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Posts tagged "Livable Streets"

StreetFilms Saturday, March 19, 2016
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Sneckdown: The Streetfilms Comic Strip!

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This year in NYC we had one giant #Blizzard2016 but little other snow to speak of.  The region as a whole has missed out on the train of traditional nor'easters that dump feet of snow on the D.C.-Baltimore-Philly-NYC-Boston megalopolis.  This year #sneckdown hunting was certainly down.

But we still wanted to get this fantastic comic strip on sneckdowns that my brother Gary put together out in front of the masses (and we'll probably be using it every season anyway!) It's a real unique way to have a little humor and educate the public on traffic calming and Vision Zero. In fact, we are hoping to raise a little bit of funding so we can do this on different transportation terms maybe monthly. So hopefully more to come. Enjoy and click the image below to embiggen.

sneckdown

StreetFilms Wednesday, January 30, 2013
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Re-Introducing Zozo, our Lovable Livable Streets Hero!

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Back in the Summer of 2010, the Streetfilms crew shot & edited ten wonderful vignettes starring Zozo, a purple Henson-designed creature, for the now-defunct Livable Streets Education. It was a great team effort from our colleagues Kim Wiley-Schwartz and Rebecca Jacobs as well as the hugely talented folks we partnered with to write and plan them. It's still one of the best times I have ever had as a camera person.

Each short was designed to teach children about the environment we live in and why walking, bicycling and taking transit is so important. They're great tools to use not only in a classroom-type setting, but for adults to introduce to their own children the livable streets world in a fun way.

However, due to various circumstances, the vignettes never got quite the publicity we desried them to. Thus this year I am going to be promoting them whenever I can. Until now, the films have only appeared on the Meet Zozo site but we have added them officially to Streetfilms in the hope that our fans will take to Zozo.

If you want to help promote or use the Zozo shorts, here are some things you can do:

1. Watch the videos on Streetfilms or Meet Zozo. Tell your friends about Zozo on Twitter & Facebook and make sure you reference us.

2. If you click on the Vimeo button, you can download the films for FREE to show your kids, their friends, your classroom, fellow advocates, etc.

3. If you want to go even further, there are even Zozo coloring book sheets you can download here and explore  the Meet Zozo site to see sample lessons that were prepared by Livable Streets Education.

4. Check out Streetfilms' pretty awesome mini-doc that started it all, The Search for the Zozo!

StreetFilms Friday, February 17, 2012
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Mark Gorton Brings the Livable Streets Message to India

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Last week Streetfilms founder Mark Gorton was on a speaking tour in India and we were there to document. Here's a taste of the tour.

 

Mark is an information technology and finance entrepreneur, and he was able to bring his presentation, "Rethinking the Automobile: Lessons from 100 years of Urban Experience with the Automobile” to India's top thinkers, business leaders, and information technology students. The week-long tour, organized by the Institute for Transport Development Policy, made stops in Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad, generating a buzz in the media in each city.

Streetfilms will be bringing you more videos from India. In the meantime you can watch our montage and check out these photos.

StreetFilms Monday, December 6, 2010
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Streetfilms Testimonials: It’s Official, You Love Us!

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At our Streetfilms fundraiser in November we set up a cool testimonial booth where attendees could share their thoughts: what Streetfilms influence has been, how our mission has helped them personally and the value we provide the world as a resource. We'd like to thank the dozens of folks who gave us kind answers in this sweet, short montage.

As you may be aware, Streetfilms needs to continue to diversify our funding sources in the coming year in order to thrive and continue to make quality films. With that in mind there are a few things you can help us to have a prosperous 2011!

1 - Please consider making a year-end donation to Streetfilms.  To do so just follow this link.

2 - Fill out our very short Streetfilms survey and provide feedback.  Here's that link. (Note: as a carrot to dangle: one random person will win a $100 Amazon gift card.)

3 - If you or anyone you know (organization, individual) is interested in sponsoring a Streetfilm in production, please feel free to contact us at: info [at] streetfilms [dot] org.

4 - Keep watching. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.  Continue to tell your friends about Streetfilms, get them to watch our films.

Thanks.

Clarence Eckerson Jr.

StreetFilms Wednesday, November 17, 2010
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Meet Zozo! (Official Website Launch)

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Today we are happy to announce that Zozo, our purple, livable streets mascot finally has his own website!  Just go to www.meetzozo.com to check out all ten of the Zozo shorts - including films about walking, biking, car sharing and transit as Zozo walks the streets of Park Slope in Brooklyn, NY.

It's very educational for the youngest ones in your home, but it's also about Zozo being his Zozo fun self and there's lots in here that will make the adults smile too. Our staff here at Streetfilms shot & edited all of these and here we present you with a funny montage featuring outtakes and other fun moments that didn't make the cut.  As you will see, Zozo is a charmer.

StreetFilms Monday, November 1, 2010
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Revisiting Donald Appleyard’s Livable Streets

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You may have wondered, while watching a Streetfilm or reading a post on Streetsblog, where we got the term "livable streets."FTGMlogo4web

The answer can be found in the work of Donald Appleyard, a scholar who studied the neighborhood environment and the ways planning and design can make life better for city residents. In 1981, Appleyard published "Livable Streets" based on his research into how people experience streets with different traffic volumes.  The Second Edition of Livable Streets will be published by Routledge Press in 2011.

Today we're revisiting Appleyard's work in the second installment of our series, "Fixing the Great Mistake." This video explores three studies in "Livable Streets" that measured, for the first time, the effect of traffic on our social interactions and how we perceive our own homes and neighborhoods.

"Fixing the Great Mistake" is a new Streetfilms series that examines what went wrong in the early part of the 20th Century, when our cities began catering to the automobile, and how those decisions continue to affect our lives today.

StreetFilms Wednesday, March 24, 2010
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L.A. Street Summit 2010: Building Momentum for Change

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Whatever way you slice it, the L.A. Streets Summit 2010 was a big success.  Take a gander at our wrap-up vid featuring many voices from the hundreds of conference attendees who made connections and started some L.A. synergy for livable streets.

As a special bonus, NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan (who spoke at Occidental College the previous Thursday night) dropped by the Los Angeles Trade Technical College to provide some inspiring mojo in the form of before & afters of her work transforming NYC's streets.

StreetFilms Saturday, September 19, 2009
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PARKing Day 2009 NYC

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This year we took it down a notch. After covering PARK(ing) Day events for the past three years, we figured it was about time we got to relax a little and enjoy the space and - frankly - not get dehydrated from bicycling about all day. Oh, that and the fact we were trying out the new-ish FLIP cameras to evaluate whether or not you can pull off a good-looking video with them. I think the result speaks for itself.

So sit back and enjoy. This year over twenty countries participated. New York City featured about 50 spaces filled to the gills with people, sod, chairs, food, fun, games, and in one case - bubbles galore! You'll also get a look at "Hex Pack Patio" the POP.Park winning design from Samina Iqbal.

StreetFilms Thursday, July 16, 2009
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“Stop the Pollution, Pick a Solution”

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Ever heard an anti-idling rap? Or seen the "Funky Pollution Dance?" Tune in to this video to see what Livable Streets Education students are up to at MS 51 in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

StreetFilms Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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Summer Streets Are Back!

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this week the return and expansion of the Summer Streets program along with more than 1,500 free events taking place throughout New York City this summer.  The Mayor was joined by the Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, who noted that some 50,000 people enjoyed Summer Streets last year and that these temporary car-free streets were spreading this year to 14 locations across all five boroughs. Among some of the others supporting the Mayor's announcement were Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, Def Jam record label co-founder Russell Simmons and actor Luis Guzmán.

StreetFilms Monday, June 29, 2009
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San Francisco Carves a Park from the Midst of Its Pavement

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The entire family of San Francisco city agencies responsible for maintaining its streets made an unconventional decision to close a portion of a street to cars and convert the new space into a simple, yet elegant, public plaza. The project combines all the important elements of plaza creation that have been successful in New York City and elsewhere: take space from cars, use simple treatments to convert the space into a pedestrian sanctuary, including movable furniture and leftover granite blocks from city salvage yards, and engage commercial interests around the plaza to help maintain and care for the new public realm.

Though some neighborhood constituents voiced skepticism that the plaza would be empty at best, or filled with miscreants and vagabonds at worst, the plaza's success is hard to dispute. In fact, so many people are using the new space and enjoying the tables and chairs, the businesses around the plaza have contemplated leaving the furniture out later than sunset, which was the initial closing time agreed upon between them and the Castro/Upper Market Community Betterment District. This film takes an in-depth look at the construction of the plaza with some of the agencies responsible for it, and includes some entertaining man-on-the-street interviews.

StreetFilms Saturday, June 20, 2009
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After School with Livable Streets Education

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This spring, Livable Streets Education worked with teacher Tim Devaney at De La Salle Academy in Manhattan to bring real world issues into the classroom and the classroom out into the real world.  This afterschool program allowed students to explore, observe and interact with the streets and public space around their school, and provided first hand lessons in science, sustainability, civics and language arts.  Get in touch to bring Livable Streets Education to your school, public event or other great venue for livable streets learning.

StreetFilms Friday, May 29, 2009
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Block Party NYC

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2008 was the kickoff for BlockParty NYC, a new on-line initiative to promote block parties in the five boroughs.   The site helps you plan your own block party or find and existing parties near you so that you can enjoy a day free from the usual hazards of a car-filled street. You can also apply for a mini grant to throw a party, but you better hurry since the deadline is fast approaching.

To celebrate block parties we created this mini film.  Last year Streetfilms visited many parties and talked to residents about their streets and life without the automobile.  We were also able to talk to urban planners, community figures like Majora Carter, historians, and NYC photographer, Rebecca Lepkoff.

StreetFilms Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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Trailer: The Search for the Zozo

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The Zozo is coming...

Our eclectic mockumentary "The Search for the Zozo" is only days away from debuting.  Until then you'll have to do with the charm of this mysterious promo which is all sorts of wonderful and features lots of NYC notables.  Have you seen the Zozo? Check back in a few days to see if we found it.

StreetFilms Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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Making Streets Safer for Seniors

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Transportation Alternatives' Safe Routes for Seniors campaign started in 2003 to encourage senior citizens to walk more by improving their pedestrian environment. Funded by the New York State Department of Health's Healthy Heart program, this was the first program of its kind to address the needs of elderly pedestrians.

In 2008, the City of New York launched its own Safe Streets for Seniors initiative based on TAs Safe Routes for Seniors. Focusing on 25 areas with high senior pedestrian fatalities, this program is paving new ground. Yet, some including seniors not in these zones are asking, is it enough? Stats released by Transportation Alternatives show that:

  • People aged 65 years and older make up 12% of the population, yet they comprised 39% of New York City's pedestrian fatalities between 2002 and 2006.
  • The fatality rate of senior pedestrians is 40 times greater than that of child pedestrians in Manhattan.

This video is an overview of what Transportation Alternatives, New York State Department of Health, NYC DOT, community groups, and elected officials are doing to promote safe streets for seniors.

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