Links

A great interview with Robert Caro (Gothamist)

... he largely shies away from commenting on New York City in 2016, except when we gaze out the window of his office near Columbus Circle. 
"You know, these buildings are disgusting," Caro says, motioning to the luxury high-rises. "No one seems to speak out against them. You wonder what New York is going to become."

Thoughts on fare integration and the Brooklyn-Queens streetcar (2nd Ave. Sagas)

Much like the new East River ferry routes that should arrive in 2017, de Blasio claims a streetcar ride will cost the same as a swipe, but he can’t yet guarantee the swipe will include a transfer to or from the subway. This is a fatal flaw in the plan and one that will doom the Brooklyn-Queens Connector to a second-rate transit gimmick that cannot fulfill its ridership potential. 
First, the idea that integrated fares are key for network acceptance and use To a rule, fare integration increases ridership and transit miles traveled, and without fare integration, the mayor will be asking riders of a system built with the promise of serving 40,000 NYCHA residents to pay two fares if they use the streetcar as a feeder to the subway. And nearly all successful streetcar networks work because they are feeders to and from the subway;

FAQ: What we know/don't know about proposed "Behemoth Brooklyn" office tower (Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report)

How big would it be?
More than 1.55 million square feet, combining the bulk of the B1 tower planned for the triangle currently including the arena plaza, plus the 439,050 square feet for the Site 5 development. It's supposed to be an office tower, but presumably would contain a significant amount of retail and--unmentioned, but a good bet--some condos.

The Secret History of AMI (City Limits)

Thunder Ridge might feel a long way from Jerome Avenue in the Bronx or East New York in Brooklyn. But that area is part of the weird math that helps determine how affordable the apartments in the city's affordable housing plan really are. That's because Putnam County is, along with Westchester and Rockland counties, part of the territory for which New York City's Area Median Income, or AMI, is calculated.