Possible Loss of Parking Minimums for Residential Buildings Concern Staten Islanders

By Joseph Morales

Staten Island is New York City’s least populous borough and is considered by many to have a suburban feel. Many people from the other boroughs and Staten Island alike even refer to the borough as a suburb in conversation. This suburban feel is due to the prevalence of detached single-family houses throughout most neighborhoods in the borough. In turn, these homes form communities that have a much lower density than communities in other boroughs. 

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What to Expect at Queens Bus Network Redesign Final Plan Public Hearing

By Joseph Morales

Queens is New York City’s largest borough by land area and second largest by population. Like other parts of the city, many residents rely on public transportation to get around. According to data from the NYC Department of City Planning, 37% of Queens’ households do not have access to a vehicle. This does not reflect the thousands of teens who do not drive and also rely on mass transit to get to school and other activities. 

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Marble Hill Borough Dispute Goes Back To American Revolution

By Joseph Morales

               Marble Hill is a busy residential and commercial neighborhood located on the northside of the Broadway Bridge in Manhattan. It is the only part of Manhattan that is not part of an island. The neighborhood has two main streets, W 225th St and Broadway that make up the community’s commercial fabric. W 225th St east of Broadway is home to several major retailers including Target and Marshalls. On the other hand, Broadway is a hub for small mom and pop businesses including pharmacies and delis. The neighborhood has a dense population and many residents live in the Marble Hill Houses NYCHA development. The community is also home to the John F. Kennedy High School Campus, which is home to seven schools including Bronx Law & Finance and Bronx Theatre that primarily serve students from throughout The Bronx. The neighborhood is well served by mass transit with access to the 1 train, Metro-North and a slew of bus lines including the Bx9 and Bx10.

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Should NYC Allow Parents To Send Kids To Schools Near Their Workplace? It Can Do More Than Improve Commutes

By Joseph Morales

There are about 915,000 students in NYC public schools. According to data from the State Education Department, about 45% of these students are in elementary school not including Pre-K and 3K students. Most of the time, students attend elementary school within walking distance of their home. Based on data from NYU, the average NYC kindergarten student lives only 10 minutes away from their school by foot or mass transit. 

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Major Improvements Coming to A and C Trains in Brooklyn

By Joseph Morales

  The Fulton Line(A,C) is a critical subway line that runs through the heart of Brooklyn. One of only two east-west lines in the borough, the Fulton Line runs across Fulton St in Brooklyn from Jay St-MetroTech to Euclid Ave before entering Queens and traveling to the Rockaways. In Brooklyn, the line connects several of the borough’s most densely populated neighborhoods, such as East New York, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Downtown Brooklyn. The line also provides riders with access to various parts of Manhattan and Queens. In addition, riders can make connections to many other subway and bus routes. This includes some of Brooklyn’s busier bus routes, such as the B44-SBS(Bedford/Nostrand Ave), B46-SBS(Utica Ave), and the B60(Rockaway Ave).

Entrance to Nostrand Ave(A,C) station in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
Signage directing riders to trains at Nostrand Av(A,C) station.
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Mass Transit Is Sparking Development on Staten Island’s North Shore

By Joseph Morales

Staten Island is the most car-centric and least densely populated borough in New York City. Despite this fact, the borough would be America’s 39th most populous city if it were its own municipality, ranking higher than cities like Miami, Cleveland, and Minneapolis. In addition, 17% of Staten Island households do not have access to a car, which is still significantly higher than the U.S rate of 8.3%. Nowhere is Staten Island’s urban feel more apparent than on the Island’s North Shore, with a car-free household rate of 29% and a population density similar to neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens. Mass transit options here include a robust bus network with local buses that could get you just about anywhere on the Island. There are also various express bus routes that connect almost every neighborhood to Manhattan. In addition to buses, some parts of the North Shore also have a train line known as the Staten Island Railway(SIR), that connects the south and west parts of the Island to St. George on the Island’s North and East Shore. Though not considered part of the subway system, the SIR runs with subway trains on a subway-like line with lower headways than NYC subway routes.

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