Curb Space as Urban Infrastructure Budget

Updated: 2025.10.02 20D ago 2 sources
NYC’s trash-bin rollout hinges on how much of each block’s curb can be allocated to containers versus parking, bike/bus lanes, and emergency access. DSNY estimates containerizing 77% of residential waste if no more than 25% of curb per block is used, requiring removal of roughly 150,000 parking spaces. Treating the curb as a budgeted asset clarifies why logistics and funding aren’t the true constraints. — It reframes city building around transparent ‘curb budgets’ and interagency coordination, not just equipment purchases or ideology about cars and bikes.

Sources

Poverty and the Mind
2025.10.02 85% relevant
The NYC trash‑bin rollout analysis centers the curb as a constrained resource—trading off bins, parking, and bus/bike lanes—and explains the long timeline as an interagency coordination problem, exactly the 'curb budget' frame.
Why New York City’s Trash Bin Plan Is Taking So Long
Josh Appel 2025.10.01 100% relevant
DSNY’s 2023 findings: 89% of street segments viable under a 25% curb cap; ~150,000 parking spaces removed; containerization reaches ~77% of residential tonnage amid DOT bus/bike lane expansions and FDNY access concerns.
← Back to All Ideas