The Financial District Neighborhood Association (FDNA) released “Make Way for Lower Manhattan,” a multi-year report to provide a vision to transform the historic neighborhood and create safer and cleaner streets.
Several factors contribute to Lower Manhattan’s crowded sidewalks and streets, the report says. “The old, Colonial streets and sidewalks of Manhattan’s Financial District have become far too crowded with different obstacles, largely due to the ongoing conversion of skyscrapers to residential use and new construction of large residential buildings, coupled with the dramatic growth of downtown tourism,” the report says.
Piles of garbage covering sidewalks create health hazards and push pedestrians into already crowded streets. Construction scaffolding and street vendors block sidewalks. The situation causes dangerous conditions. Congestion slows emergency vehicles, and pedestrians and cyclists fight with cars for space on streets and sidewalks. Recently, there has been a spate of fatalities and accidents in the area.
The pilot program recommended in the report includes improved walking corridors, targeted sanitation interventions, slow street zones, and pedestrian-safe plazas.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Nov 19, 2021
Construction Startup Competition 2021 awards highlight tech innovations
AI-powered software to identify and explain critical issues in construction contracts takes top prize.
Codes and Standards | Nov 18, 2021
Infrastructure bill contains $5 billion for energy efficiency in buildings
Wide range of programs to reduce energy use, improve materials, train workers.
Codes and Standards | Nov 17, 2021
Skanska will provide embodied carbon assessments on all new projects over 53,000 sf
Will use the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator it helped create.
Codes and Standards | Nov 16, 2021
NOAA, Univ. of Maryland, and ASCE partner on climate-smart engineering codes, standards
Efforts will account for climate change in future infrastructure design and construction.
Codes and Standards | Nov 15, 2021
Intl. Code Council and Modular Building Institute release new off-site construction standards
‘Will create consistency for off-site construction; accelerate the industry’.
Codes and Standards | Nov 12, 2021
GSA will likely shrink federal office space post-COVID
Agency also needs to address maintenance backlog.
Codes and Standards | Nov 10, 2021
Los Angeles launches fast-track office tenant improvements program
Red tape to be cut to make interiors healthier and safer.
Codes and Standards | Nov 9, 2021
Florida state building professionals call for mandatory high-rise building inspections
Group recommendation comes in wake of Surfside condo collapse.
Codes and Standards | Nov 8, 2021
Dept. of Energy to fund 10 pilot smart building projects
Connected communities will accelerate renewable energy adoption and grid resilience.
Codes and Standards | Nov 3, 2021
Fact sheets offer strategies to improve indoor air quality in schools
Center for Green Schools at USGBC document for people without a technical background.