Eyes on the Street: Essex St., Lower East Side, Mon. 7/3/06
10:53 AM EDT on July 5, 2006

Before he began blogging about land use and transportation, Aaron Donovan wrote The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund's annual fundraising appeal for three years and earned a master's degree in urban planning from Columbia. Since then, he has worked for nonprofit organizations devoted to New York City economic development. He lives and works in the Financial District, and sees New York's pre-automobile built form as an asset that makes New York unique in the United States, and as a strategic advantage that should be capitalized upon.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Inside Baseball: Kuntzman To Step Down At Streetsblog; David Meyer To Take Over
Streetsblog's longtime editor will take on new challenges. And so will his successor.
October 9, 2026
Friday Video(s): Two Urban Cycling Trips Worth Taking
Choose your own urban cycling adventure: domestic or international edition.
October 9, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Pay a Lot for Parking
The average apartment-dweller pays $200 a month for a parking space, included in their rent, whether they use it or not.
October 9, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Long Road to Real Transit Progress
Jeff Wood and Reece Martin discuss China’s lessons for American infrastructure.
October 8, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Another Front in the Culture War
David Zipper explains how transportation, once an issue with broad consensus, became politically polarized.
October 8, 2026