UAP/Sociology Study Finds That Bike Lanes are “Blocked Lanes” in NYC
A new study released by UAP Professor Bill Milczarski and Sociology’s Professor Peter Tuckel found that during a 10-minute span of time, a New York City cyclist traveling in a bike lane will encounter a vehicle during a stretch of just five to six city blocks more than 60 percent of the time. The biggest offenders are cars (30 percent), followed by small trucks (17 percent), and taxis (14 percent.) The study is the first systematic inquiry of bike lane blockages in New York City. For more information, click here.
Community Planning Fellowship moves to UAP
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer announced that the Community Planning Fellowship, which began in his office to support community based planning initiatives in Manhattan community boards, will be expanded beyond Manhattan to all 59 community boards. The program places top urban planning students in the offices of community boards to work on pressing planning concerns. The expanded program will now be administered through Hunter College’s Department of Urban Affairs and Planning. For more info click here
Professor wins prestigious book award
We're pleased to announce that Tom Angotti’s New York for Sale was just announced as the winner of this year’s Paul Davidoff Book Award given by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). This biennial award, established in 1981, is one of the most prestigious honors in the academic planning field. The award is given in memory of Paul Davidoff, a revered and respected activist academic in the field of modern city planning. It recognizes an outstanding publication that promotes "participatory planning and positive social change, opposes poverty and racism as factors in society and seeks ways to reduce disparities between rich and poor; white and black; men and women." The award was announced at the ACSP’s 50th anniversary conference this past weekend. More information can be found at http://www.acsp.org/awards/paul-davidoff-award.
Filmmakers Barred from Attending Beijing International Film Festival
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, an HBO documentary co-produced by UAP's Peter Kwong, was chosen as an official selection at the Beijing International Film Festival. The Chinese government has denied visas for filmmakers Jon Alpert and Matt O'Neill. The film documents the the reaction of parents whose children died in the earthquake of May 2008 as a result of poor school construction. For full article click here.
UAP on HBO and in the NYTimes
A documentary film, "China's Unnatural Disaster", created by Professor Peter Kwong and award-winning directors John Alter and Matthew O'Neill, premiered on HBO on March 7. A vivid and astonishingly candid look at the human toll of last year's devastating earthquake in central China, this 40-minute verité documentary visits with the parents of deceased children from several district schools a few days after the disaster, sharing in their unimaginable grief at the loss of a child (for most, their only child).
To read Professor's Kwong's recent op-ed in the New York Times about the poor school construction in China addressed in the documentary and the efforts by the larger community to demand accountability, click here.
Prof Viteritti on CUNY TV
Prof J. Viteritti just taped a show with Doug Muzzio on his new book, When Mayors Take Charge, which will run on CUNY TV May 6, at 9:30AM, 4:30PM, 9:30 PM; on May 9 at 3:30PM, and on May 10 at 11:30 AM.
The program is a prelude to a Citizens Union Civic Conversation on mayoral control of the schools that will take place at Baruch College on May 11th involving Joel Klein, Randy Weingarten and Prof Viteritti. This discussion will also be covered by CUNY TV. (Click here)
UAP in the Mayor's Office
Urban planning student Jennifer Walty has been designated the Nonprofit Contract Facilitator for the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. This position was created to help nonprofits that need special assistance with City rules, regulations or policies affecting their ability to obtain City funding.
Prof. Joseph Viteritti's Ed Week Commentary Featured
Professor Joseph Viteritti's commentary "School Choice: Beyond the Numbers" published in 2000 was one of fifteen featured in a 25-year archival review that appeared in Education Week on February 25. Education Week, the the most widely read and respected newspaper in elementary and secondary education, publishes several commentaries a week. The fifteen chosen marked "the long progression of ideas" associated with various aspects school reform over the past quarter century. Other authors included Albert Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers; Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America; and two former U.S. Secretaries of Education.
UAP at the State of the Borough
MUP student Julie Gonzalez introduced Governor David Paterson at Manhattan BP Scott Stringer's State of the Borough Address at City Hall. Ms. Gonzalez is currently serving as a distinguished Manhattan BP Community Planning Fellow.
UAP Alum Appointed to White House Position
UAP alum Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. will be leaving NYC for DC to take a position as the director of the newly created White House Office on Urban Policy in the Obama administration. His appointment continues the legacy of service by those affiliated with UAP. Robert C. Weaver served as the first Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1966-1968. He was the first African American to hold a cabinet level position in the United States. Weaver came to Hunter College in 1970 and taught in the Dept of Urban Affairs and Planning until he retired in 1978.
Read more: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/news/#whitehousedirector
Prof. Tom Angotti an Invited Speaker
Prof. Tom Angotti was an invited speaker at Rome’s Third University in Italy; and in India at the University of Madras, and the Center for Research and Education for Social Transformation (CREST) at Kozhikode. His article “Fifty Years of Rectification” appears in the January 2009 special issue of Latin American Perspectives on the Cuban Revolution.
Prof. Jill Gross Gaining National and International Recognition
Her article, "New York Tourism: Dual Markets, Duel Agendas" appeared in an edited collection titled World Tourism Cities Developing Tourism Off the Beaten Track edited by Robert Maitland, Peter Newman and published by Routledge. Details of the book can be found at http://www.routledgesport.com/books/World-Tourism-Cities-isbn9780415451987
The December 2008 issue of PM (Public Management) Magazine (a publication of the International County Managers Association) featured a cover story co-authored by Prof. Jill Gross and Robin Hambleton titled" Local Management in a Gobal Era." The article, explores policy transfer in a global era and is available at: http://www.icma.org/pm/9011/public/cover2.cfm?author=Robin%20Hambleton%20and%20Jill%20Simone%20Gross&title=Local%20Management%20in%20a%20Global%20Era
Prof. Gross was an invited speaker at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Wilson Center/ Fetzer Institute’s, seminar titled "Community Resilience: A Cross Cultural Study." Professor opened the seminar with a discussion of how different cultures define resilience. Professor Gross was one of two scholars invited to create a framing paper for the conference, titled "Sustainability versus Resilience: What is the global urban future and can we plan for change?" The paper will be published by the Wilson Center in the spring 2009, in a conference compendium.
Professor Gross is now preparing for the Urban Affairs Association Conference to be held in Chicago in March, where she will be presenting her work on urban tourism, and serving as the conference Program chair.
Prof. Gross has just had two papers accepted for presentation at the City Future's conference in Madrid in June, where she will be speaking on urban immigrant inclusion in in West European Cities, and she will discuss tourism in the US and West Europe.
Professors Lynn McCormick and Donovan Finn Awarded Grant
Professors Lynn McCormick and Donovan Finn were awarded a grant from the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy to study the social equity and economic development impacts of recent municipal sustainability plans. More information about the Institute can be found at www.lincolninst.edu.
Prof. Joseph P. Viteritti Publishes When Mayors Take Charge
Professor Joseph P. Viteritti has edited a new book, When Mayors Take Charge: School Governance in the City (Brookings Institution Press). Written after his serving as Executive Director of the Commission on School Governance in New York, the book examines the experience with mayoral control of city schools around the country.
New Article by Betsy A. Beasley
Betsy A. Beasley, a graduate student in the Urban Affairs program, will have an article published in the March 2009 issue of The Urban History Review. "Fighting for a Radical City: Student Protesters and the Politics of Space in 1960s and 1970s Downtown Manhattan" repositions 60s-era radicalism at NYU as a moment in urban history. The paper argues that student radicals were just as connected to local issues of community development and urban equity as they were to national or international issues like ending the Vietnam War. After the issue has been published, the full text of the article will be available electronically through Hunter's library.
UAP Students Exhibit in Berlin
UAP students studying abroad in Germany over the winter intercession were invited to participate in the opening of an international building exhibition in Berlin's recently closed Tempelhof Airport. The exhibit display the plans for the re-use of the airport in their various phases of development. Berlin's mayor, Klaus Wowereit, established the importance of the site's redevelopment in his address to attendees. The students were guests of Berlin's Office of City Planning.
Prof. Lilliam Barrios-Paoli Appointed Commissioner
UAP adjunct professor Lilliam Barrios-Paoli was appointed Commissioner for the NYC Department of the Aging, adding another dimension to her already distinguished career of service in the public and non-profit sectors. Commissioner Barrios-Paoli teaches the Capstone Seminar course in the MS in Urban Affairs program.
Prof. Joseph P.Viteritti Appears on Situation Room
UAP Chair Professor Joseph Viteritti recently appeared on the CNN's The Situation Room with Miles O'Brien. He discussed education issues facing the Obama administration.
Study Finds Cyclists Disobey Traffic Laws
Prof. Bill Milczarski co-authored a study with Sociology professor Peter Tuckel that found that many New York city cyclists do not obey traffic and helmet laws. They collaborated with Hunter students in their Introduction to Research Methods course in the Department of Sociology, and a graduate course entitled, "Urban Data Analysis" in the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, respectively. The results are based upon observations of 2,928 bicyclists at street intersections, bike lanes, and bike paths at 69 different locations in New York City from October 1-29, 2008. "Greater adherence to traffic laws would not only help to safeguard the well-being of cyclists but at the same time would reduce the increasing tensions between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. Recently, several accounts from cities across the country have surfaced of conflicts between cyclists and motorists," said Professor Milczarski. Read the NYTimes post and comments at:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/study-finds-cyclists-disobey-traffic-laws/
Prof. Tom Angotti
While on sabbatical leave, Prof. Tom Angotti is launching his new book, New York For Sale: Community Planning Confronts Global Real Estate (MIT Press). He will lecture at Technion: Israel Institute of Technology and Ben Gurion University in Israel, where he will also meet with Planners For Planning Rights and other human rights groups. He will also lecture at the Museo de Historia de la Ciudad in Barcelona (Spain), Kyushu University in Japan, and at several universities in India. While in India he will be hosted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore, and visiting community projects and advocacy groups in and around Mumbai and Kolkata. He is working on two major research projects, one on urban enclaves and another on urban agriculture, and co-editing a book on service learning in architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning. Click here to download a flyer and order form describing his book.
Graduate Urban Planning Student Receives Scholarship
Tanya Rodriguez, graduate Urban Planning student received a scholarship from COMTO New York Chapter. COMTO is the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, an advocacy group that provides a voice for people, businesses, and communities of color, with a focus on equal access, advancement in the transportation field. She is pictured here with COMTO-NY Chapter President, Mr. Dwayne Sampson.
Prof. John Chin’s article
Prof. John Chin’s article, “Paradigm Shifters, Professionals and Community Sentinels: Immigrant Community Institutions’ Roles in Shaping Places and Implications for Stigmatized Public Health Initiatives,” has just been published in the December 2008 issue of the journal Health & Place. The article was co-authored with colleagues from University of California-San Francisco, Columbia University, and the New York Academy of Medicine. It explores the various roles that immigrant institutions play in fostering or challenging stigma and taboos in their communities and the implications for addressing community needs. The full text of the paper is available electronically through Hunter’s library.
New Research Funding
Prof. Laxmi Ramasubramanian has received a new research grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Public Transportation Participation (PTP) Pilot Program, one of only eight such awards made in this competitive funding round. Laxmi will lead a multi-disciplinary team including colleagues from Parson Brinckerhoff’s Project Visualization group to develop a state-of-the-art online resource to support innovative public participation practice. This 12-18 month project will get underway in early October. For additional information, contact Prof. Ramasubramanian at laxmi@hunter.cuny.edu.
Prof. Joseph P.Viteritti
Prof. Joseph P.Viteritti, Blanche D. Blank Professor of Public Policy, was elected to serve a three-year term as Department Chair beginning July 1st 2008. He has been serving as Executive Director of the Commission on School Governance appointed by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. The Commission will prepare a report to the Public Advocate and State Legislature on the future of mayoral control of the city schools, which is due to expire in June 2009.
2008 UAA National Conference
Faculty and student research culminated in a UAA presentation at Baltimore at the 2008 UAA National Conference. Graduate students Mary Rocco and Ken Comia presented findings from a study entitled "An Analysis of Urban Planning Syllabi: Are They Inclusive?" Professor Shipp supervised the development of the research project. Two additional graduate students, Scott Solomon and Michael Wilkerson, also aided in the completion of this research.
Urban Planning Alumnus Considered for Cabinet Post
Adolfo Carrion Jr., Bronx Borough President and graduate of the Urban Planning program is being considered for a cabinet post in the Obama administration. He has been interviewed for the spot as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the most important leadership position in urban affairs in the country.
11/25/2008 New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/nyregion/23carrion.html
Winter Course in Berlin and Hamburg
Prof. Jill Simone Gross, along with Dr. Ralph Blessing and other colleagues in the department will be offering a winter course focusing on Urban Germany that will include a trip to Berlin and Hamburg during the January 2009 winter term. Contact Ms. Mary Rocco (mrocc@hunter.cuny.edu) for additional details and deadlines.
McCormick article
Prof. Lynn McCormick has just had an article accepted for publication in a forthcoming issue of Economic Development Quarterly. The paper, "The Economic and Workforce Development Activities of American Business Associations," co-authored with Joshua Hawley and Edwin Melendez is scheduled to appear in August 2008.
Sean Almonte Assists with New Orleans Recovery
The APA's Planning Foundation provided support for four interns this summer to work in New Orleans' Office of Recovery Management.
Our own Sean Almonte (Master of Urban Planning Candidate) was one of those selected to participate. Read his reflections at: http://www.planning.org/katrina/seanalmonte.htm
Curella named "Rising Star"
Curella, a member of the Macauley Honors College majoring in urban studies, spent last semester studying urban planning in Argentina, China and India. She has interned for New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs and Department of City Planning – and served as co-chair of Relay for Life, a City University of New York effort to raise funds for cancer research. In 2003, she was named a "Rising Star" by Women's Day Magazine in its "Women Who Inspire Us" section.
Scott Hobbs chosen as NYC Urban Fellow
Scott Hobbs has been chosen as an NYC Urban Fellow. He will begin working in a city agency int he Fall of 2007. Scott is active in the Hunter USG and is President of the undergraduate Urban Studies Association.
The New York City Urban Fellows Program has introduced America's finest college graduates to local government and public service. The program is dedicated to the memory of Robert F. Wagner Jr. and was initiated to offer aspiring public policymakers the opportunity to grapple first hand with contemporary urban issues.
