Municipal Art Society Of New York

TO LIFT UP THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE IN THE DEBATES THAT SHAPE NEW YORK'S BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND LEAD THE WAY TO A MORE LIVABLE CITY FROM SIDEWALK TO SKYLINE.

MAS WORKS ON THE GROUND IN ALL FIVE BOROUGHS MOBILIZING NEW YORKERS ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR CITY. IN FY 2021, OUR LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS PROGRAM TRAINED NEARLY 600 LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS IN MORE THEN TWENTY NEIGHBORHOODS TO SERVE AS LAND USE ADVOCATES FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES. OUR ANNUAL JANE'S WALK WEEKEND BROUGHT TOGETHER MORE THAN 73,000 NEW YORKERS AND VISITORS FOR A LARGELY VIRTUAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATING URBAN LIFE. OUR RENOWNED WALKING TOURS PROGRAM CONTINUED ITS ONLINE GROWTH AND RESUMED IN PERSON OFFERINGS, BRINGING OUT AN AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 6,000 PEOPLE TO EXPLORE THE ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK'S FIVE BOROUGHS.

MAS PROTECTS HISTORIC AND CULTURAL LANDMARKS, NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER, LEGACY BUSINESSES, AND PUBLIC ART THROUGH VALUES-BASED PRESERVATION. IN FY 2021, WE TESTIFIED OR MADE RECOMMENDATIONS ON SEVERAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ISSUES, INCLUDING CHANGES TO FAMOUS SITES LIKE THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND BUILDINGS AND NEIGHBORHOODS RECEIVING LANDMARK PROTECTION FOR THE FIRST TIME, LIKE THE FORMER NAACP HEADQUARTERS AT 70 FIFTH AVENUE AND THE PARKCHESTER HISTORIC DISTRICT. IN RESPONSE TO THE PROPOSED REZONING OF SOHO/NOHO, WE RELEASED A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ANALYSIS, INTERACTIVE MAP, AND 3D MODEL THAT ALLOWED NEW YORKERS TO VISUALIZE POTENTIAL NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THESE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS. OUR ADOPT-A-MONUMENT AND ADOPT-A-MURAL PROGRAM CONTINUED ITS WORK CONSERVING PUBLIC ART ACROSS THE FIVE BOROUGHS, WITH MAINTENANCE TREATMENTS COMPLETED FOR THE MONUMENTS TO PETER STUYVESANT IN STUYVESANT SQUARE AND JOAN OF ARC ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE; AS WELL AS THE BELLRINGERS IN HERALD SQUARE, THE NEW YORK KOREAN WAR MONUMENT IN BATTERY PARK, AND THE BRONX VICTORY WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL ON MOSHOLU PARKWAY.

MAS PROMOTES DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS, EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE INFRASTRUCTURE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND INVITING OPEN SPACE THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE, COMMUNITY-BASED URBAN PLANNING. AS PART OF OUR ONGOING FIGHT FOR LIGHT CAMPAIGN, WE RELEASE A POLICY BRIEF TITLED "A FRAMEWORK FOR A CITY BUILT FOR SUNLIGHT," WHICH CALLS ON THE CITY TO ENACT ROBUST BUILDING AND PUBLIC REALM DESIGN GUIDELINES AND IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS. IN MARCH 2021, WE RELEASED "UP TO THE TASC," IN PARTNERSHIP WITH REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION AND THE NYU GUARINI CENTER. THIS WHITE PAPER OUTLINES A NEW LAND USE MAPPING TOOL THAT INCORPORATES 45 INDICATORS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL VULNERABILITY FACTORS THAT WE BELIEVE WOULD FOSTER BETTER COMMUNITY-LED PLANNING. THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR, WE WORKED TO RENDER AND QUANTIFY THE IMPACT THAT 960 FRANKLIN AVENUE'S PROPOSED TOWERS WOULD HAVE ON BROOKLY BOTANIC GARDEN. IN SEPTEMBER 2021, AFTER MONTHS OF ADVOCACY BY MAS, THE NEW YORK CITY PLANNING COMMISSION VOTED UNANIMOULSY TO REJECT THE DEVELOPER'S REZONING APPLICATION. IN ADDITION, WE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN THE PUBLIC REVIEW PROCESS FOR REZONINGS IN SOHO/NOHO, FLUSHING, AND GOWANUS, AND WEIGHED IN ON THE FUTURE OF PENN STATION, THE COASTAL FLOOD RESILIENCY PLAN, AND OTHER MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE TOPICS.