Lisa Sladkus, Mobilized Moms 917-842-7183

Location: Let's talk about the Summer Streets program. Has it gone as good as you would have hoped?

Location: Let's talk about the Summer Streets program. Has it gone as good as you would have hoped?

When: Monday, September 15th, 5pm
Where: Steps of City Hall
What: March and rally for a Car-Free Prospect Park

It was on last year's Earth Day that Mayor Bloomberg unveiled his far-reaching plans to make New York City more sustainable, with congestion pricing as one of the centerpieces. For some reason, making Central and Prospect Parks car-free did not make the list of 127 announced initiatives. With congestion pricing off the table for now thanks to some profiles in fecklessness in Albany, the Bloomberg administration has more reason than ever to remedy that oversight.

The year 2007 may prove to be one of the most important years in the storied history of New York City's development. In a future timeline of urban advances, it might be printed in as big a font and as bold a type as 1811--when the grid system was adopted--or 1904--when the I.R.T. subway opened. The text adjacent to 2007 could say something like "the start of livable streets," or "the bike boom begins," or "congestion pricing kicks off." It may turn out that all of those descriptions may suit 2007. The real question is, in hindsight, will they?

The latest round in the debate over the future of the four-acre, former Con Ed site on mid-town Manhattan's East River shore took place today. Civic leaders and local legislators held a press conference to announce the launch of a campaign to ensure that development provides public access to the waterfront and includes a new park. Hopes are that the final project will reflect the spirit if not the details of the designs that came out of the three-day charrette that took place last June.