If you're looking for something more productive to do online than comment on Youtube's latest viral cat video, check out City Atlas, the web's newest portal to living sustainably in NYC.
City Atlas goes beyond telling you to put your recyclables on the curb in a blue back on the right day; it connects you to people, organizations and initiatives that are shaping the future of urban life in New York City.
Find listings of events, talks, gardening sessions and outdoor concerts or read (and listen to!) full interviews with individuals who have a huge voice and hand in implementing sustainable programs that make NYC a better place to live. Hear what Projja Dutta, MTA's Director of Sustainability Initiatives, has to say about urban transit and learn the motivation behind the development of Brooklyn's extensive Greenways from their founder, Milton Puryear.
The bar along the bottom of the page is the best way to navigate the site; start with the Explore tab and the Atlas Beat to stay in the loop on sustainable happenings in all five boroughs. The site is designed to be shaped by its users, so leave a comment and check back often to become part of the dialogue that will shape the New York City of tomorrow.
If you like pictures, graphics, charts and diagrams you're in luck! City Atlas strives to be as visual as possible with images that illustrate the concepts it addresses. A trip to City Atlas, unlike rewatching a gerbil play the piano, really makes you think about what it means to be an urban resident. Hopefully after spending even a few minutes perusing the site you'll be more aware that cities are not just a random mass of people in one place, but rather highly organized systems that efficiently serve an astoundingly diverse population in all their equally diverse needs.
City Atlas is a collaborative project reflecting the hard work of members of Artist as Citizen and CUNY's Institute of Sustainable Cities. Follow them on Twitter @cityatlas.
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