Aaron Naparstek – Page 2 – Streetsblog New York City
AARON NAPARSTEK is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparsteks journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. Naparstek is the author of "Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage" (Villard, 2003), a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the endless motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Prior to launching Streetsblog, Naparstek worked as an interactive media producer, pioneering some of the Web's first music web sites, online communities, live webcasts and social networking services. Naparstek is currently in Cambridge with his wife and two young sons where he is enjoying a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Naparstek is a co-founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. You can find more of his work here: http://www.naparstek.com.
Save the Tour de Brooklyn! Free Beer!
By Aaron Naparstek	| Jun 5, 2009 | 1 Comment
We just received this urgent S.O.S. from Transportation Alternatives to people living or working near Smith and 9th Streets in Brooklyn: From: Paul White, Executive Director, Transportation AlternativesSent: Friday, June 05, 2009 2:48 PMSubject: Urgent mission to save the Tour de Brooklyn Dearest Bicycle-Savvy Denizens of the Slope and Surrounding ‘Hoods– Our Budget rent-a-truck broke […]
Google Bike Parking
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 28, 2009 | 20 Comments
This is pretty neat: The Department of Transportation just released mapping data identifying the locations of more than 97 percent of the public bike racks in New York City. The data currently contains 5,968 of the 6,100 bike racks that have been installed as part of the DOT’s CityRacks program. The data is in .kml […]
The Crossroads of the World Goes Car-Free
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 26, 2009 | 29 Comments
I’ve lived in New York City for just about twenty years now but yesterday was my first trip to Times Square. Sure, I’ve been to Times Square before. Plenty of times. But until yesterday Times Square had never ever been a destination for me. Rather, it had always been a place to avoid or, if […]
Car-Free Space Is an Instant Hit on Broadway
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 24, 2009 | 36 Comments
Here’s the view from 45th Street looking south at about 1 pm today, about 30 minutes after the city Dept. of Transportation closed Broadway to motor vehicle traffic in Midtown. It’s obviously way too soon to judge how this experiment is working but today, at least, car-free Broadway appears to be a huge hit. If […]
On TV Tonight…
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 20, 2009 | 15 Comments
For those who are not tuning in to the American Idol season finale tonight (Kris is going to win, watch), here are two shows worth looking out for: PBS’s Blueprint America series will be airing "Road to the Future" tonight at 8pm in New York City. Check your local PBS station for times. Part of […]
Should I Wear a Helmet Today?
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 20, 2009 | 71 Comments
The Naparstek boys riding last year’s Summer Streets event… wearing helmets. Sarah’s "Too Much Emphasis on Safety" post yesterday brings up the question in the headline above. A Canadian Broadcasting TV crew doing a documentary on biking is filming me as I take my two sons to school on our Dutch cargo bike today. While […]
Welcome Elana Schor, Streetsblog’s New National Reporter
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 15, 2009 | 12 Comments
As you may have noticed, we’ve got a new reporter here at Streetsblog, Elana Schor. Elana will be covering this year’s big federal transportation story down in Washington D.C. with an eye towards helping transit advocates and livable streets activists gain a better understanding of what has typically been a very inside-the-Beltway, highway-oriented process. If […]
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 14, 2009 | 22 Comments
Photo: Danny Bright I’ll add a few more impressions to Bobby Cuza’s report on yesterday’s ABNY breakfast with federal transportation secretary Ray LaHood. But before I get to that: How beautiful a morning was it for a bike commute? I met T.A. executive director Paul White for a 7:00 a.m. coffee at Gorilla on Fifth […]
Will Barbara Boxer Stand Up for Sustainable Transportation?
By Aaron Naparstek	| May 6, 2009 | 1 Comment
Behind the scenes, we’re hearing a lot of sustainable transportation advocates sounding alarms over California Senator Barbara Boxer these days. As chair of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works committee, Boxer is going to play a critical role in this year’s federal transportation funding effort. Environmentalists want to see transportation policies and funding formulas that […]
Livable Streets Initiative Spring Event: You’re Invited!
By Aaron Naparstek	| Apr 28, 2009 | 1 Comment
Friends, readers, commenters: Please join us tomorrow evening for a celebration of three years of Streetsblog and Streetfilms, the launch of our new Livable Streets Education program and the ongoing search for the mysterious Zozo. There will be cocktails and entertainment. Livable Streets Initiative Spring EventWednesday, April 29, 2009 6:30-8:30pmPowerhouse Arena37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY […]
Open Source Your Streets Tonight on 91.1 FM, 7pm
By Aaron Naparstek	| Apr 20, 2009 | No Comments
I’ll be talking with author and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff on his new WFMU radio show, The Media Squat, tonight at 7:00 pm. We’ll be focusing on what grassroots, locally-oriented livable streets activists can do — and are doing — to take control of the planning and design of their communities and reclaim their cities […]
By Aaron Naparstek	| Mar 27, 2009 | 22 Comments
Well, here we are again. One year after State Assembly Democrats killed New York City’s attempt to fund mass transit and reduce traffic gridlock, sustainable transport advocates find themselves suffering yet another huge defeat in Albany. Fixing Albany requires volunteers dragging themselves out to the Kings Highway Q train platform in the middle of Carl […]