that defines a great urban neighborhood […]