Architects Propose ‘Soft Waterfront Infrastructure’ to Protect NYC From the Next Big Storm

Architects Propose ‘Soft Waterfront Infrastructure’ to Protect NYC From the Next Big Storm

Architecture Research Office initially came up with this proposal in 2011 in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, but obviously the devastation wrecked by Hurricane Sandy was far worse, and should be seen as a wake-up call to city, state and national

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Residents Do Not Want SPURA to Bring Big Box Retailers to the Lower East Side

Residents Do Not Want SPURA to Bring Big Box Retailers to the Lower East Side

Photo via Bowery Boogie

Last year, Inhabitat reported on the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA), a massive redevelopment project in the Lower East Side for one of the city’s largest underdeveloped plots of land centered on Delancy and Essex. While

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NY-Based Design Company Ecovative Grows Mushrooms For Packaging Material, Insulation, & More

NY-Based Design Company Ecovative Grows Mushrooms For Packaging Material, Insulation, & More

Answering the call for an eco-friendly solution to environmentally damaging packing materials, Ecovative Design has created a new niche in the green market by using mushroom-based material as part of their custom designed packaging blocks. The five-year-old

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New York City Has Passed 29 Green Building Laws In the Last Two Years

New York City Has Passed 29 Green Building Laws In the Last Two Years

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced last week 25 percent of the proposed green building laws have been drafted into law over the last two years. The proposals were part of a green building report originally published

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The New York Hospital Queens Goes Green

The New York Hospital Queens Goes Green

The New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ), located in Flushing and serving a community of  about 115,000 people each year, is upgrading its 55-year-old infrastructure as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC ‘s green energy initiative. The hospital aims to

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Queens Graffiti Landmark 5 Pointz is Set to be Demolished in 2013

Queens Graffiti Landmark 5 Pointz is Set to be Demolished in 2013

image © gsz via Flickr Creative Commons

Back in September, Inhabitat took a tour of Long Island City’s art and cultural centers, which are part of the 72 Hour Urban Action initiative to save LIC from expanding gentrification through artistic and economic

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Five Queens Public Libraries to Receive Energy Retrofits and Create Green Education Programs

Five Queens Public Libraries to Receive Energy Retrofits and Create Green Education Programs

The Queens Library Foundation announced this week that it is partnering with the Community Environmental Center (CEC) of Long Island City to retrofit five branches of the Queens Library and create green education programs for the community. The $250,000 project

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Brooklyn’s Open Source Gallery Winterizes With Low Cost, Sustainable Design

Brooklyn’s Open Source Gallery Winterizes With Low Cost, Sustainable Design

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New Yorkers Celebrate Electric Cars During Plug-in Day

New Yorkers Celebrate Electric Cars During Plug-in Day

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Noguchi Museum and Socrates Sculpture Park Present “Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City”

Noguchi Museum and Socrates Sculpture Park Present “Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City”

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Why the Green Movement Plays A Major Role in the Occupy Wall Street Protests

Why the Green Movement Plays A Major Role in the Occupy Wall Street Protests

Many may not think that Occupy Wall Street is a green event, but it most certainly is, seeing that much of the lobbying and subsidies that the protestors are rallying against are for dirty-energy companies — mainly, Big Oil. Recent quarterly earnings from by

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Manhattan Borough President Wants to Turn Stalled Construction Sites into Sustainable Public Spaces

Manhattan Borough President Wants to Turn Stalled Construction Sites into Sustainable Public Spaces

Did you know that there are currently more than 600 stalled construction sites in New York City? And according to the Department of Buildings, due to a slumping commercial real estate industry, many of these lots won’t be worked on anytime soon. But Manhattan

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Residents Show Support for Expanding NYC’s East River Greenway

Residents Show Support for Expanding NYC’s East River Greenway

A final public debate forum on the proposed East River Greenway project was held last week, drawing a crowd of more than 300 people. The project calls for filling a gap in the East River Greenway, approximately 1.2 miles long, stretching from Glick Park

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72 Hour Urban Action: Real Time Architecture Festival Coming to Long Island City in 2012

72 Hour Urban Action: Real Time Architecture Festival Coming to Long Island City in 2012

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Mayor Bloomberg Kicks off Climate Week 2011 Calling World Leaders to Join The Clean Revolution

Mayor Bloomberg Kicks off Climate Week 2011 Calling World Leaders to Join The Clean Revolution

Mayor Bloomberg kicked off Climate Week 2011 yesterday with the release of the annual PlaNYC Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which reported a 12 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions since 2005. The success of Bloomberg’s green policies was a key part to

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Flooding From Hurricane Irene Raises New Concerns About Fracking

Flooding From Hurricane Irene Raises New Concerns About Fracking

New Yorkers were shocked when the state issued guidelines that would allow fracking near decrepit tunnels that supply drinking water to NYC, despite alarming research concerning the dangers of fracking and its devastating affects on the environment. But it

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U.S. Tennis Association Will Recycle 94 Tons of Waste During the 2011 U.S. Open

U.S. Tennis Association Will Recycle 94 Tons of Waste During the 2011 U.S. Open

Tennis balls, rackets, and Nike sweatbands are staples when you think about tennis. But ever wonder what happens to all those tennis ball cans once the games are over? Or how about all the garbage left around after the events? During the 2011 U.S. Open, approximately

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MAS & Landmarks Commission to Release Green Manual on Improving Historic Buildings’ Efficiency

MAS & Landmarks Commission to Release Green Manual on Improving Historic Buildings’ Efficiency

Getting approval to modify buildings that are historical landmarks in New York City can be tough, even if the change is small. But thanks to green initiatives like PlaNYC, city agencies and other organization are working to change that. As part of an ongoing

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Obama Declares Federal Disaster For NY Areas Ravaged By Flooding From Irene

Obama Declares Federal Disaster For NY Areas Ravaged By Flooding From Irene

The Hudson Valley communities saw roads turn into streams, eerily reminiscent of the damage Hurricane Floyd had done more then a decade prior. Flooding continued all the way up to Vermont, and by the time Irene hit New England, the storm was already considered

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Northeast Corridor Receives $450 Million in Federal Funds to Upgrade Rail Systems

Northeast Corridor Receives $450 Million in Federal Funds to Upgrade Rail Systems

After months of heated debate and jumping through bureaucratic hoops, the US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the release of $450 million in federal funds to upgrade the rail electrical systems and tracks along the Northeast Corridor.

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NYC DOE Failed to Inform Parents that Bronx School’s Air & Soil Contained Cancer-Causing Toxins

NYC DOE Failed to Inform Parents that Bronx School’s Air & Soil Contained Cancer-Causing Toxins

You’d think the Department of Education would’ve learned their lesson after the recent PCB debacle went spiraling out of control as more and more of the City’s negligence was starting to come to light. But at a meeting last week with parents, Chancellor Dennis

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Brooklyn Judge Rejects Lawsuit Against the Prospect Park West Bike Lane

Brooklyn Judge Rejects Lawsuit Against the Prospect Park West Bike Lane

In a huge victory for the community and street safety advocates, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Bert Bunyan has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to stop the redesign of Prospect Park West to include a two-way bike lane. The lawsuit was brought by Brooklyn Borough

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Brooklyn Community Foundation Launches New Green Initiative to Promote a Sustainable Brooklyn

Brooklyn Community Foundation Launches New Green Initiative to Promote a Sustainable Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Community Foundation officially launched a 3 year, $750,000  green initiative program called Green Spaces yesterday, an exciting new project that promotes and implements sustainability practices and environmental improvements in Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg,

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DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan Shares Her Vision for NYC’s Future

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan Shares Her Vision for NYC’s Future

At some point or another, we’ve all been frustrated by the mean streets of NYC. Whether it’s due to the congested roads, delayed and crowded mass transit, or the lack of sufficient bike lanes, everyone seems to have a different opinion on how to improve transportation

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GE’s Solar Powered Carousel Opens at the South Street Seaport!

GE’s Solar Powered Carousel Opens at the South Street Seaport!

This summer, kids will get a chance to ride free on the Carousolar between 10AM – 10PM until September 7th. You can also charge your cell phone or other mobile device using GE’s solar-powered charging stations, located around the carousel. The Carousolar

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