Category Archives: Classical

A Short Discussion of Residential Building Heights in New York City

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 some editing for its new context. Part 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Classical, Culture, Current, Good Kind, Historic Preservation, Local, New Urbanism, New York, Pedestrian, Street Design, Urbanism, Walkability, YIMBY NIMBY | Comments Off on A Short Discussion of Residential Building Heights in 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

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

Urban Design: The Good Kind & the Other Kind

by John Massengale Posted on May 16, 2016

WE ALL UNDERSTAND why so many normal, rational New Yorkers can act like NIMBYs—because we’ve all seen alien, intrusive development in New York like Billionaire Row and Atlantic Yards. Recent developments at the American Museum of Natural History brought this … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Beauty, Classical, Culture, Current, Egotecture, Good Kind, New Urbanism, New York, The Other Kind, Urbanism | Comments Off on Urban Design: The Good Kind & the Other Kind