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activism

2008 Jane Jacobs Medal Nominations Open

Monday, January 14, 2008, 01:26pm
Submitted by Jonathan Sills

Beginning January 8, the Rockefeller Foundation will be accepting nominations for the 2008 Jane Jacobs Medal on its website through Monday, February 4, 2008.

The 2008 Rockefeller Foundation Jane Jacobs Medals will recognize two living individuals whose creative vision for the urban environment has significantly contributed to the vibrancy and variety of New York City. The Jane Jacobs Medal was created by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2007 to honor activist, author and urbanist, Jane Jacobs, who died in April 2006 at the age of 89. The awarding of the inaugural Jane Jacobs Medals in September 2007 coincided with the opening of the multi-faceted project, Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York, a partnership between the Rockefeller Foundation and the Municipal Art Society (MAS). Read the full press release.

The Jane Jacobs Medal recognizes visionary work in building a more diverse, dynamic and equitable city through creative uses of the urban environment. Medals are awarded to two living persons whose accomplishments represent Jacobsean principles and practices in action in New York City. The selection of the winners and allocation of the prize money -- totaling $200,000 -- will ultimately be decided by the members of a Medal Selection Jury. The first award recognizes leadership and lifetime contribution. The second award recognizes new ideas and activism. Together the medalists represent the creativity, innovation and dynamism of New York City.

Nominate a candidate.

Read about the 2007 winners of the Jane Jacobs Medal. read more...

The Hike Comes to a Head

Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 04:41pm
Submitted by Jonathan Sills

The MTA Board votes this Wednesday, December 19 (that's tomorrow), starting at 9:00 a.m., on whether to approve the proposed hike of 86% on all journeys, and a 6.6% increase on some discount and unlimited MetroCards. As this blog reported back in September, the MTA is anticipating a $300 million surplus in the next fiscal year, which has raised questions as to whether the hike is really necessary to raise the agency's revenues.

As we also wrote back then, the MTA's proposed fare and toll hikes represent a real cost of living increase for most New Yorkers - in a city that already isn't cheap. However, an efficient, well-funded and well-maintained public mass transit system that has sufficient capacity for the growing city is, and will continue to be, a major issue in maintaining the city's livability. How the two issues of affordability and reliable service are dealt with remains to be seen, but if you want to testify before the Board vote tomorrow, you'll need this information:
MTA Headquarters,
347 Madison Avenue (between 44th and 45th streets), 5th floor boardroom
Transit: 4,5,6 or 7 trains to Grand Central Station

If you want to testify yourself, get there at 8:30 a.m. and read the testimony rules.

Gentrification vs. Diversity: the Video

Tuesday, December 11, 2007, 03:07pm
Submitted by Jonathan Sills


At the final Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York panel on Tuesday, December 4, moderator Matt Schuerman and panelists Calvin Butts, Michelle de la Uz, Ron Shiffman and Errol Louis discuss the often antagonistic relationship between neighborhood improvement, gentrification and displacement.

Watch the video and tell us whether you think there are solutions to the loss of diversity that follows neighborhood gentrification the panelists identify.

Panel Covers Blogging, Bloggers Cover Panel

Monday, October 15, 2007, 01:24pm
Submitted by Jonathan Sills

Last Tuesday's panel discussion New Media, New Politics: Jane Jacobs and an Activist Press brought together contrasting opinions on the future of the news media. Moderated by Sewell Chan of The New York Times, the panel, including Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush of El Diario, Jane Hamsher of firedoglake.com, Norman Oder of atlanticyardsreport.com and author Gay Talese, debated the state of contemporary journalism -- bad, too few journalists; the role and value of the blogosphere -- useful in plugging the gaps in the conventional media's coverage, lazy journalism; the future of online journalism -- likely to increase at the expense of paper-based forms, bridging the economic, social and linguistic "digital-divide"; and how today's activists can make use of new media -- focus of much of dissent that isn't covered by mainstream press.

In true reflexive, post-modern, new media fashion, the panel received a variety of coverage in the press, mostly from the panelists themselves:

To watch a short video podcast of the event, click here or here. read more...