Search Results for: rt programs

Corey Johnson announces $19 million in new LGBT support programs, nearly doubling funding

Speaker Corey Johnson and the New York City Council March in the 2019 Pride Parade. Photo by John McCarten via Flickr, courtesy of New York City Council.

July 1, 2019

Corey Johnson announces $19 million in new LGBT support programs, nearly doubling funding

By Michelle Cohen

In honor of a World Pride weekend that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has announced $19 million in funding for LGBT support programs, which nearly doubles the funding in support of the city's gay community, the Daily News reports. The budget includes $2.3 million for Trans Equity Programs, $3.7 million for LGBT community services and $800,000 for LGBT inclusive curriculum in public schools. Johnson said, “Acceptance is not enough. Our local government must fund programs that support the LBGTQ community, particularly transgender people.”
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NYC’s outdoor swim programs won’t return this summer due to ‘lifeguard shortage’

Photo by Danny Avila for NYC Parks

June 15, 2022

NYC’s outdoor swim programs won’t return this summer due to ‘lifeguard shortage’

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City Parks Department on Tuesday announced that a number of the city's outdoor swim programs would not be returning for the summer season due to a "national shortage of lifeguards." Lap swim, senior swim, water aerobics, swim team and day camp, and Learn to Swim are among the programs that will not be returning for a third consecutive year.
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NYC celebrates Frederick Law Olmsted’s bicentennial birthday with a month of parks programs

All images courtesy of Daniel Avila / NYC Parks

April 8, 2022

NYC celebrates Frederick Law Olmsted’s bicentennial birthday with a month of parks programs

By Aaron Ginsburg

Throughout April, the city's parks will celebrate the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect whose visionary work on Central Park, Prospect Park, and many other public parks helped influence the future of urban green space design. The Parks Department will be teaching New Yorkers about Olmsted's influence on urban design with an exhibition at the Arsenal Gallery, tours led by the Urban Park Rangers, and much more.
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Trump hires family party planner Lynne Patton to run NY housing programs

June 16, 2017

Trump hires family party planner Lynne Patton to run NY housing programs

By Devin Gannon

President Trump appointed family friend Lynne Patton on Wednesday to oversee New York’s federal housing programs, despite her clear lack of housing experience. Patton, who formerly arranged tournaments at Trump’s golf courses and planned Eric Trump’s wedding, will head up the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Region II, which includes New York and New Jersey, and will oversee the distribution of billions of taxpayer dollars. As reported by the Daily News, Patton’s relationship with the Trump family dates back to 2009 when she first began as their event planner.
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July 29, 2015

Inside the Woolworth Penthouse; Rent-to-own Programs Are Making a Comeback

Rent-to-own programs are becoming an option for those with bad credit who want to one day own a home. [WSJ] The MTA sent Mayor Bill de Blasio a letter yesterday urging the city to provide the $3.2 billion that the agency needs to close its capital budget deficit. [New York Post] Go inside the under-construction, ultra-expensive penthouse at the famed Woolworth […]

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Alexander Wang’s Asian arts hub to open in Chinatown landmark

Photo credit:Beyond my Ken via Wikimedia commons.

February 19, 2026

Alexander Wang’s Asian arts hub to open in Chinatown landmark

By Michelle Cohen

The Beaux Arts building at 58 Bowery has been an anchor of Chinatown for a century, owned for most of that time by the Citizens Savings Bank. Designer Alexander Wang and his mother, Ying Wang, purchased the landmarked building in 2025; this month, the pair will launch their dream of a hub for Asian and Asian-American creativity in the neighborhood with the opening of The Wang Contemporary (TWC). The center's inaugural exhibition, "20,000 Variations On A Paper Plane In Flight," by Asian-American art collective MSCHF, will be on view from February 20-22.
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Events & Things To Do

Work begins on East Harlem tower with 340 affordable apartments and new arts center

Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

February 18, 2026

Work begins on East Harlem tower with 340 affordable apartments and new arts center

By Devin Gannon

An affordable housing project first conceived as part of the East Harlem rezoning 10 years ago has finally kicked off construction. The city on Wednesday broke ground on Timbale Terrace, a 100 percent affordable tower with 341 apartments and a new theater and performing arts center for Belongó, formerly known as the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. Located at East 118th Street and Park Avenue, the site sat vacant for decades before most recently serving as a police department parking lot.
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The rentals reshaping Gowanus: A guide to the neighborhood’s new apartment buildings

Photo by Alan Harris on Flickr

February 9, 2026

The rentals reshaping Gowanus: A guide to the neighborhood’s new apartment buildings

By Devin Gannon

Thanks to a 2021 rezoning expected to create 9,000 new apartments, paired with an environmental clean-up of the long-contaminated canal, Gowanus is booming. More than 140 residential buildings are planned for the neighborhood, and several are already completed, attracting individuals and families seeking amenity-rich buildings and easy access to Manhattan and other parts of Brooklyn, while being relatively more affordable than neighboring Carroll Gardens and Park Slope. At the center of the community is the Gowanus Canal, which, as its federally-mandated Superfund cleanup continues, is expected to become a new waterfront park, flanked by a promenade, retail, and recreational space. As development continues to reshape the neighborhood, we're taking a look at the best new rental projects in Gowanus.
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Trucks of Art returns: DSNY invites artists to decorate NYC garbage trucks

Images courtesy of DSNY

January 14, 2026

Trucks of Art returns: DSNY invites artists to decorate NYC garbage trucks

By Aaron Ginsburg

Back for the first time since 2022, New York City's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is inviting artists to paint vibrant murals on its garbage trucks. As part of the "Trucks of Art" zero-waste initiative, the agency adorns the sides of its 46,000-pound garbage trucks with traveling works of art using leftover household paints that would otherwise end up in landfills. Applications are being accepted until February 8 at 11:59 p.m., with the trucks expected to be painted in April.
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NYC’s creative industry at risk amid affordability crisis, report finds

The Rubin Museum in Chelsea closed in 2024. It now operates as a global institution with traveling exhibitions. Photo by David de Armas, courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art.

December 18, 2025

NYC’s creative industry at risk amid affordability crisis, report finds

By Aaron Ginsburg

The future of New York City's celebrated creative scene is in jeopardy, as rising living costs make sustaining a career in the industry increasingly unfeasible, a new report says. Released this month by the Center for an Urban Future (CUF), the "Creative New York" report finds that despite the creative sector’s importance to the city’s economy, the number of people working in creative fields has decreased substantially since the pandemic, following decades of growth. Employing more than 326,000 New Yorkers and attracting millions of tourists each year, the city's creative sector is an integral part of its character, but without reform, this trend could drive a large portion of the industry out of the five boroughs, according to the report.
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Policy

The best new apartment buildings near Prospect Park

Photo of Prospect Park by Steven Pisano on Flickr

November 17, 2025

The best new apartment buildings near Prospect Park

By Devin Gannon

With its 585 acres of woodlands, waterways, and meadows, Prospect Park is a serene escape in the heart of Brooklyn. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the 1860s, the public park is one of Brooklyn's most beautiful places to wander and connect with nature. As more renters and buyers prioritize access to green space, new residential developments have been popping up in neighborhoods around the park. For those looking to live near Brooklyn's Backyard, we rounded up the best new apartment buildings located within a mile of Prospect Park.
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New legislation would pave the way for more affordable artist housing in NYC

Credit: Jeffrey Blum on Unsplash

November 12, 2025

New legislation would pave the way for more affordable artist housing in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

Legislation introduced this week would pave the way for more affordable artist housing in New York City. Announced on Wednesday by Manhattan Council Members Keith Powers and Erik Bottcher, the legislation would amend the city’s administrative code to clarify that housing programs offering preference to artists do not violate human rights laws prohibiting discrimination based on occupation. The legislation aims to create more housing opportunities for artists, many of whom earn well below the city’s average rent thresholds, in the nation's cultural capital, as first reported by Gothamist.
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You can now check out artwork from the Brooklyn Public Library

Department of Transformation: Letters for the Future. All photos by Gregg Richards

November 6, 2025

You can now check out artwork from the Brooklyn Public Library

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers can now borrow artwork from the Brooklyn Public Library as part of a new program and exhibition. Curated together with the Department of Transformation, "Letters for the Future" celebrates the library as one of the few remaining “intellectual, creative, and civic commons still freely available" with work from over 40 artists. As part of the exhibition, on view through January 25, library cardholders can check out artwork, including paintings, sculptures, zines, and more, for a three-week period.
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Events & Things To Do

Majority of affordable housing in NYC built in just 10 of 51 NYC Council districts, new report finds

Credit: Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash

October 29, 2025

Majority of affordable housing in NYC built in just 10 of 51 NYC Council districts, new report finds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Just 10 of New York City’s 51 Council districts have produced more than half of all new affordable housing since 2014, according to a new report. Released as a special update to the New York Housing Conference's NYC Housing Tracker Report, the analysis—titled "Why Charter Land Use Reforms Are Needed"—finds that 13 districts have built more than 4,000 affordable homes, while 10 have added fewer than 300, and four have produced under 100. The report comes as New Yorkers are currently voting on four housing-related ballot questions, which would change the city's land use review process and, according to critics, give the mayor more power and remove Council oversight.
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Major public art program unveiled for JFK Airport’s $9.5B Terminal One

The world’s largest split-flap display in Terminal 1 will flicker through scenes of New York as passengers move through security. Credit: The New Terminal One at JFK/Arup

October 27, 2025

Major public art program unveiled for JFK Airport’s $9.5B Terminal One

By Aaron Ginsburg

JFK Airport's new $9.5 billion terminal wants to reflect New York’s identity as a capital of creativity and culture. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and New Terminal One announced on Monday the seven artists who will create large-scale, site-specific works anchoring Terminal One's cultural program, which celebrates the history, culture, and diversity of New York City and Queens. The installations, ranging from sculptures and mosaics to murals, will complement the broader arts initiative that also features filmmaking and immersive digital experiences.
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Statue of Liberty to stay open during federal shutdown, Trump says

Credit: Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

October 2, 2025

Statue of Liberty to stay open during federal shutdown, Trump says

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Statue of Liberty will remain open during the U.S. government shutdown, President Donald Trump's administration said Thursday. The shutdown leaves federal workers without pay and closes federally funded museums and monuments, like Lady Liberty. After Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state would not pay to maintain the monument during the shutdown, the Trump administration announced the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would remain open.
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Policy

Construction to turn vacant Forest Hills hospital into 145 affordable apartments begins

Photo by Peter Wilk/Wilk Marketing Communications

September 17, 2025

Construction to turn vacant Forest Hills hospital into 145 affordable apartments begins

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction has begun on an intergenerational affordable housing development at the site of a long-vacant hospital in Forest Hills. Foxy Development and Selfhelp Realty Group on Wednesday announced work has begun on The Perennial, a mixed-use project that converts the existing Parkway Hospital building, inactive since 2008, into 145 affordable apartments for seniors and families. Developers describe the $150 million project as one of New York's most complex public-private development projects in recent history and the neighborhood’s first deeply affordable senior housing project.
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Trump reportedly wants to take over the 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Photo by Kaabii Kiseki on Unsplash

September 5, 2025

Trump reportedly wants to take over the 9/11 Memorial & Museum

By Aaron Ginsburg

President Donald Trump is considering taking federal control of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum after victims’ families criticized the site’s funding and management. As first reported by the New York Times, two White House officials said preliminary discussions have begun, though it remains unclear how the federal government would assume control. During his campaign last year, Trump pitched designating the site as a national monument, and at a rally last September, said he wanted to ensure the "hallowed ground" and the memory of those who perished would be "preserved for all time."
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Policy

11 more NYC libraries will offer seven-day service starting September

Credit: Clay Banks on Unsplash

August 4, 2025

11 more NYC libraries will offer seven-day service starting September

By Aaron Ginsburg

Eleven more New York City public libraries will be open seven days a week, thanks to funding included in the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget. Made possible by a $2 million investment to expand weekend service, the new Sunday hours begin September 7, bringing the total number of branches open on Sundays to more than 30. The $2 million is part of a broader $15 million increase for the New York Public Library (NYPL), Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), and Queens Public Library (QPL) systems secured in the FY 2026 budget.
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Policy

Upper West Side public library to be redeveloped with new branch and 850 apartments

Bloomingdale branch. Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia

July 30, 2025

Upper West Side public library to be redeveloped with new branch and 850 apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

As New York City explores every option to ease its housing crisis, officials are looking to build mixed-income housing atop a new library branch on the Upper West Side. As first reported by West Side Rag, the city plans to raze and replace the Bloomingdale Library at 150 West 100th Street with a new library, health services facility, and 850 units of housing. The project follows the model of other co-located housing developments at public libraries in Sunset Park and Inwood.
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28-story luxury rental opens lottery for 147 apartments in West Harlem, from $2,950/month

Credit: GLUCK+

July 25, 2025

28-story luxury rental opens lottery for 147 apartments in West Harlem, from $2,950/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A luxury high-rise rental in West Harlem opened a lottery this week for 147 middle-income apartments. The 28-story building at 1440 Amsterdam Avenue sits on the campus of the New York City Housing Authority's Manhattanville Houses and was developed as part of a deal to help repair and upgrade the complex's six existing buildings. Located near City College and Columbia University, the new development offers high-end finishes, extensive indoor and outdoor amenities, and a new supermarket. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $2,950/month studios to $4,568/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Pier 17 owner proposes glass rooftop addition for year-round concerts

Credit: Seaport Entertainment Group

July 15, 2025

Pier 17 owner proposes glass rooftop addition for year-round concerts

By Aaron Ginsburg

Live music could soon become a year-round staple at the Rooftop at Pier 17, as the venue’s operator seeks approval to install a glass addition to house concerts during the winter. In a presentation to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday, the Seaport Entertainment Group detailed plans for a seasonal heated structure on the rooftop of the South Street Seaport District venue to accommodate performances from November through mid-March. The structure would allow the venue to extend its rooftop concert series into the winter, a time when foot traffic in the Seaport drops significantly.
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Host like a pro: The best items for entertaining at home

Photo by Dorien Monnens on Unsplash

July 2, 2025

Host like a pro: The best items for entertaining at home

By Terri Williams

Whether you’re hosting movie night, showcasing your culinary skills, or hosting family or friends overnight, there’s an art to entertaining. And if you have the right tools, you’re well on your way to being a fabulous host or hostess. These are some of the items that can make your entertaining efforts a success.
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As part of $116B budget deal, city will expand 7-day library service

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

June 30, 2025

As part of $116B budget deal, city will expand 7-day library service

By Aaron Ginsburg

Ten New York City public libraries will now be open seven days a week, thanks to $32.7 million in funding included in the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget. On Friday, Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced a $115.9 billion budget agreement for FY26. Other key investments include over $70 million for immigration legal services, as well as funding for mental health care, public safety programs, and expanded child care and early childhood education.
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Policy

NYPL’s World Literature & Arts Festival returns

All images courtesy of Robert Krevolin/The New York Public Library

April 9, 2025

NYPL’s World Literature & Arts Festival returns

By Aaron Ginsburg

A celebration of storytelling across the world's diverse cultures and languages is returning to the New York Public Library (NYPL) next week. Running from April 14 through 30, the fifth annual World Literature & Arts Festival is a library system-wide event series highlighting New York City's vibrant immigrant communities across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island in honor of Immigrant Heritage Week. The festival spotlights the city's diversity through engaging author talks, performances, culinary experiences, writing workshops, and more.
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Events & Things To Do

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