The Neighborly Substation

January 14, 2009 - by Hope Cohen

Cover: The Neighborly Substation

with a foreword by Peter W. Huber

New York City needs power and it needs land. The closer electrical substations are to the businesses and homes they serve, the better--but neighbors don't want ugly, scary substations near them. Tucking substations beneath buildings and public spaces, utilities in New York's competitor cities London and Tokyo show that facilities can fit in. The Neighborly Substation explains how to update New York's antiquated zoning code to unlock valuable land and build substations where they need to be, in a manner neighbors will accept.

Download Report (PDF)

Slideshow:
Hope Cohen takes the viewer through a tour of substations across the United States and around the world.

Newsletter:
Power to the People! by Hope Cohen, January 2009

Op-Eds
Putting The Sub Back In Substations, Hope Cohen, Architect's Newspaper, 02-18-09
Growing NYC's Grid by Hope Cohen, New York Post, 01-24-09

In the Press
Changes we can all believe in, Grist Magazine, 01-28-09
Why Not Bury Ugly Power Substations?, The New York Times' City Room Blog, 01-16-09

Event
Infrastructure We Can Live With: The Neighborly Substation Conference

Julia Vitullo-Martin: Julia Vitullo-Martin is a Senior Fellow at the Regional Plan Association and Director of the Center for Urban Innovation. Her work focuses on development issues such as planning and zoning, housing, waterfront development, environmental review, building and fire codes, and...
Hope Cohen: Hope Cohen is associate director of RPA's Center for Urban Innovation. Before coming to RPA, Cohen was deputy director of the Manhattan Institute's Center for Rethinking Development, where she focused principally on issues of urban environment and infrastructure, publishing...

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