New York is in the process of getting its first new subway stop since 1989. Who decides where new subway stops go? And which comes first—the subway or the people? CUP worked with students in the College Now program at New Design High School to investigate who decides where new subway lines are placed.

To find out how transportation decisions get made, the crew interviewed city planners, the MTA, transportation policy experts, and lobbyists. They jammed at the Javits Center, followed the financing, and scoped construction sites to find out who really decides where new transportation goes.

Together the crew created a newspaper to give you the inside track on the connection between what’s below ground and what’s above. To share what they learned they created the Fast-Tracked newspaper. They presented their project under the High Line, just a few blocks from the site of the new station, to a packed crowd. They also paraded down the 7 Line’s new route with posters and flyers of the decision-makers involved in the subway extension. You can watch a video of their parade here. The newspaper is a great resource for urban planning classes, transportation enthusiasts, and anyone interested in how land use decisions get made in New York City.

Resources & Links

College Now is a free City University of New York program, designed to prepare NYC’s public high school students for success in college. 

The Department of City Planning (DCP) is responsible for establishing zoning regulations and initiating zoning changes in the city.

Hudson Yards Development Corporation (HYDC) is spearheading the implementation of the City’s Hudson Yards development program.

Hudson Yards Infrastructure Corporation (HYIC) manages and coordinates the financing involved in the project (like issuing bonds).

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is responsible for public transportation like subways and buses in the state of New York and Capital Construction is responsible for “mega projects” including the 7 Line extension.

The Pratt Center for Community Development works for a more just, equitable, and sustainable city for all New Yorkers, by empowering communities to plan for and realize their futures.

Funding Support

Major support for this project was provided by the CUNY College Now Program. Additional funding was provided by the Bay and Paul Foundations, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the Henry Luce Foundation.

Special Thanks

Sean Ansanelli, Joan Byron and Elena Conte (Pratt Center for Neighborhood Development), Christina Calabrese, Jessica Daniels, Friends of the High Line, Kristen Chin, Sam Contis, Sandy Hornick (Department of City Planning), Jeannie Kwon, Carolyn Lambert, Kate Larsen, Lee Robert, Mark Schiffman (MTA Capital Construction), Janine Soper, Steven Spinola (Real Estate Board of New York), Brindalyn Webster

Participants

  • CUP
  • Teaching Artists
    Jeff Maki
  • Alexandra Woolsey-Puffer
  • Project Lead
  • Valeria Mogilevich
  • Project Support
  • Christine Gaspar
    Sam Holleran
  • CUNY College Now 
  • at New Design High School
  • Students
  • Sarai Arroyo 
  • Kharee Boyd 
  • Lawrence Daise 
  • Juan Garcia 
  • Isaiah Ortiz 
  • Dayhana Santos 
  • Aldo Sorcia 
  • Chun Fung (Ronex) Tse 
  • Shadiq Williams 
  • Steven Mejas
    • Coordinators
    • Scott Conti
    • Pete Williams

    Press

    Who Is Shaping New York’s Subway Redevelopment?
    • psfk
    • August 15, 2011

    The project juxtaposes the fact that such a construction project creates jobs but there is a suspicious absence of ‘the public’ in MTA’s decisions.

    Fast-Tracked: Who Decides Where the Subway Goes?
    • Urban Omnibus
    • August 10, 2011

    The group investigated how transportation planning works by talking to stakeholders, researching policy and financing, and pounding the pavement.