The "Climate Disadvantaged Millionaires" Edition
Guest host Jenn Hendricks on falling air conditioners, innovating garbage by putting in in cans, destruction on Atlantic Avenue, Hudson Yards' new designation, and more
From Rob:
Readers, I’m extremely excited about today’s edition of The Briefly. This is (I’m pretty sure) the first edition that was not written by me! We’re starting with guest hosts this month for some editions, and I hope to see more participation as we move forward.
Starting today, I will try to feature more of your voices, the readers of The Briefly. There are no rules here, so if you’re a professional writer or someone in an agency, you’re welcome to talk to me about writing an edition of The Briefly with whatever level of anonymity you want. If you’re interested in contributing to an edition, please send me an email.
I know I owe a few of you responses about hosting, you should get something real soon.
Today’s "Climate Disadvantaged Millionaires" Edition is hosted by Jenn Henricks:
Hi The Briefly readers! I am so excited to be the host for the week.
My name is Jenn Hendricks, and I am a Brooklyn-based freelance writer, urban researcher, and Development Manager at City Limits. I am interested in regional understandings of community development and public space. I hope you enjoy this edition focusing on New Yorkers’ relationship with home and housing.
• The Museum of the City of New York is showcasing a photo series, New York Now: Home A Photography Triennial. The four-section exhibit featuring 33 artists analyzes the concept of home through the lens of different identities. See the Gothamist’s write-up here, and see it for yourself through August. A big thank you to Stipan for sending over this incredible high res photo of his painting. Check out more of his work @stipan.tadic. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist)
🐀 “Experts” astutely determined that large containers (aka garbage cans) could potentially free up sidewalk space by serving as a space for people to put their rat-infested trash bags. The radical experiment will be rolled out on Vanderbilt Avenue’s Open Street. The area is a mix of residential and commercial properties with low-rise and high-rise buildings, meaning Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street Could Be Model for Trash Containerization (aka garbage cans). Here’s hoping the rest of the city follows suit. (Kevin Duggan for Streetsblog)

📸 James and Karla are husband-and-wife architectural photographers based in NYC. See more of their work on YouTube and Instagram, where they showcase shops, places of interest, and moments of city life that capture the spirit, energy, and cultural diversity of NYC neighborhoods. (James and Karla Murray)

💡 The destruction is unreal! Check out Adam Paul Susaneck’s Segregation by Design, where he uses historic photos to document the complete destruction of vibrant and cohesive neighborhoods in the name of “urban renewal” and freeway construction. Why have community when you can have cars?
There are even video explainers to help really articulate the degree to which thousands and thousands of people were displaced, for example, in this video showing the construction of the dumpy raised piece of pavement called the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Forget getting between boroughs on public transit, but you sure can count on a congested highway to contribute to the “public good.” (Segregation by Design)
• Hudson Yards has been designated as “climate disadvantaged” while other more vulnerable areas continue to face flooding, most of them don’t even make the list of the Final Map of ‘Climate Disadvantaged’ communities. Now, according to The City, the benevolent mapmakers will include some new neighborhoods, hopefully before they’re all underwater. (Samantha Maldonado for The City)
• A falling air conditioner is my nightmare. Thank you to David Regone for sending over his illustration What is New York? David is an architecturally trained illustrator and designer, see more of his work at @david.regone. (David Regone)
• This is next level, making the nursing home in Happy Gilmore look like paradise. A nursing home nightmare that is a Hotbed of Drug Smuggling, Violence, Neglect and Theft. (Amir Khafagy for Documented)
• Out of all the ways landlords make our living situations miserable, it’s especially easy to take advantage of tenants in illegal basement apartments because the apartments' illegality means they’re not subject to the regulation and basic safety standards landlords are so reluctant to provide anyway. Because people drowning in their homes wasn’t enough to convince lawmakers that regulation is important, there’s a heated battle in NYC, especially Queens, regarding the status of these below-ground dwellings. (Emma Whitford for City Limits)
I want to thank Jenn Hendricks once again for hosting his edition of The Briefly. See you on Tuesday!