Andrew Rasiej.

In our new series, we send our questionnaire about the future of New York City to notable New Yorkers and post their responses. To start off, we spoke to Andrew Rasiej, the founder of Personal Democracy Forum and our partner in the New York Future Initiative.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing New York City right now?

To compete and remain relevant in the 21st century with other major cities around the world is its biggest challenge. Updating its antiquated infrastructure, continuing to attract talented citizens, connecting them to each other and the world, investing in new industries, becoming green, and creating a new generation of enlightened political leadership. These are just a few examples where we are woefully behind other cities.

Can you suggest a few innovative, outside-of-the-box ideas for improving daily life in this city?

Here are a few:

-Reward car sharing (free tolls and parking) and make riding the subways and buses free, and allow taxi riders to double and triple up

-Give free broadband access to any family with students in public schools

-Let off-duty police officers work outside nightclubs and bars in uniform to help keep noise down and improve the quality of life

-Increase bike lanes dramatically, flood the city with free bikes to be shared and, in exchange, enforce traffic rules on bicyclists

-Make cell service available in underground subways to match the way it is above ground, making us safer as well as more productive

-Give tax breaks to building owners who retrofit significant green upgrades to their buildings like green roofs to insulate and capture rain run off, solar panels, systems to turn off unused lighting

-Charge fees to skyscraper owners who illuminate the outside of their buildings at night past 10 p.m.

-Provide free parking and no tolls to green market farmers to sell their food on the streets

-Install more public water fountains and pay for it with a tax on bottled water

-Make all N.Y.C. government data (except information that is personal or of security concern) available in complete form for all to use

-Where appropriate, increase pay for teachers who use the Internet as a tool to expand learning opportunities for students

-Increase enforcement and fines for violating noise ordinances and institute training to police and firemen so that they use sirens only when necessary

-Make City Council hearings happen on weekends and online so working class New Yorkers can participate

-Set the default for the video advertising in taxis to ‘off’ so that if you want to see it you have to turn it on

Shall I go on???

via

Agreed sir & well said… although you said free alot! not sure how my main man Mikey B. would feel about that

Free shit alert!!!

JWT (Former employer) just allowed me to download one of their super exclusive trendletters and get this, it was free!!!

The letters are put together by way wonderful ex-boss Ann M. Mack and a wonderful team at the JWT NYC offices.

Not sure if i’m allowed to do this, but i’m a man of the people so… (whispering in my street peddler voice) get your free E-copy here +

The Jay-Z brand is an amalgamation of the success’ of hundreds of rappers, breakers, hustlers, and graf artists that longed for commercial success and underground respect. Whether Jay-Z has become Jordan or GM is still to be seen. Also check for a video of an event where me and Jay happened to be at. If you read this blog or my tweets, you will know the answer. If not, it may surprise you.

Note: Wherever you view this ad the comments are positive. Will this 60 sec spot make Adage?

via kenji

thedailywhat:

Interactive Poster of the Day: “Dirt Po(or)ster” by Roland Tiangco.

Tiangco explains:

A poster the recipient completes by revealing spot-varnished type with hands made dirty by handling the poster.

[via.]

They have a word for this in my buisness. It’s Brilliant.

soupsoup:

bbook:

Jay-Z (feat. Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun)- What We Talkin’ ‘Bout

Well then. Looks like The Blueprint 3 leaked. Here’s the first track, which we heard in a first draft here a little while back. What do we think?

I’m gonna go ahead and say “overproduced.”

Louis Flip

Ibn Jasper is barber to the stars and image consultant to Kanye West & Lupe Fiasco. In this video he gets all decked out in LV to do what the cool kids do. Kick Flip.

*Side note: Ibn is also the inspiration behind the Kanye West designed LV “Ibn” seen in the video