I attended the MHC event based on the presentations by Wiley Norvell and Chris Neidl on transportation alternatives and renewable energy. Both showed how planning and initiative can be applied to two different subject areas. Wiley Norvell’s presentation was called “Winning Livable Streets.” As the presentation title implies, his organization’s advocacy is for the implementation of “green transportation” for NYC. By green transportation they mean that this organization is promoting the use of public transportation, bicycling, walking, and restricted local driving, if necessary. Their model city is Copenhagen, the city that contains the “complete street.” A complete street implies that there is equal protection for walkers, cyclists, and transit workers and riders. Essentially, what are they attempting to combat? They claim that the city has been eroded by the use of automobiles, as the famous Jane Jacobs has once proclaimed. On one of Norvell’s slides was a quotation by Vince Lombardi, “Football is a game of inches and inches to make a champion.” At first, this sounded a bit off topic to his presentation, but as Norvell stated, his organization fights to protect and gain as much of the city street possible. As the present mayor of Bogota Enrique Penalosa said, “ A city not for businesses or automobiles, but for children and thus for people.” I highly agree that if a city was built with the elderly and children in mind, we can make an exceptionally safe and habitable city. These generations have jeopardized the green space of NYC. The Park Avenue of 1922 was a lush park with many places to sit, which I picture to would have been a model design of space according to William H. Whyte. Unfortunately, to this present day this image is just a figment of the past. Present day Park Avenue is a dangerous crossing with rushing cars, and there are no longer places to sit. This is an example of how some of the city planners have “focused on moving traffic” and allowed the automobile to dominate NYC with their carbon emissions. Luckily, advocators for reclaiming city streets have made some advances, and they have shown that these advances can indeed bring about safety. Eight Avenue in 2006 has been revamped to allow safer crossings and bike riding, but in 2009 an actual bicycling lane has been added. An estimated 200,000 New Yorkers are now cycling through this avenue, which is a 57% increase from the past. General injury in this once precarious street crossing is down by 50%, and crashes have also decreased by 41%. Times Square also experienced one of the greatest improvements with 74% approval rate compared to the past ratings. It has transformed into an even better tourist attraction with the new “island” at the center, where anyone can bring a chair and observe the infrastructure around them. Before this improvement, tourists were teeming in the narrow side streets and struggling to get a decent picture of Times Square. As a consequence, pedestrian traffic is down by 11% and injuries are down by 63%.

These changes aren’t simple to bring into realization. They require the support of legislative bodies ranging from Congress to City Council, and there’s always the issue of getting the attention of the media. Wiley Norvell and Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) manage their 8000 members and 25,000 devoted activists to rally and employ creative methods to demonstrate their cause such as featuring a bicycle in the annual NYC auto show.

The next presentation I watched was by Chris Neidl from SolarOne. This organization has been around for approximately seven years. Neidl demonstrated that NYC has been a leader in innovation, and one of the most novice constructions ever done was the Erie Canal. It made NY harbor more feasible to the rest of the country, and he conjectured that without this feature, NYC would probably have been a second rate potential in the U.S. Neidl claims that present day New York should continue its past dominance by implementing the use of Renewable Energy Payments (REPs). This is another step towards the “green” movement. REPs use “clean” power such as hydro, wind, biogas, and solar energy. This is not only a means to safeguard the planet, but also theoretically saves money for the present and future citizens. By participating in REPs, homeowners or businesses can aid in the present technologies drastically improving over time with the incoming funds. This should lower the payments for the renewable energy sources.  This can also contribute to the 30% renewable usage in 2015, and an 80% CO₂ cut by 2050. REPs also give back to people’s sustainability. For example, Germany currently employs 300,000 people in these clean energy plants. In the current situation, the American people can use as much job availability as possible. In addition, tax revenues can also be collected, which can be used to improve a city’s infrastructure. In essence, Renewable Energy Payments is a financial incentive. The utility users and the producers both obtain financial incentives such as rebates and tax credits. I found it to be almost cynical but truthful with how Neidl has shown what policy is. A policy is generally made for a greater purpose, but at times it must be featured like a “sweetened” appeasement to gain an audience.

Roosevelt Island: the first thought that came to mind was the first stop of the F train on its journey before entering Queens. Nonetheless, I do consider it to be a noticeable piece of land on the East River nestled between Queens and Manhattan. It can be well viewed if crossing the Queensboro Bridge. In length, it is approximately two miles long with a width of 800 feet, with a landmass of approximately 147 acres. These 147 acres contains approximately 9,520 residents according to the year 2000 census, but apparently it has grown to 12,000 as of 2008. The male to female ratio is about 1:1. Demographically speaking, the island consists of almost 50% white residents, followed by 27% blacks. The Asian population is the next dominant population with 13%.

Historically, Roosevelt Island was once called Blackwell Island, but before that it was named Hog Island. Roosevelt Island originally belonged to the Canarsie Indians before it was sold to Wouter Van Tiller in 1637. After the Dutch rule was ousted by the English in 1666, Captain John Manning claimed the island. His son in law, Robert Blackwell soon possessed the island and named it Blackwell Island. His great grand son built the Blackwell House, now a New York historical landmark. Not long after the construction of this house, the City of New York bought the island for $32,000. The island was also called Welfare Island. As I previously mentioned, the presence of the island can’t be denied, but it looks isolated. This characteristic was apparent to many others before me. It was the ideal “haven.” The island once housed the mentally ill and the terminally sick. It was also filled with churches. With this air of hopelessness, the island took on the name Welfare Island.

My first impression of the island was its residential atmosphere. As it turned out, Roosevelt Island was principally intended to be a residential area. Its construction was planned by the firm ran by  Philip Johnson and John Burgee. The New York State Urban Development Corporation decided to implement this plan because it had the residential community design in mind. The island would be divided into three residential sectors. The island school would not be made in the stereotypical stone-like building look, but classrooms scattered around the building complexes. This was intended to give a relaxed, less rigid feeling like the type I had when I first visited the island. The primary development of Roosevelt Island was arguably more innovative compared to the more recent constructions being done.  Examples of this novice development are Westview and Eastwood , both designed by Josep Lluis Sert. Eastwood is the largest apartment housing unit on the island. The complex is worthy of consideration because it is an experimentation of a high-rise construction intended for multiple living space. Further developmental progress was rather slow after the first; the second project Northtown Phase II was completed after a decade when the first was completed. Southtown development was started in 1998, and it is still in the process of completion. Southtown brought in business establishments such as Starbucks.

The Roosevelt Island bridge facilitated the entrance into the island. Initially, a trolley was used to take passengers to the middle of Queensboro Bridge, where an elevator would lower them into the island. The island still does not have much car flow. Buses ran by the ROIC with relatively cheap fares take the island residents from their homes to the train. The Roosevelt Island Tramway provides instant access to Midtown Manhattan. Overall, Roosevelt Island has greatly improved and has shown its beauty since its use as a “hide-out” location for the city’s greatly ill people.

My boyfriend and I

Hey there! My name is Kate Lynn Sioson. I am a biochemistry major, and I am on the pre-med track. I am one of the few Macaulay “non-dorming” students at Hunter. I can’t fail to mention that I have two beautiful cats, whose names are Callixto and Precious. My favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray. In this book, the cynical Sir Henry Wotton is my favorite character. In addition, I enjoy watching the Discovery Channel and National Geographic shows. I want to be a world traveler someday, and visit some of the exotic places and cultures I see in these shows.