Author Archives: vickilau
Posts by vickilau
futures conference reaction
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I was a little disappointed in the presentations at the Futures Conference. Our section was set up in a way that all the groups would present and then we would have questions at the end. We were told to take notes so we’d have some talking points, but I think waiting until the end to ask questions took away from the potential of it all. In addition, most of the presentations in our section didn’t have much to do with an issue or policy proposal, but rather it was just a research report; while I did learn some interesting things in those presentations, I just felt like I was expecting so much more, especially given how hard our class worked to come up with very creative and possible solutions for issues that’ll impact the future of NYC.
revised cohen mini presentations
getting there, eventually
This isn’t an unfamiliar sight to any of us. The reconstruction of this plaza has been going on for what seems to be forever (literally probably when we arrived at Baruch). I remember sometime last year, the plaza was actually open, only to be fenced off yet again. I’m not sure what the end result of this plaza is going to be, but my main question is: why have they dug up this area, only to fill it up with those black things, only to dig it all up again? I vividly remember most of this area getting dug up last year, and here we are again, 12 months later with absolutely zero process.
This brings up my bigger pet peeve of why construction (never mind large infrastructural projects, I’m just talking about relatively small construction projects) takes so long in the US. I mentioned on someone else’s post before that there was a small bridge (think tiny highway) in another country that was literally taken down and rebuilt in about a day. Meanwhile, minuscule projects in the US seem to take months, if not years, to complete. The high school that I live across had a construction project that went on for literally four years, and there seemed to be no improvement even by the end of those four years.
I’m no engineers or construction worker, and I get that things take time, but it just seems like any sort of repair/reconstruction here takes so much time (cough cough: the elevators in 17Lex).
packed in like sardines
This is a daily occurrence on the J line, almost regardless of time. Around this time last year (or maybe the year before? I’m sorry, my brain is literally a rotting tomato and I have no concept of time), the M also ran on the J line in Brooklyn, meaning there were almost twice as many trains, both on and off rush hour. Now, commuters have to deal with being packed in like sardines, especially since J trains run around every 10-15 minutes, no matter what time it is, which is extremely frustrating; even in the mornings, when people are in a rush to get to work, and even during the afternoon, when hundreds of students and people are getting off of work.
This isn’t an issue that is unique to the J line, obviously. My commute to Baruch for a 9am via the 6 line is always jam packed as well, especially once we stop at Union Square. The difference is that there’s a 6 train every 2-3 minutes, which helps mitigate the extent of the crowding; if I know there’s another train coming in two minutes, and this current train is packed, I can wait. As for the J, waiting fifteen minutes isn’t an option for me, especially in the mornings, so I have no other option but to squeeze onto the trains.
The MTA should prioritize more efficient transit, which includes not having to squeeze into one square footage of space because waiting for the next train might delay you. Rather than installing a bunch of countdown clocks – which most of the time don’t even work – they should probably come up with a new schedule of train times so they can have more trains running, especially during peak hours.
Cohen Takeaway
Other cities and countries may be ahead of us in terms of sustainability and/or resiliency, and other places may be struggling, just like we are, or even at a worse place. It isn’t a competition to see who can be the most sustainable city; rather, we should all be looking for ways to improve and innovate ourselves by looking at other cities as examples. The worst thing is sitting back and doing nothing.
Cohen Presentation
Cohen presentation – all of the chapters were put into one powerpoint.
slow fashion
I mentioned in my biography for this class that one of my hobbies is thrifting. Almost all of my clothes are thrifted, with the exception of a few pieces that I do buy from retailers. Those pieces I know will last me a long time and will go with the seasons, even as the trends change. I try to put an effort into shopping sustainably – whether it’s from thrifting or buying from companies that I know have sustainable practices in regards to their clothing. I try to stay away from companies like Forever 21 and H&M – because while they have cute and current pieces, I know their companies aren’t sustainable or ethical (but that’s an issue for another post). There was even a report a few years ago of H&M cutting up perfectly good clothes just because these trends died out and they could no longer sell their overabundance of these designs. While H&M doesn’t have an incentive to donate their clothes, it would’ve been the right thing to do – considering there are people in the world that don’t have clothes to put on their backs – or at the very least, dump out the clothes without cutting them, so people can maybe find something to wear; but once again, they don’t have an incentive for that either. So here they are, destroying literally 12 tons of clothes each year. It just speaks volumes about the capitalist and unsustainable ways we’re living in today’s society.
save our rivers
I couldn’t export my photos for some reason, so here’s a bunch of them.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to go on a short yacht ride around NYC, which included a pit stop at Ellis Island. The views were beautiful, but what wasn’t pictured was the pollutedness of both the Hudson and East River (where the boat left from).
The pollution of our rivers result directly from our carelessness with garbage. Every time we litter – regardless of how big or little we think it is: cigarette butts, plastic bags and bottles – makes a huge difference in the quality of life everywhere else. It may no seem like it, but there are organisms living in the rivers, such as floral and fauna, and bigger animals like oysters and fish. We’ve all seen those pictures of sea animals with plastic fusing into their skins and trapped in soda can rings. It’d be foolish to think something of a smaller scale isn’t happening in our rivers.
A small piece of garbage thrown out in the middle of nowhere can be blown into the rivers, or flow into the seweage systems when it rains, and eventually end up in the same place. Today, there are organizations and events that advocate for the cleanup of our rivers, but that is only a secondary solution rather than being preemptive about pollution and littering. There really isn’t an excuse for littering – there are literally trash cans on every other block in this city; there isn’t an excuse for not holding onto your trash until you come across a trash can.
Comments by vickilau
"I don't live in the southern part of Brooklyn, but I know that several stops along the N-line have been out of commission (on the N/B or S/B track, I forgot) for a few years due to reconstruction and I think that's absolutely ridiculous. A couple of the stops are considered "renewed" and every time I take the train there, I'm just a little baffled because the stations actually looked better before it was renewed due to the shoddy craftsmanship of all the "new" fixtures."
--( posted on Apr 19, 2019, commenting on the post
MTA renovation )
"I agree with Kay. Those ideas, theoretically, are a great idea, but it's just not possible in NYC. I think this whole issue has to do with culture and respect more so than implementing new laws to enforce people to do things. Subway systems in other countries, namely Japan – and numerous other European/Asian transit systems – don't ban food from their systems, yet their subway cars are spotless. Like the MTA, they simply have trash cans at each station. People in Asia/Europe simply care more about their environment and cleanliness than a lot of Americans; people will hold onto their trash and wait until there's a trash can to throw things out. Sadly, not a lot of Americans/New Yorkers care about this and simply discard their stuff in the train carts, which usually result in sticky/crumbly/unsightly messes, or into the train tracks, which can cause fires and delays."
--( posted on Apr 12, 2019, commenting on the post
Crunch ‘n Munch Ain’t Worth It )
"This was hilarious to read, but it also just points out this huge issue of overcrowding in NYC in terms of cars, in commercial areas, but also in residential areas. Forget trying to find a parking space at Costco on a Sunday – because it's impossible – but imagine coming home after a long day of work and there is no parking space. It's frustrating and you end up having to circle your own block numerous times because you can't find a parking space, and end up parking three blocks away."
--( posted on Apr 7, 2019, commenting on the post
Sidewalk’s the Limit )
"I think this is a comforting aspect of NYC – a lot of people throw out furniture intact and sometimes even stick a "FREE" sign on it so other people can just haul it home. It's a good alternative to just dismantling and tossing out perfectly good decor/furniture when some other people can find some other way to upcycle these pieces."
--( posted on Mar 29, 2019, commenting on the post
Trashy Endeavors )
"Aside from the C line, this train is also popular on the J/Z line, which I take all the time, and I can definitely vouch for the excessive breakdowns (particularly during the summer when it's extra packed and hot, unfortunately). The good news is that the MTA is (slowly) replacing these older models with current models – aka the model that literally almost every other line uses: the ones with the digital stops and clocks. The bad news is that these old cars will still be in use until 2022 due to a delay in the delivery of the newer cars (what a shock).
Aside from this, your post really got me thinking about the different types of subway cars. In my mind, there are about 5 different subway cars:
1. The new model.
2. The old C/J/Z model.
3. The not-as-old B/D model.
4. The 4/5 model.
5. The 6 model.
Wikipedia, however, actually lists around 10 different types (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway_rolling_stock) and now I'm really left wondering why we have so many different types of subway cars, especially when so many of the older models are difficult and expensive to maintain. Understandably, it's too late and expensive to replace all the lines with one model now, but I'm just wondering why the MTA didn't just have one design instead of introducing so many different models."
--( posted on Mar 24, 2019, commenting on the post
Wanna “C” a Relic? )
"I think this brings up the bigger question of why infrastructure takes such a long time in NYC, and probably the US as a whole. I've seen videos of infrastructure construction and whether it's a sidewalk that needs repair, or a bridge that needs to be fixed in other countries, where this sort of repair only takes a few days, or even one day to fix. Meanwhile, we are so accustomed to seeing bright orange construction signs, scaffolding, and makeshift metal and wooden boards to cover up the ever so slow progress."
--( posted on Mar 16, 2019, commenting on the post
A Tale of Two Utilities )
"I think an alternative (for some people) is to just have a small bin on their windowsills for composting. I remember when I was in elementary school and we did a small composting project; it doesn't take up much space and it's a great way to recycle all the organic waste that normally just goes into the garbage."
--( posted on Mar 10, 2019, commenting on the post
COMPOST )
"My concern isn't really about the garbage, but rather the issues regarding infrastructure that come with more trees. In my neighborhood, there are trees that are hundreds of years old as a result, the roots have begun to pop out from underneath the sidewalk (something like this: https://inexpensivetreecare.com/wp-content/uploads/tree_sidewalk-1.jpg) These trees not only end up destroying the sidewalks, but also propose an issue of safety of pedestrians that are unaware of the uneven surfaces or those that are traveling with a lot of personal belongings. While I think it's great that we are trying to plant more trees, I can't really think of a way that can help prevent the trees' eventual overgrowth, or subsequently try to rectify these damaged walkways."
--( posted on Mar 2, 2019, commenting on the post
More Trees on NYC Streets )
"I'm in Williamsburg every other weekend, so I understand this struggle. While this ongoing construction is going to be inconvenient for a lot of people, I think it is a much better alternative than shutting down the entire tunnel from Williamsburg to Manhattan for a year and a half – which not only forced a lot of people to move out but also landlords to drop rent prices to convince people to stay. Since the L is the only train that really runs straight through Williamsburg, that would've decreased overall prosperity in Williamsburg and that's the opposite of the whole idea of sustainability that NYC tries to preach."
--( posted on Mar 2, 2019, commenting on the post
The Paradox of the L Train Construction (3/5/19) )
"This is actually really saddening to see. I remember as we were welcoming in the New Year, I saw on my social media newsfeed an article – something along the lines of "Let's look at all the animals that went extinct in 2018!" It's kind of a punch in the face because we're forced to realize that not only do our actions have consequences, but these consequences also fall on other species that never asked for this type of fallout because of our unsustainable ways of living. These species are gone, never to be seen again, so we really should be asking ourselves: is what we're doing worth their lives?"
--( posted on Feb 23, 2019, commenting on the post
‘apocalyptic zoo’ is a very dramatic way to phrase it )
"Rising rent costs are a huge problem in my neighborhood too. I've lived in Bushwick for about 15 years and I've seen the neighborhood change drastically. It was never really an "unsafe" neighborhood (so to speak anyway) but it wasn't exactly desirable either, until a few years ago, the cafes and condos began pouring in. As a result, even the older buildings started tacking more and more onto the rent, and this included my dad. Despite increasing the rent incrementally so we can actually keep our tenants, we're still offering our house for a much lower price than our neighbors (who priced it at like $3000 a month? Which is insane because renting in Bushwick used to be half of that a decade ago)."
--( posted on Feb 23, 2019, commenting on the post
New Projects more like New Problems )
"I think this is such an important issue, especially since Penn Station is one of the most frequented stations in this city. If the MTA/the city can't tend to one of its most popular stations, what about all the "less" popular stations (ie. literally anywhere besides Times Square 42nd, Herald Square, etc etc)? Stations leak all the time (even when it's not raining?) and there are cracks everywhere. While all this is happening, the MTA is raising fares to help "renovate" these stations. These renovations, however, are always for seemingly useless parts of the station; for instance, new flashy display screens, more countdown clocks (that don't work half of the time)."
--( posted on Feb 16, 2019, commenting on the post
Crumbling Concrete Jungle )
"I definitely agree with all the points that you made. The increase in number of taller buildings in NYC is ridiculous, and actually disadvantageous in combating the issue of overpopulation. The second tallest building in NYC is 432 Park Avenue – which, if you don't know, is basically this fancy residential building where apartments go for millions and millions of dollars. While I am not bashing the right for (wealthy) people to indulge and have a beautiful apartment overlooking Central Park, I don't think it's fair for such a place such as 432 Park Avenue to exist when most of those apartments are still available for purchase when there's a huge demand for more (affordable) space in such a crowded city."
--( posted on Feb 16, 2019, commenting on the post
How high can we go? )
