The Leafsnap App Helps You Identify Every Tree in NYC

The Leafsnap App Helps You Identify Every Tree in NYC

As the leaves change colors and fall to the ground, the best way to enjoy the warm hues is to head to the park. But do you have any idea what trees those leaves came from? Don’t worry, there’s an app for that. Leafsnap, created through a collaboration between Columbia University, the University of Maryland, the Smithsonian Institute, and FindingSpecies.org, uses visual recognition algorithms to identify fallen flora. The app is geared toward us urbanites, as it currently includes tree species in New York City, Washington, D.C., and parts of the Northeast.
 

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Paint a Pumpkin on the High Line with Fulton Youth of the Future!

Paint a Pumpkin on the High Line with Fulton Youth of the Future!

This Saturday the High Line saw its share of pre-Halloween festivities. The sunny day and pumpkin patch attracted kids of all ages who were dressed in costume and ready to have fun. The pumpkin painting was organized by Fulton Youth of the Future as part of their Youth Market program and young helpers, such as Jayson Rosado (right) and Michael Marrero (left), were on hand to assist with pumpkin sales and painting activities.
 

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World’s Largest Pumpkin to Be Carved at the New York Botanical Garden!

World’s Largest Pumpkin to Be Carved at the New York Botanical Garden!

‘Tis the season for pumpkin carving, and of course, the bigger the better! Farmers all over the world spend the better part of the year carefully harvesting their squash to hopefully end up with the year’s record breaker. This year, Jim Bryson from Quebec

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Head to the High Line for Fall Festivities & a Haunted Halloween!

Head to the High Line for Fall Festivities & a Haunted Halloween!

The spooky season is upon us and where better to spend these cool fall days than on the High Line! The famed and favorite walkway is celebrating Halloween by hosting a slew of great events for all ages in the next coming weeks. From pumpkin picking to haunted

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HAO Imagines a New Coleman Oval Skate Park for the Lower East Side

HAO Imagines a New Coleman Oval Skate Park for the Lower East Side

Manhattan skaters will soon be treated to a world class skate venue. Steve Rodriguez, founder of 5boro Skateboards, has recently won NIKE and Architecture for Humanity’s Gamechangers grant with his plan to give Manhattan Bridge Skate Park, also known as the Coleman Oval Skate Park, a much needed makeover. Architecture for Humanity invited six firms to create designs for the new park, one of which came from HAO Architects. HAO would transform the site into a gorgeous skate park that would welcome the community to participate in events, watch skate competitions, or enjoy outdoor films.
 

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Brooklyn Grange is the World’s Largest Rooftop Farm!

Brooklyn Grange is the World’s Largest Rooftop Farm!

Located atop a six-story 1919 warehouse, the 40,000 square foot organic Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm built by Bromley Caldari Architects is believe to be the largest of its kind in the world! The almost 1-acre farm is an oasis surrounded by little greenery and lots of concrete in Queens at 37-18 Northern Boulevard. After a successful first growing and selling season that began in the spring of 2010, the farmers at Brooklyn Grange are continuing their production of organic produce that includes 40 varietals of juicy tomatoes, peppers, fennel, salad greens, kale, swiss chard, beans of all sorts and a variety of delicious root vegetables like beets, carrots, and radishes, as well as plenty of herbs. Click through for the delicious details and pictures!
 

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Old St. Vincent’s Hospital Facilities May be Turned into a Park

Old St. Vincent’s Hospital Facilities May be Turned into a Park

It has been almost a year since the historic St. Vincent’s Hospital closed its doors in the West Village, and the future of the hospital facilities have been at the center of a long community discussion. The latest discussions have centered around a triangular

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Sponge Park To Start Soaking Up Pollution From the Gowanus Canal this Spring!

Sponge Park To Start Soaking Up Pollution From the Gowanus Canal this Spring!

From its sewagey stench to its lack of life, the Gowanus Canal is not exactly the ideal place for a lovely park. But with a Superfund clean-up currently underway to rid the waterway of hundreds of years of toxic pollution, a renaissance for the canal is on the horizon. Dozens of groups have proposed clean-up solutions to the city, but the most promising -- and the most interesting -- is the Gowanus Canal Sponge Park. Designed by Susannah Drake of dlandstudio, The Sponge Park is a multifunctional public green space that would run along both sides of the canal, helping to absorb and filter surface water runoff to remediate the canal. Community partner Gowanus Canal Conservancy is working with Drake to make Sponge Park become a reality, and this coming spring, the first section of the park will be installed along the canal's Second Street bank.
 

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6 Eco-Friendly Ways to Enjoy Autumn in NYC!

6 Eco-Friendly Ways to Enjoy Autumn in NYC!

While there's nothing like summer in New York City, fall is definitely the Big Apple's best season. The hot, sticky air has been lifted and a crisp, cool breeze puts a little more pep in our step. Fallen leaves crunch under our boot-clad feet, hot spiced apple cider replaces our iced coffee, and pumpkins and squash take over our Greenmarkets. With Halloween a little over two weeks away, we're in full fall-swing, and we've compiled a list of a few festivities that showcase the best fall fun that New York City has to offer. From a haunted museum to delicious autumn food, we've got something for everyone!
 

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Friends of 20th Street Park Push for New Green Space in Chelsea

Friends of 20th Street Park Push for New Green Space in Chelsea

On West 20th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues you can find a quarter-acre open lot, something that is increasingly hard to come by in the city. However, its future remains uncertain. With great demand for both affordable housing and green space there is a debate brewing over the future of the lot currently occupied by the Department of Sanitation (DOS). Over the past year, Friends of 20th Street Park has evolved into a growing, concerted effort to demand that the lot be converted into a much needed park. With a district population in a neighborhood that ranks last on open space scores and grew over ten times the Manhattan average in 2009, the area is long due for some greenery.
 

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Green Country Cottage For Sale Just North of NYC in Suffern, NY

Green Country Cottage For Sale Just North of NYC in Suffern, NY

Love city living but tired of the chaotic hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle? We have the perfect place for you. Just one hour north of New York City by train, situated on a lush tree-filled plot in Suffern, NY is a beautiful 1934 stone cottage that's been transformed into a comfortable and sustainable modern home. The 1.5-2 bedroom, two bath home is conveniently located just two and a half blocks from New Jersey Transit, with express trains to Penn Station, allowing you the metropolitan ease of car-free living with convenient public transportation with the pastoral comfort of open, tranquil gardens and peaceful woods. And for $279,000 (reduced from $350,000!) this beautiful cottage could be all yours. Hit the jump for a look inside!
 

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LEED-Seeking Lakeside Project Will Restore 26 Acres of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park

LEED-Seeking Lakeside Project Will Restore 26 Acres of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park

Designed and built by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1867, Prospect Park is filled with forests, waterfalls, lawns, and lakes, where residents once had unobstructed access to the waterfront. Then, in 1960, Wollman Rink was built on the eastern shore of Prospect Park's lake, completely obstructing the view Olmsted worked so hard to create. But a new project, aptly named Lakeside, is currently underway that will restore the lake's waterfront to its original beauty while also renovating 26 acres of parkland. The Lakeside project will add three new acres of green space to the park, and it will feature a LEED certified year-round recreational facility built by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects.
 

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Northeast Coast Faces Pumpkin Shortage Because of Hurricane Irene

Northeast Coast Faces Pumpkin Shortage Because of Hurricane Irene

The weather is getting colder and the leaves are changing colors – autumn has officially arrived. It’s around this time that everyone’s favorite fall vegetable, beautiful round orange pumpkins, start popping up at city Greenmarkets, giving the city a

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BKSK Architects Design & Build a Green Convent in Upper Manhattan

BKSK Architects Design & Build a Green Convent in Upper Manhattan

Eco-design has developed such a following it could almost be considered a religion. Fittingly, the green and the Godly have joined forces in Upper Manhattan to create a environmentally friendly convent, the Community of the Holy Spirit St. Hilda's House, which may be the only green convent in New York. The 60-year old establishment is continuing its charitable ways in the community by now also spreading the love to the environment with its new building designed by BKSK Architects.
 

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Snøhetta Unveils Plans to Redesign Times Square Pedestrian Plazas

Snøhetta Unveils Plans to Redesign Times Square Pedestrian Plazas

As one of the oldest and busiest landmarks in New York City, lets face it, Times Square needs a bit of sprucing up once in a while. Norwegian Architecture firm Snøhetta, hot off the success of their 9/11 Museum design, will continue to make their mark on

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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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Planters Grove Park Designed by Ken Smith Coming to the Lower East Side

Planters Grove Park Designed by Ken Smith Coming to the Lower East Side

While we’re still daydreaming about the Low Line park proposed for the Lower East Side, the neighborhood will be breaking ground on another new park this Monday, October 3rd. While smaller and less fantastical (it’s above ground like a normal park), the new

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Last Chance to Go Skating at the High Line Retro Roller Rink!

Last Chance to Go Skating at the High Line Retro Roller Rink!

Is it just us or did Summer 2011 pass by in the blink of an eye? It felt like just yesterday that we announced the opening of the Uniqlo Retro Roller Rink at the High Line lot and it's already closing in just a few days! The pop-up rink, which has provided hours of free-wheelin' entertainment for New Yorkers will be closing up shop this Monday, September 26th, so if you haven't had a chance to skate a lap or twenty, head on over there right now!
 

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PHOTOS: Insert ____ Here Project Finds Yellow Arrows & Green Solutions Around New York City

PHOTOS: Insert ____ Here Project Finds Yellow Arrows & Green Solutions Around New York City

The guerilla green art project, Insert ____  Here is taking New York City by storm and Inhabitat has exclusive photos! Artist Eve Mosher and environmental organization 350.org have created the citywide interactive public art program that places bold yellow arrows all over the city, pointing out places where environmental changes could be made.
 

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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

72 Hour Urban Action - the world's first "real time" architecture festival - is coming to Long Island City in 2012, and in preparation for this exciting event, Inhabitat - along with local residents, architects, artists and officials - was invited to participate in a brainstorming session at the MoMA P.S. 1, which included a guided tour of LIC, a fun public planning workshop, and an open discussion on the future of Long Island City in light of gentrification.
 

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The Low-Line: An Underground Park For New York City’s Lower East Side!

The Low-Line: An Underground Park For New York City’s Lower East Side!

New York City's High Line - the now famous abandoned train-track-turned-park - has become well known around the world as a spectacular example of urban revitalization through smart design, even inspiring copycat elevated parks. Now Manhattan is considering another abandoned train track park renovation project called "The Low Line" - this time in the Lower East Side neighborhood. The catch with this new proposal is that the abandoned train station in question is entirely underground (below Delancey Street) - a subterranean challenge which would require a high-tech, innovative approach to lighting in order to facilitate plant growth and human comfort. (Anyone who has ever been inside a NYC subway station knows that a lot of work would be required to transform one of these dank dark caves into a tranquil, pastoral setting). That's why we're loving this ingenious proposal for the new Low Line underground park by architect James Ramsey, the principal of RAAD, in part with Dan Barasch of tech think tank PopTech, and a money manager, R. Boykin Curry IV, to pump natural sunlight into the subterranean space with fiberoptic cables and mirrors, somewhat like a solar tube or a sunlight transport device (which we've covered here and here on Inhabitat), allowing plants to grow and creating a serene and sunny underground urban oasis.
 

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PHOTOS: New Yorkers Take to the Streets to Celebrate PARK(ing) Day!

PHOTOS: New Yorkers Take to the Streets to Celebrate PARK(ing) Day!

There were a few less parking spots in the city yesterday, and while many drivers certainly grumbled about it, we couldn't have been happier. In fact, yesterday was one of our favorite events of the year -- PARK(ing) Day! Now in its sixth year, PARK(ing) Day is a world wide event where citizens take over metered parking spots and turn them into temporary open spaces. The goal is to promote better urban design and call attention to our need for more green space. This year, nearly four dozen spots throughout New York's five boroughs have been transformed into playful parks ranging from yoga studio extensions to composting demonstrations, and we hit the streets to check 'em out!
 

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Barcelò’s Traveling Elephant Sculpture Defies Gravity in Union Square

Barcelò’s Traveling Elephant Sculpture Defies Gravity in Union Square

The latest gravity-defying work of renowned Spanish artist Miquel Barcelò has landed in Union Square, bringing with it a touch of humor and grace. His 15,000 pound, 26-foot tall bronze sculptural feat, Gran Elefandret, has seen residencies in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona and now proudly sits amidst the transportation and cultural bridge between Uptown and Downtown Manhattan.
 

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The Seven National 9/11 Memorial Designs That Will Never Be

The Seven National 9/11 Memorial Designs That Will Never Be

The highly anticipated National 9/11 Memorial opens this Sunday on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, the memorial consists of a peaceful tree-filled plaza and two reflecting pools in the exact places where the towers once stood -- a beautiful place of remembrance for the lives that were lost. Arad's design is the product of an international design competition, which produced more than 5,000 possible designs. Here, we take a look at the seven other finalists, each of which created a peaceful and inspiring memorial.
 

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Governors Island Art Fair Transforms Former Military Barracks into Exhibit Spaces

Governors Island Art Fair Transforms Former Military Barracks into Exhibit Spaces

The fourth annual Governors Island Art Fair kicked off Labor Day weekend with over 120 artists transforming the former military barracks into creative spaces. Sponsored by the New York-based arts group, 4heads, artists were selected based on their individual creative merit and assigned one of the former military barracks to convert into a revived exhibit space. This year for the first time, several galleries were also selected to take part in the fair, which is open every weekend in September. Hit the jump to see some of the sustainably-minded artwork!
 

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