Oculus

Oculus magazine, AIA New York’s quarterly print publication, is an important means of asserting the identity and advocacy of architects in New York.
Oculus Summer 2020 Cover 1000px
Summer 2020: Urban Transportation in a Time of Crisis

A publication of AIA New York, Volume 82, Issue 3. Cover: Demonstrators march over the Brooklyn Bridge on June 4 after a memorial service for George Floyd, who died May 25 after being restrained by police in Minneapolis. Photo credit: Ted Shaffrey/ AP/ Shutterstock.

Table of Contents
Articles & News
Kim Yao, AIA, and Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA, at the 2020 Board Inaugural in December 2019. Photo: Sam Lahoz.
Letter from the President and Executive Director
Taking Stock
by Kim Yao, AIA, and Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA
Molly Heintz, Editor-in-Chief, Oculus. Photo: Nir Arieli.
Letter from the Editor
Transformation in Progress
by Molly Heintz
Mobile COVID-19 testing labs designed by Perkins and Will, Schmidt Hammer Lassen, and Arup. Photo: Perkins and Will.
Street Level
On the Ground: How a grassroots network of architects produced critical pandemic responses
by Polly Adams
Beyond the Center
Public Art at LaGuardia Airport Terminal B
by Linda G. Miller
Illya Azaroff, AIA.
At the Center
Helping architects join frontline efforts to combat COVID-19. James Russell, FAIA, interviews the United Task Force’s Illya Azaroff, AIA.
Features
Introduction
Rethinking Urban Mobility
The 34th Street station of the Number 7 Subway Line Extension, designed by Dattner. Photo credit: David Sundberg/Esto/Dattner Architects.
Public Transportation in Crisis
In emergencies, essential workers rely on safe mass transit. How can its design offer a cleaner, healthier commute for all?
by Stephen Zacks
Cyclists biking over the Seine on newly minted protected bike lanes at Pont au Change in Paris. Plans for the “City of 15 Minutes”—or Ville du Quart d’Heure—were unveiled in January by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s reelection campaign, Paris en Commun. Image credit: Paris en Selle.
Movement Politics
The best planning responses to the pandemic see transit as a way to move people—and money—during the recovery.
by Patrick Sisson
Installation of the Sunset Park El-Space Pilot at the intersection of 36th Street and Third Avenue. The initiative is a collaboration between the Design Trust for Public Space, the NYC DOT, and various community groups and organizations. Photo: NYCDOT.
Street Smarter
Streets and sidewalks emptied due to coronavirus. Can addressing the pandemic help urban designers reimagine urban mobility?
by Patrick Sisson
A sample sketch by WXY encourages Brooklyn LAB Charter School students to imagine how social distancing might operate at the arrival and queuing area for their school. Image: WXY Architecture + Urban Design.
Visualizations
The Oculus editorial staff posed questions to architects and students, inviting them to submit their early and evolving ideas in the form of visual op-eds.
Noted
36 Book A History Of New York Bloomsbury 1000px
Summer Reading
A History of New York in 27 Buildings, by Sam Roberts. Bloomsbury...
by Stanley Stark FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP
36 Unnamed 6
Corona Chronicles
Starting March 22, 2020, New Yorkers were asked to stay inside their...
by Margaret Arbanas
Op-eds
Adapt to Survive: What Evolutionary Biology Can Teach Us About Our Transportation Future
Evolutionary biology teaches us that in times of great environmental stress, species...
by Jack Robbins, AIA, Partner, Director of Urban Design, FXCollaborative
Reimagining Mass Transportation for a Post-COVID Future
Through the collapse of financial markets, natural disasters, and pandemics, it’s clear...
by Jeff Dugan, AIA, Principal, Dattner Architects
Oculus at US Modernist Library
 
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