In this video, Tom Wright, president and CEO of the Regional Plan Association—the nation’s oldest independent metropolitan research, planning, and advocacy organization—describes the context for infrastructure and planning relating to Penn Station and Manhattan’s West Side.
Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder of architecture and urbanism practice PAU, then presents research into the station’s history and describes his vision for its replacement.
The two presentations are followed by a discussion with Harry Cobb, founding partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, and Hilary Ballon, a professor of architecture and urban studies.
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Eric Sanderson on the ecological history of Manhattan
Eric Sanderson, author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City (2009), details the previously rich ecology of Manhattan or Mannahatta, “land of many hills,” and the disruption of natural systems following European settlement in the 17th century as part of The Five Thousand Pound Life: Land conference.
Conversations on New York: Adrian Benepe, Amanda Burden, and David Burney, with Paul Goldberger
Commissioners of the Departments of Parks and Recreation, City Planning, and Design and Construction discuss the Bloomberg administration's emphasis on quality design.
Notes on New York’s housing history
Historian Deborah S. Gardner offered thoughts on housing in New York City as part of the Architectural League's 1987 Vacant Lots project.