Experts participating in the Henry Street Settlement eco-charrette–a collaborative design and solutions-seeking process–that took place last year, identified occupant behavior has a huge factor in the amount of energy used. Of particular concern [...]]]> Last Friday, ten 9 and 10 year old boys and girls from the Henry Street Settlement Youth Council visited the Settlement headquarters to survey the number of electrical devices in each office. This survey is part of an effort to illustrate how staff can help reduce energy consumption.

Experts participating in the Henry Street Settlement eco-charrette–a collaborative design and solutions-seeking process–that took place last year, identified occupant behavior has a huge factor in the amount of energy used. Of particular concern was the office plug loads—the amount of electricity appliances, such as computers, water coolers, microwaves, cable boxes or space heaters use while on standby.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the following plug load costs, assuming 9 cents/kilowatt/hour:

•  Leaving a computer on when not in use: up to $60/year
• A microwave: almost $40/year
• A space heater: almost $30/year

While the costs associated with each device might not seem like a lot of money, in an office with a number of employees, it adds up. We want to quantify each device type and develop a strategy to increase staff awareness as to how behavior impacts electrical consumption.  As anyone who has tried knows, it can be very hard to change ingrained behavior. To help with this it seemed like a good idea to enlist the best ambassadors possible, the Henry Street Settlement Youth Council.

The Youth Council will return in a week to finish their equipment survey and install watt monitors to quantify the amount of power specific devices consume.   Once the results are tallied the findings will be integrated into staff trainings on the intersection of energy efficiency and behavior, to help foster discussion and increase staff buy-in.

During the Youth Council survey it was clear that staff has already become more cognizant of how their behavior impacts energy consumption, consciously or unconsciously taking in sustainability lessons from the Settlement’s energy-saving/retrofit drive.  However, there is still more to do to impact staff behavior, identify equipment that is duplicative or unnecessary and determine the equipment that is the worst “energy hog” offender.

You can help the Henry Street Settlement make significant energy efficiency gains at their circa 1830s headquarter buildings by supporting them in the Partners in Preservation initiative. Vote today and every day through May 21^st  at http://partnersinpreservation.com

From April 26 through May 21, you can cast your vote for this year’s finalists online at http://partnersinpreservation.com/ We hope you’ll support our [...]]]> MAS’s planned restoration of the “Rocket Thrower” statue and our energy retrofit at the Henry Street Settlement, were announced today as two of the 40 finalists of American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2012 Partners in Preservation Initiative in New York City.  Partners in Preservation is a community-based program providing preservation grants for local historic places.

From April 26 through May 21, you can cast your vote for this year’s finalists online at http://partnersinpreservation.com/ We hope you’ll support our MAS projects and help us get the most votes! Voters are allowed one vote per day, so vote early and often! The three projects receiving the most votes will have their grants fulfilled. The remaining funding will be distributed to the other sites by a jury of civic and preservation leaders along with American Express and National Trust advisors; awards will total $3 million dollars!

More about our Partners in Preservation projects:

MAS, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Unisphere, Inc. have partnered in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the MAS Adopt-A-Monument program for the restoration of the “Rocket Thrower,” an Olympian-sized sculpture by Donald De Lue, commissioned for the 1964 World’s Fair. This towering work, a highlight of Flushing Meadows–Corona, requires intervention if it is to remain in good condition for the 7 million people yearly that enjoy this amazing park and its many recreational and cultural facilities. While the MAS Adopt program has restored 36 public monuments, the “Rocket Thrower” is the last of the original 20 in the 1987 pilot program that has not be restored.  If we garner enough votes, the conservation of the statue will include cleaning the bronze and the stone base; repatination of the bronze; application of a protective wax coating; and, if feasible, regilding of the stars.

MAS has partnered with the Henry Street Settlement and the Pratt Center to explore how to make energy efficiency gains at the Settlement’s circa 1830s headquarter buildings, distinguished as both local and national landmarks. The Settlement was established in 1893 to serve the needs of the neighborhood’s immigrant population and continues to provide a wide range of social service and arts programs to more than 50,000 New Yorkers each year. Working with the Settlement over the last year we have completed several energy efficiency measures on a limited budget in order to demonstrate how to make efficiency gains and lower operating costs without compromising architectural character. To achieve the greatest gains the retrofit must be comprehensive and include more costly long-term capital projects, including replacing outdated boilers and faulty windows, which would be supported by the Partners in Preservation grant. MAS is grateful for the generous funding for the first phase of the demonstration project from the New York Community Trust, The J.M. Kaplan Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Elizabeth and Robert Jeffe Preservation Fund.

Started in Toronto in 2007, Jane’s Walk is an international program created to commemorate the life and legacy of beloved urbanist [...]]]> More than 2,500 New Yorkers (and visitors!) took to the streets last weekend for Jane’s Walk NYC. Coordinated by MAS, working with over two dozen partner organizations, Jane’s Walk NYC is a weekend of free, hosted walks, and bike rides in all five boroughs led by local residents, urban enthusiasts and those who care deeply about their neighborhoods and city. See photos.

Started in Toronto in 2007, Jane’s Walk is an international program created to commemorate the life and legacy of beloved urbanist Jane Jacobs.  This year it grew to include 600 walks in 85 cities and 19 countries!

From Inwood to Tottenville to Red Hook, there were 70 New York City walks this year, including a 13-mile walk down the entire length of Broadway hosted by artist Mary Miss and The Center as Living Laboratory. The half marathon walk began with 30 people on 238th Street in the Bronx, and by the time the walk reached the base of Manhattan twelve hours later, nearly 200 people had participated in at least one leg of the journey.

Jane’s Walk NYC is a great opportunity for people to connect with their neighbors and New Yorkers from across the city, while exploring their surroundings with fresh eyes and building urban literacy. Jane’s Walks are one-of-a-kind, reflecting the special interests of the hosts and whoever comes along to join them: full of surprises and new discoveries, and chances to observe together the unique aspects of different parts of the city.

You can see highlights from many of the Jane’s Walks in the slideshow below. Also, check out what the New York Times and DNAinfo had to say about this year’s Jane’s Walk NYC.

Thanks to all the walkers who took their eyes to the street, and participated in Jane’s Walk NYC.  We hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did; as one Jane’s walker wrote, “The whole tour made me fall in love with this remarkable city all over again.”

And a major thank you to the local activists, historians, business owners, neighbors, writers, artists and more than 30 organizations who worked with us to make Jane’s Walk NYC 2012 possible, including: Time Out New York, Beachside Bungalow Preservation Association, Big Apple Greeters, Broadway Green Alliance, Brownsville Partnership, Center for Living Laboratory, Center for Research on Environmental Decisions, Chinatown Partnership, Clinton Hell’s Kitchen Coalition for Pedestrian Safety, Coalition for the Improvement of Bed-Stuy, Damsels in Design, DMAC, Energy Connections, Friends of Harlem River Walk and Greenway, Friends of Privately Owned Public Spaces(F-POPS), Friends of the High Line,Grand Army Plaza Coalition, Harlem Hospital Center, Harlem River Park Task Force, Hunter College, IRUBNY, Jackson Heights Green Alliance, Landmark West, Lower East Side Ecology Center, Mailman School of Public Health (Columbia University), Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, NorthEast Brooklyn Housing Development Corp, Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, Roosevelt House, sanetrash.org, Solar One, The T-Cup Cafe, The West Harlem Art Fund, Times Square Alliance,Transportation Alternatives, Transportation Alternatives’ Brooklyn Volunteer Committee, Transportation Alternatives’ Queens Volunteer Committee, Transportation Alternatives’ Staten Island Volunteer Committee, and Wave Hill.

If you didn’t make it to Jane’s Walk NYC this year, mark your calendar for next year—every year, Jane’s Walk is the weekend following May 4th, Jane Jacobs’ birthday. In the interim, please support MAS’s continued programs and those of our partners listed above, as we work together to make New York one of the world’s most livable and resilient cities, reflecting the ideals of urbanist Jane Jacobs.

The walk will start uptown at 8AM and end at the lower tip of Manhattan around 8PM. We hope you’ll join us for the half-marathon walk—or even just a portion of it—as we seek to re-imagine this historic corridor through varied perspectives on its past, present and [...]]]> MAS, artist Mary Miss and her organization City as Living Laboratory (CaLL) will be hosting a Jane’s Walk down the ENTIRE length of Broadway, from 240 Street to Bowling Green, on Sunday, May 6th.

The walk will start uptown at 8AM and end at the lower tip of Manhattan around 8PM. We hope you’ll join us for the half-marathon walk—or even just a portion of it—as we seek to re-imagine this historic corridor through varied perspectives on its past, present and future.

A whole host of interesting professionals, ranging from local artists and environmental scientists to activists and historians and even MAS President Vin Cipolla, will be lending their expertise as guides, serving as “eyes on the street.”

The schedule of the sections of the daylong walk follows, we hope to see you there or on another Jane’s Walk! MAS is pleased to coordinate Jane’s Walk in New York City, a weekend of free neighborhood walks hosted and guided by local residents, urban enthusiasts and others who care deeply about their neighborhoods and cities.

Jane’s Walk NYC – The BROADWAY: 1000 Steps Baton
May 6th, 2012

240th Street to 190th
8AM – 10AM: BRONX GATEWAY THRU INWOOD TO MANHATTAN
Meeting Place: The intersection of Broadway and Van Cortlandt Park South (240th St.)

Artist and Founder of City as Living Laboratory, Mary Miss, will inaugurate the event by addressing the significance of Broadway, as Manhattan’s historic and ever-evolving corridor. Bronx-born artist, Daniel Hauben, will discuss his impressions of the borough, past and present, which serve as the subject of his acclaimed ‘landscape’ paintings, while Inwood resident and enthusiast, Don Rice, will enrich this stretch of the walk with interesting historical anecdotes of Inwood’s enchanting and obscure past.

190th Street to 112th
10AM – 12PM: NEWCOMERS AND OLD TIMERS: FORT GEORGE, WASHINGTON HEIGHTS AND HARLEM
Meeting Place: Broadway, between 190th and 189th St., next to Gorman Park

Acclaimed artist, Matthew Jensen, will heighten awareness of this area’s topography and geology, addressing features of the urban landscape often unnoticed.  As we walk progresses past the prolific Columbia University, environmental scientist Sabine Marx will speak about the work of the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions.

112th Street to 59th Street
12PM – 2PM: CENTRAL PARK TO COLUMBUS CIRCLE
Meeting Place: The intersection of Broadway and 112th St., in front of Tom’s Restaurant

As we walk down from 112th St., Angelica Pasqualini of Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems research, will speak about the principle climate research underway in NYC and the myriad green innovations in the built environment that line Broadway.

59th Street to 23rd Street
2PM – 4PM: MIDTOWN THROUGH THE SQUARES
Meeting Place: Columbus Circle at the Southwest Entrance to Central Park in front of the USS Maine Monument

Vin Cipolla, president of the Municipal Art Society (MAS), will guide us from Columbus Circle to Times Square-historic junctions along Broadway where MAS has played a critical role boosting the corridor’s assets. The Times Square Alliance will also be on hand to speak more specifically about Times Square’s cultural relevance and the plans in place to improve the area. Broadway Green Alliance will address its own initiatives regarding greening of the theater district.

23rd Street to Canal
4PM – 6PM: THE DOWNTOWN AREA
Meeting Place: The intersection of Broadway and 23rd, on the Southwest corner of Madison Square Park.

Max Joel, the Director of Energy Connections at alternative energy organization, Solar One, will address their bold environmental initiatives, followed by naturalist and educator, Gabriel Willow, who will turn our attention to the natural habitat of the neighborhood beginning with Madison Square Park.

Canal Street – to Bowling Green
6 PM – 8 PM: ORIGINS OF THE CITY
Meeting Place: The intersection of Broadway and Lispenard, one block South of Canal

Community activist and Professor of Planning, Michael Levine, will reveal the rapidly changing demographic and environmental trends of Lower Manhattan, while chair of the CB1 Financial District Committee, Ro Shaffe, will share his deep knowledge of the area’s history that has given way to its current conditions. Wellington Chen, Director of the Chinatown Partnership, will speak about the prolific history of Chinatown area and discuss the current social and environmental challenges of this focal community. Annaline Dinkelmann, founder of Wall Street Walks, will share her knowledge about the history of the Financial District, dating all the way back to Manhattan’s Dutch settlers.

The multitude of the 11 proposed bills deal with issues of transparency, timelines for processing requests and the creation of a mandatory survey department, among others. Many would agree that the Landmarks Commission, like many city agencies could function more efficiently and transparently, however MAS believes the best way to make this happen [...]]]> MAS and over 50 representatives of the preservation community turned out in force Wednesday morning to oppose the City Council committees’ proposed problematic changes to the Landmarks Law.

The multitude of the 11 proposed bills deal with issues of transparency, timelines for processing requests and the creation of a mandatory survey department, among others. Many would agree that the Landmarks Commission, like many city agencies could function more efficiently and transparently, however MAS believes the best way to make this happen is through discussion with a variety of stakeholders including LPC, to identify specific issues and develop explicit solutions. We want to ensure that any proposed solutions are not worse than the problems the proposed bills are intended to address.

MAS, along with the New York Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council, Friends of the Upper East Side, Landmarks West and many other advocacy groups expressed dismay at having such short notice of the joint Committee on Land Use and Housing and Building’s hearing- many groups learning of the hearing only last week. MAS stated that “It is impossible to thoughtfully evaluate so many intros of such great magnitude in just the few days allotted before this hearing… We believe that these proposals require additional study by all stakeholders.”

Most advocacy groups addressed two bills specifically that could undermine the effectiveness of the Landmarks Commission. One would require City Planning to analyze the potential economic impacts of designation as part of the designation process. The other dealt with permitting in-kind materials which would continually grandfather the inappropriate or unattractive conditions of a historic building.

MAS offered to meet with the Council members and we look forward to working with the City, the preservation community and others to work through these issues towards a constructive outcome. To read MAS’ position on the proposed bills, click here.

Vin’s panel, The World Trade Center and Battery Park City: Lessons Learned, will examine the initial World [...]]]> MAS President Vin Cipolla will moderate a panel at Megaprojects, a one-day international conference organized by The Center for Urban Real Estate at Columbia University (CURE) on May 11. The conference will convene leading developers, architects, engineers and urban planners to explore megaprojects, while addressing the issues faced and the lessons learned in developing and operating megaprojects in New York as well as in London.

Vin’s panel, The World Trade Center and Battery Park City: Lessons Learned, will examine the initial World Trade Center development – both its limitations and successes as an office and retail destination prior to 9/11. It will also consider the alternative paradigm of Battery Park City—a mixed-use development created with the spoils of the Trade Center and based on an entirely new street grid. Vin will be joined by panelists Charles J. Maikish, managing director, chief operating officer, Citi Realty Services; Rafael Pelli, senior partner, Pelli Clarke Pelli; and Carol Willis, director, The Skyscraper Museum.

Supported by the Durst Fund for Research at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, MAS is a Megaprojects conference partner, as are AIANY, RPA, NYBC, BTEA and REBNY.

For more information, and to register, visit www.megaprojects2012.com.

Mrs. Cooney, one of the visionaries and the chief moving forces behind the [...]]]> Hundreds of civic minded and philanthropic New Yorkers gathered last night as MAS presented the 2012 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal to Joan Ganz Cooney and Peter G. Peterson. Held at The New York Public Library, the event honored the couple for the role they have played in making New York a global capital of finance and education, as well as their many contributions to our city’s cultural life.

Mrs. Cooney, one of the visionaries and the chief moving forces behind the creation of Sesame Workshop, created the vibrant and diverse environment of Sesame Street, using the educational power of media to help children in New York and around the globe. Mr. Peterson, founder and chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and co-founder of The Blackstone Group, has contributed his time, expertise and resources to institutions that define New York as the global city, including the Council on Foreign Relations, The Museum of Modern Art, the Japan Society and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

President Bill Clinton was the 2012 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal honorary chair, and the honorary co-chairs were Caroline Kennedy and Dr. Henry A. Kissinger. Dinner co-chairs included Jane and Michael Hoffman, and Diane Sawyer and Mike Nichols. Speaking at the event were MAS Chair Eugenie Birch, MAS President Vin Cipolla, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Diane Sawyer and MAS Board Member Michael Hoffman presented the medals to Mrs. Cooney and Mr. Peterson, respectively. The evening also featured a beautiful tribute to the couple directed by filmmaker Joel Schumacher, who was joined on stage by Diane Sawyer, Leslie Stahl and Liz Smith, as well as Elmo, Abby Cadaby and Cookie Monster, who together serenaded Peterson and Cooney with “As Time Goes By.”

The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal, MAS’s highest honor, is presented annually to those whose work or deeds have made an outstanding contribution to New York City. The medal was named for Mrs. Onassis in 1994 in honor of her tireless efforts to preserve and protect New York’s great architecture.

The gala was followed by the second annual MAS After Dark after party, hosted by the MAS Urbanists. Featuring special guest DJs Timo & Alan of Timo Weiland, a SPiN New York hosted table tennis tournament and appearances by Project Runway designers, MAS After Dark brought out more than 400 young New Yorkers to get to know MAS.

“More than 800 New Yorkers took part in a last night’s wonderful tribute to Pete and Joan, their remarkable accomplishments and their admired standing as two of New York’s visionary civic leaders.” said MAS President Vin Cipolla.

Click here to see the photos online

The MAS After Dark party will follow the annual Jacqueline Kennedy [...]]]> It’s your last chance to buy advance early rate $50 tickets for the second annual Urbanist hosted MAS After Dark party, this Thursday, April 19 at the New York Public Library—tickets will be $75 at the door. Featuring special guest DJs Timo & Alan of Timo Weiland, a SPiN New York hosted table tennis tournament, appearances by Project Runway designers, a silent auction and open bar, this hot ticket event is nearly sold out.

The MAS After Dark party will follow the annual Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal gala, which is honoring Joan Ganz Cooney and Peter G. Peterson this year. The After Dark party is organized by the Urbanists, the MAS younger membership group of New Yorkers in their 20s and 30swith an interest in urban issues.

This year’s After Dark party promises once again to last well into the night with dancing and drinking in one of our city’s most beautiful buildings. Full details on this year’s After Dark party can be found at MAS.org/Urbanists.  We hope to see you and your friends at the party!

Special thanks goes out to the 2012 After Dark Host Committee, which is doing an extraordinary job of helping to organize the event.  Let’s hear it for: Brittany Barton, Alyssa Bishop, Lyman Carter, Gabriella Cipolla, Jonathon Gouveia, Alexis Henderson, Alexander Howard, Corey Johnson, Joy Krause, Marc Kushner, Paul Leong, Sarah Morgan, Eddie Nelms, Mazdack Rassi, Emily Sottile, Jasmine Takanikos, Kate Ward, Seth Weissman, Ash Williams, Jessica Wilsey, and Michelle Young.

MAS not only oversees the conservation and regular maintenance of these [...]]]> This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Adopt-A-Monument program, created by MAS in 1987 to rescue public statuary at risk of deterioration. Our two “Adopt” programs (the second being Adopt-A-Mural) have raised nearly $3.5 million to conserve and maintain 51 works of public art from the turn of the 20th century to the present in all five boroughs.  All monuments conserved under this program are available for public viewing.

MAS not only oversees the conservation and regular maintenance of these works but also continues to be a model for Save-Our-Sculpture efforts in cities across the country and in Canada.

We celebrate the 25th anniversary of this signature MAS program this year with the planned restoration of the “Rocket Thrower,” an Olympian-sized sculpture by Donald De Lue. This towering work, a highlight of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park and a theme piece for the 1964 World’s Fair, needs intervention if it is to remain in good condition for future generations to marvel at and enjoy.

Inspired by the 1986 prototype restoration of the Statue of Liberty, and aware of how limited were the city’s funds for park maintenance, MAS conceived the Adopt-A-Monument program to rescue these works of public art. The concept was to engage corporations, foundations and individuals to underwrite the repair of a work. Working with the Public Design Commission of New York City and the Parks Department, MAS launched the program by identifying twenty monuments that needed conservation.

To date, thanks to the generosity of the program’s benefactors, MAS has conserved thirty-six statues through this program. Out of the original group of twenty, only the heroic bronze “Rocket Thrower” awaits conservation.  Celebrating the space age, this bronze 45-foot-high semi-nude figure hurls a long arc-shaped object through a circle of stars. It is symbolic of our country’s aspirations and confidence during the era of our first explorations beyond the stratosphere.

Cracks in the bronze were thought a cause for concern, and in July of 2011 Atkinson-Noland & Associates, engineering consultants, did a structural analysis of the bronze. Using a videoscope they read the thickness of the bronze and by thermal imagery readings they measured the strength of the internal structural attachments. The sculpture was found to be structurally sound.

The conservation of the “Rocket Thrower” will include cleaning the bronze and the stone base; repatination of the bronze; application of a protective wax coating; and, if feasible, regilding of the stars. Extensive scaffolding is required.

MAS is planning a number of tours and talks throughout the year to celebrate the Adopt-A-Monument anniversary.  Watch the MAS update for news of these special programs.  As the restoration work commences, MAS will post updates to this work.  For more information on the Adopt-A-Monument program, visit the project page.

We asked Noelle Marcus, a Livable Neighborhoods Training participant in the spring of 2011, about her experience with Livable Neighborhoods, and how the training has helped her get involved in her neighborhood.

Where do [...]]]> On May 12, 2012, MAS will host the 6th annual MAS Livable Neighborhoods Training. Since its inception, Livable Neighborhoods has trained over 700 community board members, community planners and neighborhood activists on how to advocate and affect change in their community. To register for Livable Neighborhoods, click here.

We asked Noelle Marcus, a Livable Neighborhoods Training participant in the spring of 2011, about her experience with Livable Neighborhoods, and how the training has helped her get involved in her neighborhood.

Where do you work and how are you involved in your community?

I work at a local economic development corporation based in Harlem. I live in East Harlem. At the end of 2011, I won a competitive grant through Citizens Committee for New York. Through this grant I co-founded the East 103rd Community association, a community organization to promote the beautification and sustainability of our neighborhood.

When did you attend the Livable Neighborhoods Training? What was your primary reason for attending?

When I heard about the Livable Neighborhoods Training, I instantly knew that I wanted to be a part of it.  As a recent college graduate, Livable Neighborhoods provided the practical skills needed to turn my passion for improving public space and my love for New York into action.

What sessions did you attend? What tools did you learn in these sessions?

I attended the sessions on Historic Preservation and NYC Zoning. Both workshops were well structured and exceptionally informative. I learned how to navigate the technical laws and policies that shape our built environment.

Why should people who want to get involved in the planning and development of their community attend Livable Neighborhoods?

Because it is a unique opportunity to be in a room with real NYC heroes, professionals, and rising community leaders.

This year, Livable Neighborhoods is co-sponsored by the Pratt Institute’s Programs in Sustainable Planning and Development. The event will feature twelve workshops facilitated by experts from a variety of organizations throughout the city, including the Center for Urban Pedagogy, the New York City Department of Small Business Services and the Women’s housing and Economic Development Corporation. The day-long workshop series will be held at Pratt Manhattan, located at 144 West 14^th Street. Click here to register for the event.

To learn more about Livable neighborhoods, visit www.mas.org/lnp.