Movement: New York’s Long War to Take Back its Streets from the Car

In her new book, Movement: New York’s Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car, Nicole Gelinas presents a gripping account of how the automobile has failed New York City and how mass transit and a revitalized streetscape are vital to the city's post-pandemic recovery. In a history that spans a century, Gelinas outlines how New Yorkers spent the first half of the twentieth century trying and failing to adapt its urban density to fit the private automobile, then, in the past fifty years, how advocates have been resisting and reversing those mistakes. Moving beyond the now-standard characterization of "Saint Jane" Jacobs versus the villain Robert Moses, Gelinas looks closely at the planners and protestors that both preceded and followed their actions and advocacy.

After her presentation, Gelinas will be engaged in dialogue with Lynne Sagalyn, a scholar of planning, policy, and real estate and author of Power at Ground Zero and recently, Times Square Remade: The Dynamics of Urban Change.

To register for this FREE program, click on the link above to RSVP. You will be redirected to Ticketstripe to reserve your seat. In-person attendance is limited to 50 people, but you can still watch the program live on our YouTube channel when it begins at 6pm. You do NOT need to register for the YouTube livestream.