Portion of exhibit. Image Credit: CityLand.

Exhibit traces the conditions that lead to the creation of the 1960 zoning resolution, the forms that were created in its wake, the innovation of the 1961 zoning resolution, and the arguments surrounding zoning today. On November 10, 2016, the Museum of the City of New York opened its exhibition, “Mastering the Metropolis: New York and Zoning 1916-2016.” The exhibit uses 150 objects, artifacts and photos to demonstrate how 100 years of zoning has guided the City’s growth, and its urban experience. (read more…)

Finn Square, Tribeca, Manhattan. Image Courtesy of Tribeca Trust.

Since sprouting up during the Bloomberg administration, new pedestrian -friendly public plazas have served as urban pit stops, places where time pressed New Yorkers can people-watch, grab a bite and have some down time before heading back to school, work, or a rigorous day of shopping. (read more…)

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to grant livery cabs the right to accept street hails was derailed on June 1, 2012, when New York State Judge Arthur Engoron invoked the home rule clause of the State constitution and enjoined the City from implementing the State law passed in 2011. The State law would have allowed 30,000 liveries to accept street hails, a right currently enjoyed only by yellow cabs. Advocates for the law claimed that the absence of yellow cabs from parts of the City would have been corrected by allowing licensed livery vehicles to accept street hails.

An earlier commentary criticized the law because it would make both yellow cab and livery service worse. Judge Engoron, however, based his decision on the State constitution, not on policy.

The New York State constitution grants home rule protection for cities as a shield against State intrusions into matters that ought to be handled at the local level.  Matters of  “property, affairs and government” are to be left to the cities, limited only to consistency with State law. There is a gap in the constitutional (read more…)