Last Subway is the fascinating and dramatic story behind New York
City's struggle to build a new subway line under Second Avenue and
improve transit services all across the city. With his
extraordinary access to powerful players and internal documents,
Philip Mark Plotch reveals why the city's subway system, once the
best in the world, is now too often unreliable, overcrowded, and
uncomfortable. He explains how a series of uninformed and
self-serving elected officials have fostered false expectations
about the city's ability to adequately maintain and significantly
expand its transit system. Since the 1920s, New Yorkers have been
promised a Second Avenue subway. When the first of four planned
phases opened on Manhattan's Upper East Side in 2017, subway
service improved for tens of thousands of people. Riders have been
delighted with the clean, quiet, and spacious new stations. Yet
these types of accomplishments will not be repeated unless New
Yorkers learn from their century-long struggle. Last Subway offers
valuable lessons in how governments can overcome political gridlock
and enormous obstacles to build grand projects. However, it is also
a cautionary tale for cities. Plotch reveals how false promises,
redirected funds and political ambitions have derailed subway
improvements. Given the ridiculously high cost of building new
subways in New York and their lengthy construction period, the
Second Avenue subway (if it is ever completed) will be the last
subway built in New York for generations to come.
General
Imprint: |
Cornell University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 2020 |
Authors: |
Philip Mark Plotch
(Director)
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 32mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
360 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8014-5366-3 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8014-5366-6 |
Barcode: |
9780801453663 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!