See Contested Streets TONIGHT, FREE

Tonight, I will be serving on a panel discussion prior to the Transportation Alternatives film "Contested Streets". I previously wrote about my impressions of the film here.


Screening of Contested Streets: Breaking NYC Gridlock.

Time: 8pm Panel Discussion, Followed by the one hour film.

Location: Solar1, East 23rd Street at the East River

Contested Streets explores the history and culture of New York City streets from pre-automobile times to the present. This examination allows for an understanding of how the city - though the most well served by mass transit in the United States - has slowly relinquished what was a rich, multi-dimensional conception of the street as public space to a mindset that prioritizes the rapid movement of cars and trucks over all other functions.

Central to the story is a comparison of New York to London, Paris and Copenhagen. Interviews and footage shot in these cities showcase how limiting automobile use in recent years has improved air quality, minimized noise pollution and enriched commercial, recreational and community interaction. London's congestion pricing scheme, Paris' BRT (bus rapid transit) and Copenhagen's bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure are all examined in depth. New York City, though to many the most vibrant and dynamic city on Earth, still has lessons to learn from Old Europe.

I hope you will join us tonight for a great outdoor film about how people are changing the way NYC sees traffic congestion.

For anyone who wants a great primer on how we got into the current traffic mess we are in now, I also highly recommend reading the chapters "Highwayman" and "Point of No Return" from Robert Caro's Classic biography of Robert Moses and Ken Burns history of New York.