From the Blog

In the book bag, more garden tools

Posted on February 28, 2013 //

by LISA W. FODERARO, The New York Times, November 23, 2012

Children at the 2,400-square-foot Fifth Street Farm, a garden atop three East Village schools Photo: Ángel Franco Source: The New York Times

Children at the 2,400-square-foot Fifth Street Farm, a garden atop three East Village schools
Photo: Ángel Franco for The New York Times
Source: The New York Times

In the East Village, children planted garlic bulbs and harvested Swiss chard before Thanksgiving. On the other side of town, in Greenwich Village, they learned about storm water runoff, solar energy and wind turbines. And in Queens, students and teachers cultivated flowers that attract butterflies and pollinators.

Across New York City, gardens and miniature farms — whether on rooftops or at ground level — are joining smart boards and digital darkrooms as must-have teaching tools. They are being used in subjects as varied as science, art, mathematics and social studies. In the past two years, the number of school-based gardens registered with the city jumped to 232, from 40, according to GreenThumb, a division of the parks department that provides schools with technical support.

But few of them come with the credential of the 2,400-square-foot garden at Avenue B and Fifth Street in the East Village, on top of a red-brick building that houses three public schools: the Earth School, Public School 64 and Tompkins Square Middle School. Michael Arad, the architect who designed the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, was a driving force behind the garden, called the Fifth Street Farm.

The idea took shape four years ago among parents and teachers, when Mr. Arad’s son was still a student at the Earth School. The family has since moved from the neighborhood to Queens, but Mr. Arad, president of a nonprofit corporation that oversaw the garden, stayed on. The farm, with dozens of plants ranging from leeks to lemon balm, opened Oct. 19. Already, students have learned about bulbs and tubers, soil science and nutrition, while the cafeteria has cooked up fresh kale and spinach for lunch.

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Reducing your carbon footprint

Posted on February 27, 2013 //

by SUSAN STELLIN, The  New York Times, February 15, 2013

Many people believe that Hurricane Sandy made the consequences of climate change painfully clear, so it might be tempting to think that stricter emissions standards and renewable-energy investments could lead to a less stormy future. But while these high-level policy initiatives are important, changes on the home front matter, too.

“Residential housing accounts for 29 percent of all the energy used in New York State,” said Frank Murray Jr., the president and chief executive of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which goes by the acronym Nyserda. That includes a lot of home printers with their power on 24/7 and lights illuminating empty rooms.

If the virtue of reducing your carbon footprint is not enough of an incentive, the United States Department of Energy estimates that the typical American family spends about $2,000 a year on utility bills. Changing some energy habits might not drastically reduce your total bill, but even small savings add up over the years — and your home would be less of a drain on the grid.

Turn Down, Screw In, Unplug

Many energy-saving strategies are free or inexpensive, and technology makes it easier to follow through on advice most people have heard, but don’t always heed. ‘Smart’ power strips, for example, automatically shut down power to electronics that aren’t in use — like your printer or DVD player — but also have outlets marked “always on” for devices that need continuous power, like a DVR. Other advanced power strips come with a remote control, so you can switch them off without crawling around on the floor. A quick scan of your home is likely to reveal appliances that can be unplugged, like a window air-conditioner in the winter or a gaming console the kids no longer use. [...]

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Nyserda’s Recommandations

Nyserda’s “bulbology” page

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The great air race

Posted on February 27, 2013 //

by ROBIN FINN, The New York Times, February 22, 2013

Air rights were pertinent to the development of Isis Condominium on East 77th Street Photo: Benjamin Norman Source: New York Times

Air rights were pertinent to the development of Isis Condominium on East 77th Street
Photo: Benjamin Norman for The New York Times
Source: The New York Times

Because a room with a view has always been preferable to one without, the price of air in New York City is becoming more expensive. Yes, the air is for sale, but not on sale.

And not the dodgy urban air the city’s eight million inhabitants breathe as they scurry around the boulevards, but the rarefied and fast-disappearing air overhead where condominium towers do not fear to tread, and rooms with sunlit windows can make the lucrative difference between a legal three-bedroom residence and a mere two-bedroom with a den/office.

With Manhattan’s skyscraper-proof bedrock in finite supply and the city’s fixation on housing and envelope-pushing office buildings on the upswing — and also the impetus behind the proposed rezoning of 70 blocks around Grand Central Terminal called Midtown East — the sky is not only the limit, it’s the solution. Ubiquitous developers-about-town like Gary Barnett, Harry B. Macklowe and the Zeckendorf brothers are all not-so-secret members of the air appreciation society.

“When I tell people outside of New York that I’m buying air from other building owners, they look at me as if I’ve lost my mind,” said Kenneth S. Horn, the president of Alchemy Properties. His 18-story Isis Condominium at 303 East 77th Street acquired air rights from two adjacent tenements; it cantilevers eight feet above the roofs of both of them beginning at the sixth floor. The payoff for this complex and expensive undertaking is 360-degree views, more spacious apartments, abundant light and higher resale value. [...]

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Ville-Marie: ménage dans les règles d’urbanisme

Posted on February 5, 2013 //

par MAXIME BERGERON, La Presse, 5 février 2013

L’arrondissement de Ville-Marie gèle en partie l’attribution des permis de construction jusqu’à la fin du mois de mars, le temps de finir le ménage dans ses règles d’urbanisme kafkaïennes.

Le conseil de cet arrondissement, qui englobe le centre-ville et le Vieux-Montréal, a adopté hier en première lecture un projet omnibus modifiant plus de 600 articles du règlement d’urbanisme. Les changements touchent une foule de sujets, du zonage à la hauteur des immeubles, en passant par l’agriculture urbaine.

Toutes les nouvelles toitures devront être écologiques. Il pourra notamment s’agir de toits «blancs» ou végétaux.

«Le règlement actuel existe depuis 20 ans et il avait clairement besoin d’être modernisé», a résumé à La Presse Affaires Bruno Collin, chef d’équipe à la division d’urbanisme, après la tenue du conseil.

Selon les règles actuelles, il existe quatre familles d’utilisation du territoire: résidentielle, commerciale, industrielle et institutionnelle. Celles-ci sont divisées en 53 catégories, qui sont ensuite subdivisées en 118 types de zones. C’est autant que dans les cinq arrondissements de New York réunis, et ce, pour le seul arrondissement de Ville-Marie!

«En plus d’être très rigide, cette approche complexifie énormément le règlement et le rend pratiquement incompréhensible pour les usagers, souligne un sommaire décisionnel publié hier. Par exemple, le propriétaire d’un bâtiment situé au coin des rues Wellington et Prince doit se référer à six listes différentes uniquement pour identifier les usages permis sur sa propriété.»

La cartographie actuelle de Ville-Marie est si compliquée qu’on ne peut la lire à une échelle inférieure à 1: 5000. Il faut consulter la carte sur deux feuillets de 30 po sur 25 po au minimum, et les erreurs d’interprétation sont fréquentes.

Bruno Collin et son équipe ont travaillé pendant huit mois à simplifier cette structure d’organisation du territoire. Ils sont partis du principe de la mixité des usages, ce qui leur a permis de réduire de 118 à 27 les types de zones. La nouvelle carte de l’arrondissement est lisible sur une feuille de 11 po sur 17 po, se réjouit-on.

Le projet de règlement d’urbanisme sera soumis à une série de consultations et de présentations au cours des prochaines semaines. D’ici à son adoption finale, prévue le 25 mars, un gel partiel de l’attribution des permis de construction et d’occupation a été décrété.

L’arrondissement estime que de 10% à 20% des demandes de permis seront touchées par le gel.

En plus de simplifier la structure d’attribution des permis, le nouveau règlement d’urbanisme de l’arrondissement de Ville-Marie propose une trentaine de nouvelles dispositions. En voici cinq:

  • Les nouvelles constructions devront inclure davantage de stationnements pour vélos, et ceux-ci devront être facilement accessibles.
  • Toutes les nouvelles toitures devront être écologiques. Il pourra notamment s’agir de toits «blancs» ou végétaux.
  • L’implantation de jardins communautaires, de parcs et d’écoles sera permise partout sur le territoire de l’arrondissement.
  • L’insonorisation des nouvelles constructions résidentielles devra être accrue dans les zones bruyantes.
  • Des stationnements pour les petites voitures seront créés.

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