Archinect - News

How New York City is approaching EV charging

2024-05-03T10:41:00-04:00

Since 2021, 100 new curbside chargers have been added across all five boroughs. Jockeying for space alongside parking meters, LinkNYC kiosks, and bus shelters on public sidewalks, they are part of a pilot partnership between the Department of Transportation, Con Edison, and Flo, an EV charging system operator. In the outer-borough neighborhoods that lack the robust EV infrastructure of Manhattan’s Central Business District, these chargers are proving quite popular.

In an interview with Urban Omnibus managing editor Kevin Ritter, New York City Department of Transportation officials Will Carry and Luis Gonzalez outlined the city's vision for creating a comprehensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The department has recently launched a curbside charging pilot program across the city's boroughs, which has proven popular with users.

"In Europe, they’ve reached a point in the market development where cities are making net revenue from these chargers," Carry said. "We’re not there in New York, but at some point there is the potential for this to contribute to the city’s general fund."

The Architectural League of New York appoints Jacob R. Moore as its new Executive Director

2023-06-15T11:49:00-04:00

The Architectural League of New York has named Jacob R. Moore as its next Executive Director, following a thorough national search. Moore succeeds Rosalie Genevro, who announced her decision to step down last year after leading the organization for nearly 40 years.

“Jacob brings tremendous passion and a deep knowledge of the most important forces and issues impacting the built environment today,” said Mario Gooden, President of The League’s board of directors. “His vision for the future of The League and his commitment to equity, spatial justice, and the environment make him the ideal person to shape our next chapter.”

Moore will assume the position after most recently serving as the Associate Director of the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University’s GSAPP. While at the Buell Center, he led the design, development, and execution of a range of public programs with a focus on the built environment, climate change, and social justice. S...

How NYC's fire hydrants can be redesigned to expand public access to drinking water

2019-01-12T12:26:00-05:00

New Public Hydrant uses design to overcome public misperceptions of the city’s hydrant water. The design prototypes bring attention to possibilities for improvement of overlooked, local water infrastructures on the one hand, while simultaneously engaging what it means to drink locally...How might publics reimagine these small-scale urban elements to serve in day-to-day situations, rather than solely in the case of emergency?

Inspired by the NY Department of Environmental Protection’s Water on the Go initiative, Tei Carpenter and Christopher Woebken created the New Public Hydrant project, which explores how New York City's fire hydrants can be augmented to provide public access to the city's drinking water supply. The project proposes three hydrant design “hacks”: a sprinkler that lets multiple people refresh underneath an adjustable water canopy, a bottle-filling station, and a water fountain that humans and animals can access. Carpenter and Woebken also show how people around the world have already “hacked” the hydrants in their cities to expand public access to drinking water.

Civic beacon or bunker? Photographer Kris Graves documents all of New York City’s 77 police precincts.

2018-03-13T15:06:00-04:00

What’s the difference between a school, a library, and a police precinct? They’re all civic institutions designed to communicate their contribution to a well-functioning society. [...] Kris Graves photographed every one of New York City’s 77 precinct station houses for Urban Omnibus. The blue and white car, the badge, and the uniform all communicate “police” on city streets, but the building, the police’s permanent home in the neighborhood, conveys a particular message. What does it say?

If you enjoyed photographer Kris Graves documenting the grid-disrupting topography of the Bronx for Urban Omnibus a while ago, you'll love his latest piece: Beacon / Bunker, a series of photographs of every one of New York City’s 77 police precinct station houses across the five boroughs. "Whether the precinct is a reassuring beacon of safety or a bunker of malfeasance may depend more on individual or collective associations than on the architecture."

40th Precinct, Bronx. © Kris Graves.

Find the complete set of all 77 NYC precincts over at Urban Omnibus.

Queer Spaces, Intersections, LGBT Historic Sites: Urban Omnibus launches new series

2018-02-22T14:32:00-05:00

As designers and urbanists engage with LGBTQ+ identity, what role do gender and sexuality play in the preservation, design, and management of urban space today? [...] Marginalization means invisibility, both in history and space. New efforts seek to reclaim and preserve queer histories inscribed in sites across the city.

Urban Omnibus, a publication of the Architectural League of New York, recently launched its new series Intersections: Surfacing (guest-edited by Jacob R. Moore), allowing a more informed look at issues of gender and sexuality in the context of design & urban history.