John Surico
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johnsurico.bsky.social
John Surico
@johnsurico.bsky.social
Cities and their discontents.

Prof-alum at NYU Journalism. Climate guy at Center for an Urban Future. Working on a book with Street Plans. Chair of 31st Ave Open Street Collective.

Author of a monthly newsletter called Streetbeat. Allora.
Pinned
Helluva day to give a talk about New York City later tonight. Hope to see some folks there :)
https://luma.com/lfzhy7y1?utm_source=john
t.co
Helluva day to give a talk about New York City later tonight. Hope to see some folks there :)
https://luma.com/lfzhy7y1?utm_source=john
t.co
November 5, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by John Surico
Great piece via @johnsurico.bsky.social on @streetfilms.bsky.social's Clarence Eckerson Jr., the OG and hardest-working man in livable-streets show business.
hellgatenyc.com/livable-stre...
The Livable Streets Revolution Has Been Televised—By This Guy
For more than two decades, Clarence Eckerson Jr.'s videos have shown that walkable, bike-friendly streets are possible. Now, he's thinking about hanging up his camera.
hellgatenyc.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by John Surico
Hey all! I hope you enjoy this @hellgatenyc.com article on me written by @johnsurico.bsky.social and my 20 years with Streetfilms (and even longer than that.) I got a little emotional from reading all the kind words. @openplans.org @nyc.streetsblog.org

hellgatenyc.com/livable-stre...
The Livable Streets Revolution Has Been Televised—By This Guy
For more than two decades, Clarence Eckerson Jr.'s videos have shown that walkable, bike-friendly streets are possible. Now, he's thinking about hanging up his camera.
hellgatenyc.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by John Surico
E-bikes retail for $2,000 on average, a price point that deters some from investing in one. Companies like Upway are trying to establish a market for cheaper, used e-bikes and expand their accessibility to more would be riders.

via @johnsurico.bsky.social
The Quest for a Cheaper E-Bike
As the number of battery-boosted bikes grows in the US, companies that refurbish second-hand cycles are looking to lower the barriers to bike ownership.
www.bloomberg.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Reposted by John Surico
"If there was a way to make 31st Street even more dangerous than what it was, it’s what you have now: three lanes of parking on some stretches and a lack of clarity for drivers and cyclists"

@nyc.streetsblog.org @johnsurico.bsky.social
Unfinished Astoria Bike Lane Languishes As Judge Delays Lawsuit Ruling - Streetsblog New York City
The completion of Astoria's 31st Street protected bike lane may get pushed to next year if a Queens judge doesn't make up her mind soon.
nyc.streetsblog.org
October 29, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by John Surico
Great feature by @johnsurico.bsky.social of @nycfuture.bsky.social and Nick Underwood in @nytimes.com that explores NYC's flood resiliency. Our #stormwater report, outlines how natural areas capture 17% of runoff in the city! Learn more: bit.ly/3LkkvHT
Revisit the stormwater report: bit.ly/4qz3MB4
New York Is Going to Flood. Here’s What the City Can Do to Survive.
Adaptation is a matter of survival, and the city may have to throw every solution available at a worsening situation.
bit.ly
October 21, 2025 at 1:47 PM
The feature that gave Gotham its strength is one of the greatest challenges it faces today—confronting what feels like a near-existential threat perhaps the most profound test yet of its resiliency. Our @nytimes.com story asks: can we do it?

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
New York Is Going to Flood. Here’s What the City Can Do to Survive. (Gift Article)
Adaptation is a matter of survival, and the city may have to throw every solution available at a worsening situation.
www.nytimes.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by John Surico
Listen, there are loads of reasons to be pessimistic about NYC and flooding. Our aim with this piece, which we've been working on for months, was to lay out the possible solutions as they are, without being naive. I hope we've done that. Please read and share this gift link and lmk what you think.
What New York Can Do to Survive Flooding (Gift Article)
Adaptation is a matter of survival, and the city may have to throw every solution available at a worsening situation.
www.nytimes.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Honored to be a part of it 💪

If you're an adjunct instructor at NYU, DM me to join the 230+ of us and counting!

nyunews.com/news/2025/09...
Part-time faculty union calls for paid family leave - Washington Square News
More than 100 members of NYU’s adjunct faculty union are demanding that the university amend its 2022 contract, currently set to expire in 2028, to include paid family leave. The move was announced ea...
nyunews.com
September 26, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by John Surico
Mayor Adams is set to announce the expansion of containerized garbage collection to Brooklyn Community Board 2, which includes areas like Fort Greene, Cobble Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, and Boerum Hill
September 16, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by John Surico
TEASER TRAILER #02

Featuring the voices of: Magdalena Moranda, Ross Barkan, Michael Thomas Carter, @johnsurico.bsky.social, @michaellangenyc.bsky.social, and @sofaptekar.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/1zBG...
TEASER TRAILER #02
open.spotify.com
September 4, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Reposted by John Surico
I don’t cycle in Queens often so Friday afternoon was a great time to get a tour of the first two phases of 31st Avenue by @johnsurico.bsky.social!

Highlights:
🚲 16’ wide bike lane segment
🚶 amount of new pedestrian space
🚦 bike signals placed at eye level
🤫 how calm and quiet the street is!
September 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Trucks! Cities can't live with them but can't live without them. So how do we deal? For @bloomberg.com, I look at weigh-in-motion technology (WIM) on NYC's BQE (and now elsewhere!) as one potential policy solution, amongst others. Much ado about the big rigs: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
NYC Grapples With a Weighty Dilemma: What To Do About Trucks
Heavy tractor trailers strain highway bridges and deliver noise and pollution to urban communities. But cities like New York also depend on trucking.
www.bloomberg.com
September 5, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Excited for this!
September 5, 2025 at 1:24 PM
There's no park like Flushing Meadows. But as demand and challenges grow, public $ haven't kept up. In the latest from @nycfuture.bsky.social, @jbowlesnyc.bsky.social and I laid out 20 ideas for local leaders to deliver the investment for FMCP that's long overdue. nycfuture.org/research/The...
The Park Queens Deserves | Center for an Urban Future (CUF)
Center for an Urban Future report with 20 ideas for fully realizing the potential of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
nycfuture.org
September 1, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by John Surico
August 12, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Folks: I'm going to SXSW! Actually... maybe!

I’m part of a proposed panel unpacking a question facing cities everywhere: Can tech really save urban life?

But we need your votes to help us get to the stage! If you can, appreciate any/all support :)
participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...
PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals
PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.
participate.sxsw.com
August 7, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Excited to share that I'm starting *year 3* as @nycfuture.bsky.social's climate fellow!

In my years working with CUF, we've amassed an impressive portfolio on parks/open spaces and sustainability as key pillars of livability. And at a pivotal moment for the city, it's more pressing than ever.
August 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
This month's Streetbeat starts on a personal note about watching millions of Americans get tossed off Medicaid when it was the only thing that saved my family, and ends on a picture of our feline friend. In between is all sorts of other stuff. Check it out: streetbeat.substack.com/p/streetbeat...
Streetbeat, Vol. LXVI
How can our curbs keep up with online delivery?
streetbeat.substack.com
July 31, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Reposted by John Surico
The 1st phase of the 31st Ave Bike Blvd in Astoria is complete and looks great. Sharing some photos as NYC DOT was nearly done. Dramatically more pedestrian space, much safer pedestrian crossings, and high-comfort cycling connecting to the waterfront and Manhattan. More: www.nyc.gov/html/dot/htm...
July 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The first 'microhubs' have arrived in New York City as the latest fix for what feels like endless truck traffic. But can they work? Latest piece in @nymag.com weighs scale, data, logistics, and the political third rail: street parking. www.curbed.com/article/deli...
The Upper West Side Is Trying to Tame Delivery Traffic
The city’s new pilot of microhubs for Amazon and UPS deliveries seems to be working. Too bad it’s tiny.
www.curbed.com
July 10, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by John Surico
Great article on managing Central Parks drives for pedestrians, runners, bikes and carriages. Thanks to @johnsurico.bsky.social for including JFK Promenade and Sunset Dunes for comparison.

@sunsetdunes.org @streetsforall.org @streetsforward.org @walksf.org
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined
As more urban green spaces go car-free, how does the world’s most-visited city park deal with a growing crush of bike and pedestrian traffic?
www.bloomberg.com
June 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by John Surico
Even when I lived in NYC 15 years ago, the Central Park loop was congested.

Finally, the park is redesigning the space to make room for everyone from strolling photo-taking holidaygoers to runners (🙋‍♂️) to cyclists nabbing their next Strava segment.

via @johnsurico.bsky.social
Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined
As more urban green spaces go car-free, how does the world’s most-visited city park deal with a growing crush of bike and pedestrian traffic?
www.bloomberg.com
June 30, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Central Park is redesigning its drives for the first time in a generation. And with its size and scope, it’s probably the best case study we have right now of balancing rapidly changing forms of mobility in urban green spaces. Latest for @bloomberglp.bsky.social: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined
As more urban green spaces go car-free, how does the world’s most-visited city park deal with a growing crush of bike and pedestrian traffic?
www.bloomberg.com
June 27, 2025 at 12:39 PM