Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Jan Gehl

“A Perverse Allocation of Public Space on the Upper West Side”

As we lead up to next Tuesday's big Upper West Side Streets Renaissance workshop with Jan Gehl (have you submitted your RSVP yet?) here is another StreetFilm delving in to the kinds of issues we hope to be talking about.

In this segment, Upper West Siders Mark Gorton and Lisa Sladkus briefly examine just how much of our city's valuable and limited public space has been dedicated to the storage and movement of motor vehicles and how diminished pedestrian spaces impact our sense of community.

Summing it up in terms that even the simplest hedge fund manager would understand, Gorton says, "We have a
perverse allocation of public space on the Upper West Side and it needs to be
changed."

It doesn't have to be this way, folks. Come out on Tuesday and work with your neighbors to envision and shape a new direction for New York City's streets and public spaces:

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007
The Jewish Community Center
334 Amsterdam Avenue at West 76th Street
5:30–7:00 Opening Reception
7:00–8:30 Presentation and Workshop

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Guess Which Argument Can Get a NIMBY To Change Their Mind About New Housing

Put your instincts to the test with this fascinating experiment about the power of messaging to win support for urbanism.

March 20, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Took the Road Less Traveled By

And that has made all the difference, when it comes to preventing traffic deaths.

March 20, 2026

Study: How Ambiguous Definition of ‘Major Transit Stop’ Creates Wiggle Room for Municipalities

This is a story of how well-intentioned efforts by the state to tie new development to transit hinge on how local governments (with their own incentives) interpret broad state law.

March 19, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: Growing St. Louis’s Arts and Culture District

This week on Talking Headways, step inside St. Louis's Grand Center Arts District with the people who make it happen.

March 19, 2026

Advocates Get D.C. Mayor To Release Buried Report On The Potential Benefits Of Congestion Pricing

How many other conversations about congestion pricing across the country are being suppressed — and how many have never even gotten started?

March 19, 2026
See all posts