Studio for Urban Projects

12/18/2025

Thank you to Next Cityty for including Alison Sant's piece “How a century-old traffic policy made streets deadly for pedestrians,” in their list of the Most Popular Stories of 2025!

The article examines the impact of the 1925 Los Angeles Traffic Ordinance featuring an interview with Author and Historian Peter Norton, whose book Fighting Traffic (The MIT Press) details how streets were reconstructed for cars in the early years of the 20th century.

As Aysha Khan, the managing editor at Next City, writes, “If this year proved anything, it’s that cities are still where the biggest policy fights are happening – and where the most innovative solutions are emerging.”

We completely agree.

Catch up on our top reporting and analysis on solutions for equitable cities – and how cities are responding to an onslaught of federal cuts.

11/11/2025

New York City can pass universal daylighting to make its intersections safe! Join Transportation Alternatives, Families For Safe Streets, and OpenPlans tomorrow on the steps of City Hall to urge the City Council to vote yes on Intro 1138.

In New York City, the most pedestrian-dense city in the U.S., a person is killed or seriously injured every nine hours. Daylighting makes intersections safe by clearing the curb space next to the crosswalk to ensure drivers can see pedestrians and upgrading it with amenities that benefit communities. Our streets can be used for green infrastructure and trees, bike parking, sheltered bus stops, wider sidewalks, and places to place to rest, exercise, or socialize while preventing illegal parking and speeding.

City Council Member Julie Won has introduced Intro 1138, a bill to eliminate New York City’s daylighting exemption by prohibiting parking within 20 feet of intersections. This small but powerful change will make New York’s streets safer by improving visibility for everyone on the road. This bill is our chance to change to implement Daylighting citywide!

New Yorkers deserve streets that prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.

RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/transalt/event/867543/ Sign the petition: https://transalt.org/daylighting

The clock is ticking. ⏰

The City Council has one month left to pass universal daylighting.

Daylighting clears parked cars from intersections, allowing everyone — especially drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians — to see each other clearly when crossing. This simple, life-saving policy makes every intersection safer.

Join us at the City Hall steps on Wednesday, November 12, at 1:30 p.m. at our Daylighting Now Coalition's rally.

Let’s turn up the pressure before time runs out.

👉 Sign up today! https://www.mobilize.us/transalt/event/867543/

07/25/2025

NYC doesn't have year-round outdoor dining. And it is just a shame and an error. We went to Washington, DC which is one of many places that has kept outdoor ...

04/11/2025

For several years, the Studio for Urban Projects has developed and prototyped a modular and easily deployable oyster reef system for the “Living Shorelines” project. Designed by Richard Johnson, in collaboration with a team led by Scientist Katharyn Boyer of the Estuary & Ocean Science Center - San Francisco State University, the structures are created to buffer storm surges and rising tides by providing habitat for native oysters. They are currently being monitored at three locations in San Francisco Bay, including the cities of San Rafael and Sausalito, some of the most vulnerable communities in the Bay Area. The reef system is being tested for future use throughout the San Francisco Bay estuary and nationally.

The “Living Shorelines” project will be recognized in several exciting events in the coming weeks. This Sunday, April 13, at 4:00 pm, “A Living Shoreline,” a film created by Studio for Urban Projects collaborator Packard Jennings, will premiere at the International Ocean Film Foundation Festival at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Program #9, “Partnering for Change,” tickets are available at https://ioff2025.eventive.org/schedule
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From April 19 to July 6, the “Living Shorelines” will also be featured in “Future Flows,” a group exhibition at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art examining the San Francisco Bay as both a vital ecosystem and a key indicator of the global climate crisis. The exhibition brings together local and international artists to explore pressing challenges related to sea level rise. The public reception is 2:00–4:00 pm on April 19 at the museum’s new San Rafael location at 1210 Fifth Avenue.

We hope to see you there!