Event – Trunk Line Panel

The AIANY Transportation and Infrastructure Committee presents an evening program on the Trunk Line, examining proposals presented by the RPA, ReThink, and IRUM. A moderated discussion will follow to explore the impact on the region should lack of Federal funding prevent the development of the Gateway Tunnels.

Click here for details and registration.

Speakers:
Karim Ahmed, Technical Outreach Director, ReThink Studio
George Haikalis, President, Institute for Rational Urban Mobility
Christopher Jones, Senior Vice President & Chief Planner, Regional Plan Association

Introduction: John West, Urban Design Committee Curator, The City Club of New York

Respondent: Stephen Sigmund, Chief of Public Outreach, Gateway Development Corporation

Moderator: Jeffrey Dugan, AIA, Principal, Dattner Architects; Co-Chair, AIANY Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

South Street Seaport 

The City, through the Economic Development Corporation has for two decades been selling off its birthplace, the South Street Seaport, piece by piece.  This great Historic District and its cultural center and interpreter, the South Street Seaport Museum, has been treated by the EDC as a checking account:  whenever the City needed revenue, or the Museum did, EDC sold off or leased out another block or two of the Historic District’s properties.  By having the Museum governed by the revenue-driven EDC rather than the  Department of Cultural Affairs, the City is risking the entire institution, ships, upland buildings, and all. Read more…

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

In February 2014, the City Club was instrumental in bringing a law suit, together with other civic groups, businesses, and individuals, as well as State Senator Tony Avella, challenging the proposed construction of a shopping mall in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, immediately to the east of CitiField, on what is now the Citifield parking lot.  The case was captioned Avella v. City of New York.  This project, sponsored by the City’s Economic Development Corporation, and endorsed by the Bloomberg Administration and by the City Council, was to be built by The Related Companies and Sterling Equities, allegedly in conjunction with the redevelopment of a portion of Willets Point.  The City Club brought this case to vindicate the principle of the public trust doctrine, an ancient common law doctrine according to which parkland is held in trust for the people of the State, and cannot be alienated (i.e., sold, leased, transferred or otherwise dedicated to a non-park use) without the consent of the State Legislature.  The respondents argued that the requisite consent could be found in a few words of the 1961 law that authorized the construction of Shea Stadium.  While the trial court agreed with respondents, the Appellate Division reversed in a unanimous decision.   Read more…