Glenn McAnanama
Lifelong New York City resident, except for a year in Copenhagen during college. Both experiences have taught me a lot about good (and bad) urban design. I grew up in Staten Island and also lived in Astoria Queens for 5 years. Now I live in Manhattan where I founded Upper Green Side (www.uppergreenside.org), a local environmental group on the Upper East & West Sides of Manhattan.
Recent Posts
Where in the City is This?
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A community garden. A cyclist. A highrise in the background. Where in New York City is this?
Life on Crutches in NYC
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For the last month, since I broke my ankle, New York has ceased to be the same place for me. At least in terms of getting around the city, the landscape has been dramatically transformed. Week 1 was spent in relative isolation at my parents house on Staten Island where they were nice enough to […]
Important Manhattan Transportation Forum on Thursday
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Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is holding a day-long forum on Manhattan’s transportation future. Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Colombia, will be the keynote speaker. This should be a great event. Peñalosa is the inspiring and visionary politician who transformed his city of 7 million into a model for sustainable urban transportation. In recent months Peñalosa […]
The Queensboro Meat Grinder
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Classic Scene near Queensboro Bridge on Second Avenue (note red light!) Every morning I walk past scenes like this near the Queensboro Bridge (QBB) on Second Avenue. Traffic blocks up on Second Avenue north of the two major crosstown exit routes at 60th and 57th Streets all the way to 70th Street and beyond. The […]
Statistics and Helmets
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There’s an old saying: "There’s lies, damn lies and then there’s statistics". But it’s not the data that lie, if properly collected, it’s how you interpret the data that matters. Overall, the report issued by the city on cycling deaths and injuries is a pretty good piece of research and epidemiology. But make no mistakes […]
Binghamton Revitalizing Around Livable Downtown
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Binghamton, in New York’s depressed, de-industrialized southern tier is undergoing a major revitalization effort to bring residents, businesses, shoppers and tourists back to its historic downtown area. After years of watching residents and businesses leave the city’s core for the suburbs in New York and other states entirely, Binghamton is trying to win back its […]
Midtown’s Mini-Plaza
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This is one of my favorite little spots near where I work. Seems almost too hip for Midtown-East. Comments? Thoughts? What other pedestrian plazas do other folks like?
Super Staten Solar Stop Signs
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New LED Flashing Stop Sign (with Solar Power Source) I found this Stop sign on the corner of Kissel Avenue and Snug Harbor Road near the entrance to Snug Harbor Little League. It appears to be a test model of a new generation of Stop signs that blink LED lights to be more visible to motorists […]
The Cost of Free Residential Parking
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No Curbside Access for Trucks Create Traffic Jams Across the City There is a source of congestion on every city street that has a solution. We need trucks to deliver goods to our stores, deliver food to our restaurants and to move furniture into and out of our homes. 100% of Manhattan’s goods enter the island […]
Pedestrian Safety Competition at the Jersey Shore
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Pedestrian Plaza in Stone Harbor, New Jersey Towns along the New Jersey shore are in constant competition to attract visitors from New York, Philadelphia and all around the region. The same is true of major cities, residential neighborhoods and shopping districts but over a longer cycle. Since the beaches are relatively similar in most areas, they […]
Where in the City is this?
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Every so often I find little gems of street planning that I would love to see replicated elsewhere in the city. For instance, the other night I walked past this side street with bump outs at the crosswalk that give pedestrians more space and prevent automobiles from cutting corners too sharply. Can any name where […]
Fighting the NYPD’s “Parade” Rules
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Starting August 24, the NYPD’s new "Parade" rules will take effect unless the Mayor or City Council take action to stop them. What would these new rules mean to everyday people? Any group of two (yes, 2) or more cyclists or pedestrians traveling down a public street, who violate any traffic law, rule or regulation […]