Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand

The newly announced program and its guidelines will allow artists and performers of all kinds to return to work safely. On February 8, 2021, Mayor de Blasio released guidelines for the upcoming Open Culture Program. The program will open up city streets for outdoor cultural performances and events throughout the five boroughs. The new program is modeled after a prior successful initiative lead by the city, the Open Streets Program. For CityLand’s prior coverage about the Open Culture Program, click here. (more…)

Artist’s rendering of the redesign of Morrison Plaza. Image Credit: NYC DDC

The upgrade is scheduled to be completed in winter 2021. On October 30, 2020, the NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and the NYC Department of Design and Construction announced the beginning of a $9 million project to expand and beautify Morrison Avenue Plaza located at the southeast corner of Morrison Avenue and Westchester Avenue in the Soundview neighborhood in the Bronx. (more…)

The Roosevelt Memorial Sculpture outside the American Museum of Natural History. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/MacLachlan

Jeffrey Kroessler’s view on the Teddy Roosevelt statue at the entrance to the Natural History Museum is clear and provocative, even if I have no certain answer to the questions it raises. (more…)

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller

Eighty-five percent of the survey respondents expect to go out of business within six months. On July 10, 2020, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released a comprehensive analysis of the economic hardships minority and women-owned enterprises (M/WBEs) are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the survey findings, Comptroller Stringer announced new accountability measures to ensure the City is meeting its M/WBE goals. (more…)

Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Chair of the Committee on Public Housing, speaks at the NYCHA oversight hearing on June 29, 2020. Image Credit: New York City Council

Residents voiced concerns about mold, ventilation and lack of signage. On June 29, 2020, the New York City Council’s Committee on Public Housing and the Committee on Housing and Buildings held a joint hearing to discuss the steps that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) are taking to protect residents from the spread of COVID-19. (more…)