Category Archives: Beauty

My Comments at the Midtown South Social Equity and Music Festival

by John Massengale Posted on September 15, 2024

FIFTY-ONE YEARS AGO, the Pennsylvania Railroad tragically tore down Pennsylvania Station. Not only is it the best building ever torn down in New York, but in the combined Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, we got the worst building in … Continue reading →

Posted in -, Architecture, Beauty, Culture, Current, Good Kind, Live from New York, New Urbanism, New York, Urbanism | Comments Off on My Comments at the Midtown South Social Equity and Music Festival

Location, Location, Location: Affordable Housing and Urban Form in Manhattan

by John Massengale Posted on March 23, 2023

NOTE: The following was written for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Street Design, The Secret To Great Cities and Towns, where it will appear in a shorter version. This version still needs a little editing for its new context. Part … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Culture, Good Kind, Historic Preservation, Local, Missing Streets, New Urbanism, New York, Street Design, Urbanism | Comments Off on Location, Location, Location: Affordable Housing and Urban Form in Manhattan

Car Free Brooklyn Bridge – photos and drawings

by John Massengale Posted on June 1, 2022

A Car-Free Brooklyn Bridge Is Possible Images and Illustratons AFTER: Aerial view looking east towards a car-free Brooklyn Bridge. Centre Street and Park Row next to the Brooklyn Bridge are reimagined as an extension of City Hall Park. © 2020 … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Bicycle, Culture, Current, Good Kind, Historic Preservation, Local, New Urbanism, New York, Pedestrian, Slow Streets, Street Design, Urbanism, Walkability | Comments Off on Car Free Brooklyn Bridge – photos and drawings

“Big Real Estate’s Continuing Stranglehold Over New York City”

by John Massengale Posted on March 30, 2022

Recently, the Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times about the causes of unaffordable housing in New York City. He blamed the crisis on a few things, including a powerful financial “monoculture” in the city, NIMBYs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Current, Global, Historic Preservation, New Urbanism, New York, Urbanism | Comments Off on “Big Real Estate’s Continuing Stranglehold Over New York City”

Spoke Up at the Hotel Pennsylvania

by John Massengale Posted on May 13, 2021

CNU NYC is a member of the Empire Station Coalition that opposes Governor “Demo Dan” Cuomo’s plan to declare the blocks around Pennsylvania Station “blighted,” as part of an urban removal scheme for the area. Yesterday, several members of the … Continue reading →

Posted in -, Architecture, Beauty, Classical, Culture, Current, Good Kind, Historic Preservation, Joke, Live from New York, Local, New York, Urbanism | Comments Off on Spoke Up at the Hotel Pennsylvania

We Built This City To Walk And Stroll

by John Massengale Posted on July 17, 2020

“What if we treated historic districts historically, making the cars accommodate the city, rather than the other way around?”

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Bicycle, Classical, Culture, Current, Good Kind, Historic Preservation, Local, New Urbanism, New York, Pedestrian, Personal, Quote of the Day, Slow Streets, Street Design, Urbanism, Video, Walkability | Comments Off on We Built This City To Walk And Stroll

Tales From My Privileged Youth

by John Massengale Posted on June 18, 2020

I WAS LUCKY. I was sitting around with friends during the spring term of my senior year in college. “I want to go to Europe,” I said. “How can I get a job there?” “Call Franco at the Red Garter … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Classical, Craft, Culture, divine, Education, Good Kind, Historic Preservation, Materials, My Privileged Youth, Pedestrian, Slow Streets, Urbanism, Walkability | Comments Off on Tales From My Privileged Youth

My Recent Op-Eds

by John Massengale Posted on June 8, 2020

New York Times New York Daily News (print) Crain’s New York Business (print) Streetsblog NYC City Limits Many others in local papers and publications like the Berkshire Record and The Patent Trader. For a complete list, click here. Bonus: Two … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Bicycle, Classical, Culture, Current, Global, Historic Preservation, Live from New York, New Urbanism, New York, Pedestrian, Slow Streets, Street Design, The Other Kind, Urbanism, Walkability | Comments Off on My Recent Op-Eds

Streets for People, or Streets for Profit?

by John Massengale Posted on June 5, 2019

My Op-Ed at City Limits (click to read) Excerpt: AVs will be programmed to stop immediately if a pedestrian steps in front of them to cross the street—and we all know that given the opportunity, New Yorkers will do that … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Good Kind, New Urbanism, New York, Pedestrian, Slow Streets, Street Design, The Other Kind, Urbanism, Walkability | Comments Off on Streets for People, or Streets for Profit?

Seaside, Battery Park City, the State of Our Streets, and New Urbanism

by John Massengale Posted on March 10, 2019

I RECENTLY spent a week in Seaside, where I was once Town Architect. In honor of Seaside, I’m uploading two essays from Street Design, The Secret to Great Cities and Towns. The first is the opening of the chapter on … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Classical, Culture, Education, Good Kind, New Urbanism, New York, Pedestrian, Slow Streets, Street Design, Urbanism, Walkability | Comments Off on Seaside, Battery Park City, the State of Our Streets, and New Urbanism