Transportation
A National Model for Better Streets Is Suddenly at Risk
In challenging the Times Square pedestrian plaza, New York City leaders are showing a profound misunderstanding about the impact of public space.
“When you push the status quo, the status quo pushes right back.”
Those were the words of Janette Sadik-Khan, the former transportation commissioner of New York City, talking to an audience in Seattle earlier this year. Sadik-Khan, who as part of the Michael Bloomberg administration had pushed hard to carve pedestrian plazas and bike lanes from the city’s auto-clogged streets, was speaking as part of a the Seattle DOT series called “Where Are We Going?”