City Councilman Peter Vallone–usually no friend of ANIMAL’s–has recently taken on a relatively reasonable position, campaigning to have the late former Mayor Ed Koch’s name removed from the 59th Street Queensboro Bridge. Renaming landmarks after people is confusing, expensive, and ineffectual–witness the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, in which everyone went back to calling the recently-renamed […]
In April, we told you about a test the NYPD would be running that involved releasing harmless gases throughout the subway system during rush hour to simulate a chemical attack. The gases would be non-toxic, and authorities could track their movements and draw conclusions about how an actual attack might travel. Then, in May, we […]
Phototrails is a new research project that uses simple media visualization techniques for exploring patterns and trends found in photos shared on Instagram. A joint venture between the University of Pittsburgh, The California Institute for Telecommunication and Information, and the Graduate Center at CUNY is “seeking to map our city-specific behavior by looking at the thousands of images that pour in […]
Tomorrow, seven months (nearly to the day) after Hurricane Sandy, the Rockaways will once again have a fully-functional subway, as A Train finally service returns to the area. About a month after the storm, the MTA restored partial train service to the area via a temporary “H Train” that traversed the peninsula but didn’t extend to mainland […]
This is not a cartoon. This is real, almost. The MTA is currently testing a giant thirty-foot inflatable “plug” that when filled with air would protect cities’ most vulnerable subway stops from the threat of floods and extreme weather conditions. It would, effectively, “seal off New York’s subways” if natural disaster strikes. This balloon was tested […]
Several sections of the subway that support elevated tracks are in dire need of inspection, according to a report from the MTA Inspector General’s office. No records exist of detailed inspections of elevated A, C, 2, 3, and L train sections in Brooklyn, and three sections of the 7 haven’t been looked at in 15 […]
For a borough that’s literally an island, Manhattan’s waterfront access is pretty bleak: NYC’s waterways are generally more notorious for easy corpse disposal and abundant toxic waste than for fun in the sun. But (possibly) not for long! Last night, the full proposal were released for the long-awaited East River Blueway The vision has been brewing for […]
What would a chemical attack on NYC look like? How would poisonous gases spread, through the lines of the subway and above ground? These are some of the questions the NYPD and a team of researchers hope to answer this July, when they’ll disperse colorless, odorless, and apparently harmless gases called perflourocarbons around the city […]
Your chance to be featured in one of JR’s signature wheatpaste pieces has finally arrived, and you don’t even have to travel to a developing nation to do it. From now until May 10, a mobile photo booth will be stationed in Times Square, taking portraits of passersby and printing them out on giant posters […]
Red Hook, Gowanus, and Carroll Gardens commuters, rejoice: the Smith-9th Street subway station is slated to open April 22. The stop, servicing the F and G trains, has been closed since 2011, and its reopening faced delays in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Between the station’s reopening and the full line inspection the MTA has […]
