Policy

July 9, 2015

Build Your Own Mathematically Accurate Geodesic Dome with Hubs

Last month we introduced Kodama Zomes, a unique hanging lounger shaped like a geodesic dome that's perfect for reading, meditating, or just plain relaxing outside on a summer day. But for the more scientifically inclined, we've now found a build-it-yourself geodesic dome. The product may not come with built-in cushions, but it is mathematically accurate and educational. First spotted by designboom, Hubs makes building a dome so simple that one can be erected in under 30 minutes.
Find out how it works here

July 9, 2015

EVENT: Is Historic Preservation Elitist?

By Diane Pham

Many folks argue that historic preservation is elitist, time-consuming, expensive and a drain on resources, further claiming that it’s a whole lot easier, cheaper and more practical to replace an old building with something new—especially when that means more housing. However, on the other side of that coin is the argument that historic districts and the architecture preserved within them are […]

July 8, 2015

Lawsuit Against City Wants to End Affordable Housing Allotments to Certain Communities

By Dana Schulz

Currently, the city allots half of its new affordable housing stock to residents of the specific community district where the project is being built and who meet the income requirements. But the Anti-Discrimination Center says this "community preference" policy violates the 1968 Fair Housing Act, "which prohibits discrimination in housing sales, rentals and financing based on race or national origin," according to an article today in the Wall Street Journal. The New York-based group filed a suit against the city on these grounds, claiming that it adds to existing segregation patterns. If they are successful, the verdict would undoubtedly impact Mayor de Blasio's plan of adding 80,000 new affordable housing units in the next ten years.
More details ahead

Gentrification Sale: Get a Single Hand-Cut Summer French Fry for Just $8.99!

Image via Bill de Bodega

July 7, 2015

Gentrification Sale: Get a Single Hand-Cut Summer French Fry for Just $8.99!

By Diane Pham

Jarritos with an $11.99 corkage fee, a hipster breakfast for $8.99? Act fast because you won't want miss out on all the great deals going on at the Washington Heights "Gentrification in Progress Sale." A row of mom and pops located along a stretch between 162nd and 163rd streets got a Williamsburg-worthy facelift on Monday as Brooklyn locals Doug Cameron and Tommy Noonan plastered storefronts with scathingly sardonic signage pointing to the area's demise. The campaign, first reported on by Vanishing NY, was created in response to the ousting of several of the block's 30-plus-year-old businesses by a new landlord in order to make way for commercial tenants willing to pay higher rents.
See more here

Policy

June 30, 2015

Hadrian Bricklaying Robot Can Construct a House in Just Two Days

By Diane Pham

Here's a bit of technology sure to please developers worried about rising construction costs: This new robot engineered by Marc Pivac has the ability to erect a home in just two days. Named Hadrian after the Roman emperor who rebuilt the Pantheon, and more famously constructed the Hadrian Wall that marked the northern limit of Britannia, this incredible piece of tech can work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it's able to lay 1,000 bricks per hour with the potential of building 150 homes in a year.
So how does it work?

June 30, 2015

NYU Expansion Plan Gets the Final Green Light from Court of Appeals

By Dana Schulz

Last October, the appellate court overturned a previous decision by the New York Supreme Court that prohibited NYU’s $6 billion, 1.9 million-square-foot Greenwich Village expansion plan. But in Feburary, opponents of the plan (including community groups like GVSHP, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, local residents, NYU Faculty against the Sexton Plan, and even actor Mark Ruffalo) announced that the New York State Court of Appeals would hear their case one final time. According to DNAinfo, though, today the state's highest court ruled in favor of NYU, giving the expansion plan the final go ahead.
Find out more about the ruling

June 30, 2015

Rent Guidelines Board Approves Freezes on One-Year Leases for First Time in History

By Diane Pham

In a historic decision made last night, the Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-2 last night to freeze rents for the first time on one-year leases for New York City’s more than one million rent-stabilized apartments. The board, entirely appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, also moved to increase rents on two-year leases by just two percent, the lowest in the board's 46-year existence. The decision follows last week's lackluster vote at the state level to only extend but not strengthen rent regulations. "Cuomo betrayed us, the RGB can save us," tenants chanted at the meeting.
Find out more here

‘Poor Doors’ No Longer Allowed with New Rent-Regulation Bill

By Diane Pham

Thanks to a provision added to the newly extended and altered 421-a tax abatement passed last week, developers looking to segregate their wealthy tenants from their affordable rate renters will have to think again. According to The Post, Mayor de Blasio inserted a reform into the tax program plan that would ban the practice in which developers build a separate entrance for folks occupying the cheaper, below market-rate apartments in their buildings—better known as "poor doors."
More on the move here

2,000 NYCHA Apartments Are Vacant Despite 270,000-Name Waiting List

Photo via Wiki Commons

June 25, 2015

2,000 NYCHA Apartments Are Vacant Despite 270,000-Name Waiting List

By Dana Schulz

Photo via Wiki Commons For many New Yorkers, public housing is the only affordable way to live in the city, but despite an ever-growing waiting list, thousands of these homes are sitting empty, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal about an audit of NYCHA by Comptroller Scott Stringer. At a release of the findings yesterday at the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses in Brooklyn, Stringer said: "Even though 270,000 New Yorkers are on the waiting list for housing, desperate to put a roof above their heads, we found that NYCHA is sitting on over 2,000 apartments they identify as vacant." The audit shows that 1,366 apartments are empty awaiting repairs, and 967 are between tenants.
More audit findings ahead

June 24, 2015

‘Sofa So Good’ Is Finnish Designer Janne Kyttanen’s Latest 3D Printed Piece

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Finnish designer and conceptual artist Janne Kyttanen first fell in love with 3D printing while studying at Amsterdam's Gerrit Rietveld Academy. After graduating, he soon started imagining a future where products would be scaled down into digital files and people could just download any design they liked. His "Sofa So Good" piece is one of his latest and most intricate 3D printed designs, which joins a wide collection of objects he's created that includes lamps, tables and packaging as well as ping-pong paddles and futuristic shoes.
Learn more about sofa so good

June 22, 2015

Preservation Groups Push for a Lower East Side Historic District

By Diane Pham

Of the city's many rapidly changing neighborhoods, the Lower East Side has for the most part maintained its historic architectural integrity. However, with looming projects like Essex Crossing and a slew of new condos set to rise along the area's most storied drags, the character of the neighborhood is starting to come under threat. As such, the Lo-Down reports that locals are now banding together in full force to curb development, with two neighborhood preservation groups asking the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate a Lower East Side Historic District.
READ MORE

New Report Identifies 700 Miles of Unused Space Under Bridges and Elevated Platforms

Potential sites for the Under the Elevated project, via Design Trust for Public Space

June 19, 2015

New Report Identifies 700 Miles of Unused Space Under Bridges and Elevated Platforms

By Dana Schulz

The High Line may have revolutionized the adaptive reuse of the space atop elevated platforms, but what about that dead, dark space underneath? A new report from the Design Trust for Public Space in partnership with the Department of Transportation finds that the city has 700 miles of unused space under bridges, highways, and elevated subway tracks, much of which can be "transformed into valuable community assets such as small public parks, retail space and places for manufacturers to set up shop," according to Crain's.
READ MORE

June 17, 2015

Let’s Introduce Text Walking Lanes for Smartphone Addicts

By Shiloh Frederick

You've seen them. You've tried to get around them. You're probably one of them. In a world where there are more mobile phones than people, it's become commonplace to find folks paying more attention to what's on their phones than what's in front of them on the street. These so-called "text-walkers" are often a nuisance to other pedestrians as well as a danger to themselves (and their precious phones). A smart solution to this problem has appeared on the sidewalks of Antwerp, Belgium in the form of "text walking lanes." These lanes, marked by simple white lines painted onto the sidewalk, designate a separate walking space for people who use their phones while walking.
More on text-walking lanes

June 15, 2015

Transfixing Spirulina Furniture Produces Free Heat, Light and Food

By Annie Doge

Jacob Douenias and Ethan Frier have been busy brewing up the next trend in green interior decor: spirulina-producing furniture. The cyanobacteria, commonly used for adding protein and nutrients to smoothies and other food, has made its way into the landscape of objects for the home, and here can be seen as the central feature in a spectacular series designed specifically for cultivating the living greens for practical purposes.
Learn more about this brilliant spirulina design

Photo via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr

June 15, 2015

5Pointz Artists Sue Developer for Whitewashing Iconic Graffiti Facade

By Dana Schulz

Photo via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr It's been 19 months since the 5Pointz graffiti mecca was secretly whitewashed overnight by the developers who have since razed the site to make way for the two residential towers that will replace it. Then, to pour salt in the wound, this past November G&M Realty announced that they planned to use the iconic 5Pointz name for their new project, infuriating the artists whose work adorned the building and leading them to launch a petition to stop the title. Now, the plot has thickened. Nine graffiti artists filed a lawsuit on Friday "seeking unspecified damages from the owner who whitewashed away their artwork," reports the Daily News. The plaintiffs claim they're owed financial compensation as they were not given the opportunity to retrieve their work, much of which could have ended up in museums or the artists' personal collections. The lost collection amounts to more than 350 graffiti pieces.
More details here

June 10, 2015

Camera-Equipped Intelligent Oven Knows Exactly How to Cook Your Meal

By Diane Pham

Although it may look like a run-of-the-mill toaster oven, don't let its modest appearance deceive you. This little appliance will quickly turn a poor soul who can't fry an egg into a master chef—or something close to one. Invented by Ammunition Group, a team credited with bringing the iPhone, the FitBit, the GoPro, and Lyft to market, the June Intelligent Oven is a revolutionary kitchen appliance that harnesses the power of everything we digital age junkies love: computers, a HD camera, and a Google-like image search system that can determine what we're cooking and how it should be cooked.
READ MORE

June 2, 2015

Wake Up to the Smell of a Hot Croissant or Cut Grass with This Olfactory Alarm Clock

By Dana Schulz

Caffeine fiends were pretty excited when we featured the Bariseur, a hybrid coffee brewer-alarm clock that wakes you up with a fresh cup of Joe. But what if you're not a coffee drinker or if some mornings you'd prefer to rise with the aroma of the seaside rather than espresso? Don't worry, we've got you covered. SensorWake is a scent-based alarm clock that wakes you up with the aroma of chocolate instead of the sound of a blaring horn. It uses interchangeable scent cartridges that include the aforementioned seaside and chocolate, coffee, of course, hot croissants, peaches, rose, peppermint, and, curiously, dollars, among others. Each cartridge is good for about 60 wake-up calls, and the company claims it will have your eyes open in two minutes. If you're still snoozing in three minutes, a traditional sound-based alarm will go off.
Watch the product video and learn more here

Policy
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May 27, 2015

Futuristic Pod Powered by the Wind and Sun–a Viable Housing Solution?

By Diane Pham

We've featured plenty of live/work and portable prefab spaces on 6sqft in the past, but this tiny house designed by Nice Architects might be one of the most efficient and adaptable housing solutions we've seen. Called the Ecocapsule, the sleek micro-house is a totally off-grid construction that's powered by solar and wind energy. Amazingly, at just 14.6 feet long and 7.4 feet wide, it has the potential to comfortably fit two adults. And on top of that, there's a kitchenette, a toilet, and a shower with hot water.
Find out more here

May 27, 2015

NYC Households Spend $130 a Month Funding the MTA

By Dana Schulz

Today's dose of disheartening news about the MTA comes via the Daily News, who reports that the debt-ridden city agency collects $4.8 billion a year from city taxpayers through taxes, fees, and the city budget. This comes out to $130 a month for the average New York household, even more than the cost of a monthly Metrocard, according to a new report by Comptroller Scott Stringer. Keep in mind this is in addition to the $5.3 billion they collect from fares and tolls.
Find out more here

May 26, 2015

Report Poorly Parked Cars and Bad Drivers with the ‘TowIt’ App

By Diane Pham

Few things are as enraging and unnerving as the way New Yorkers drive. And although no one wants to be a tattletale, there's finally a way to help better patrol bad drivers right from our smartphones. Called TowIt, this handy app allows concerned citizens to snap photos of motor violations, geo-tag them, and then send them in real-time for ticketing or towing by law enforcement and city officials.
Find out more and where to download the app

May 20, 2015

POLL: Do You Agree with the Central Park Skyscraper Moratorium?

By Dana Schulz

Yesterday we reported that Community Board Five’s Sunshine Task Force is calling for “an immediate, temporary moratorium on any new construction of 600 feet or taller that is not already undergoing public review, particularly with those threatening to cast shadows over Central Park in an area bounded by 53rd Street and Central Park South, and […]

Policy

Build Your Own Mathematically Accurate Geodesic Dome with Hubs

EVENT: Is Historic Preservation Elitist?

Lawsuit Against City Wants to End Affordable Housing Allotments to Certain Communities

Gentrification Sale: Get a Single Hand-Cut Summer French Fry for Just $8.99!

Hadrian Bricklaying Robot Can Construct a House in Just Two Days

NYU Expansion Plan Gets the Final Green Light from Court of Appeals

Rent Guidelines Board Approves Freezes on One-Year Leases for First Time in History

‘Poor Doors’ No Longer Allowed with New Rent-Regulation Bill

2,000 NYCHA Apartments Are Vacant Despite 270,000-Name Waiting List

‘Sofa So Good’ Is Finnish Designer Janne Kyttanen’s Latest 3D Printed Piece

Preservation Groups Push for a Lower East Side Historic District

New Report Identifies 700 Miles of Unused Space Under Bridges and Elevated Platforms

This $3M Williamsburg home is the rare condo with all of its loft charm intact

Let’s Introduce Text Walking Lanes for Smartphone Addicts

Transfixing Spirulina Furniture Produces Free Heat, Light and Food

5Pointz Artists Sue Developer for Whitewashing Iconic Graffiti Facade

Camera-Equipped Intelligent Oven Knows Exactly How to Cook Your Meal

Wake Up to the Smell of a Hot Croissant or Cut Grass with This Olfactory Alarm Clock

Futuristic Pod Powered by the Wind and Sun–a Viable Housing Solution?

NYC Households Spend $130 a Month Funding the MTA

Report Poorly Parked Cars and Bad Drivers with the ‘TowIt’ App

POLL: Do You Agree with the Central Park Skyscraper Moratorium?

252 East 57th Street in Midtown East

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