By Robert Yaro, President, RPA
When John V. Lindsay was a charismatic young Republican Congressman from Manhattan's Upper East Side and ran for Mayor in the fall of 1965, I was a student at Richmond Hill High School in Queens. At that time, the nation was still traumatized by the assassination of John Kennedy only two years before; and many New Yorkers felt Lindsay could provide the same kind of progressive leadership for the city that Kennedy had given the nation.
To the extent I could as a high school student, I shared this enthusiasm. Lindsay was my entry into politics and government as something noble, as a calling for the public good, rather than for individual greed or selfishness. My admiration for the man was probably similar what of many young people feel for President Barack Obama today.
In any event, I volunteered for the Lindsay campaign that fall, making phone calls and handing out leaflets. I even met the candidate on several occasions during the campaign. I remember his handsome face, at the center of which was his mega-watt smile.
The highlight of the campaign for me was the debate between Lindsay and his two opponents -- William F. Buckley and Abraham Beame -- before a packed auditorium at my high school! Lindsay sparkled, even as Buckley, known for his verbal acuity, ran rhetorical circles around both of his opponents.
The handsome young Republican was elected, of course, and assembled a remarkable group of progressive young officials to staff his administration. New York faced an exceptional set of challenges during Lindsay's two terms, including white flight and racial strife, but even as Newark and other American cities faced catastrophic riots during that troubled era, Lindsay helped keep the lid on things here by walking the streets of the city's most troubled neighborhoods. Lindsay's administration promoted a number of innovations that we take for granted today, including creation of the city's first urban design office and street closings for pedestrians and bicycles.
But Lindsay's legacy is not all positive. His administration arguably had a certain naïveté that led them to overlook or to not confront substantive problems that developed or worsened on their watch, including labor and fiscal troubles and the decline of the city's parks and transit system.
Whatever his legacy, it's time for a look back on it and an impressive series of events is doing just that. They include a major retrospective at the Museum of the City of New York, a PBS documentary on Channel 13 and several symposia. You can decide for yourself whether the Lindsay legacy is a glass half-empty or half-full. As for me, I've retained my deep reverence for John Lindsay and all that he did to sustain New York's greatness during troubled times.
@RegionalPlan
John Lindsay, in challenging many Robert Moses mega -auto projects was a pioneer in taming the car while trying to provide more balance with other transportation modes . He pioneered the Sunday closings of selected Manhattan streets during the holiday season,urban mall concepts,the Sunday closing of Central Park to vehicular traffic as well as the first bike to work day. Small steps,no pun intended ,for today but truly the beginnings of promoting bike-ped programs in NYC well before sustainable communities, transit oriented development,thinking green were in vogue on a daily basis.
Dr. Floyd Lapp,FAICP
The accolades to Mayor Lindsay as a "livable streets" pioneer are well-deserved. Far less known, however, is his administration's sterling record in safeguarding the environment and public health through such innovative measures as surcharging high-sulfur fuel oil and proposing an efficient and economical alternative to the Storm King power plant that helped kill that unnecessary and destructive project. These achievements too deserve to be part of the Lindsay legacy.
My first job out of college was with the Lindsay administration as a kind of in-house freelance designer for the Parks Department. I was engaged in several interesting projects such as designing a turnstile pay for entry scheme for the Central Park Zoo and a master plan for the Broadway Malls. As the Lindsay administration came to a close I left for a position with a well regarded private firm, M. Paul Friedberg & Associates. However the vagaries of the private sector soon overtook that opportunity and I returned to the Parks Department discouraged about private practice. I then pursued a degree in city planning at Pratt while a full time City employee and over the years have realized a dual degree profession that has been very rewarding in institutional, private and public sector work. While this is a bit drawn out I return to my opening statement: my first job was with the Lindsay administration. Those heady days of believing that real progress can be made through thoughtful and innovative programs and actions have informed my career ever since with a light that has been a constant guide to my professional endeavors. I realize you were not perfect, but nonetheless, thank you John.
I would like to purchase a copy of the program.
Thanks for the info.