Media:
Communication
and Advocacy
“Writing and lecturing has been a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and share the promise and impact of community-based initiatives.”
Tom believes that writing and lecturing are important tools in advocating for community participation and the creation of urban open space. Position papers, testimonies at public hearings, presenting papers and lecturing at professional gatherings and universities symposia, journalism and op-ed pieces all educate decision-makers, colleagues, academics and the general public and share the lessons learned from successes and failures encountered in our quest for a more sustainable and livable City.
Select Writings & Publications
“It’s time for the Hudson River Park Trust to take the plunge,” The Village Sun, July 9, 2020
“There’s a pandemic—maybe NYC Ferry didn’t get the memo,” Crains NY Business, May 11, 2020
“Hudson River Park needs community input and independent funding,” Crains NY Business, January 16, 2020
“How to get the ferry service right – After a recent chorus of criticism, some remedies,” Crains NY, April 11, 2019.
“Park Trust cuts public out of private Citi dock plan,” The Villager, October 23, 2018.
“Pier Project on the Hudson,” NY Times, Letter to the Editor, June 15, 2017.
“Mayor’s ferry plan at risk of running aground,” Crains NY, June 27, 2016.
The Case Against a ‘Billionaire’s Island’ in the Hudson, New York Observer, September 17, 2015.
“Can the Hudson River Park Trust still be trusted,” The Villager, June 19, 2014.
“Why is funding for the Hudson River Park so contentious,” The Villager, March 14, 2013.
“An Unfinished Hudson River Park Needs You,” New York Daily News, December 2003.
“Volunteers do plenty, but parks are the city’s job,” New York Daily News, August 24, 2001.
“This is the Right Plan, let’s do it,” New York Daily News, April 20, 1998.
“West Side Waterfront Plan a Must,” New York Daily News, June 1996.
“The Right Step – Build the Hudson Footpath,” New York Newsday, November 19, 1992.
“Urban Open Space – An Investment That Pays,” Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, New York 1990.
“Using Vacant Land to Reshape American Cities,” Places, Quarterly Journal of Environmental Design, New York, 1989.
and Anne McClellan. “Brooklyn Queens Greenway – A Design Study,” Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, New York, 1988.
“They’re Shady but Upstanding,” New York Forum, New York Newsday, New York, NY, 1988.
“The Value of Empty Space,” New York Forum, New York Newsday, October 15, 1987.
Anne McClellan and Maria Stanco. The Brooklyn/Queens Greenway- A Feasibility Study, Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, New York, 1985.
“New York City’s Open Space System: The Process of Evolution,” The Quality of Urban Life, Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin, West Germany, 1986.
Ian Koeppel and Susan Kellam. Struggle for Space – The Greening of New York City 1970-84. Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, New York, NY 1985.
“The Value of Empty Spaces,” New York Forum, New York Newsday, New York, NY, 1985
“New York City’s Open Space System.” Longwood Program Seminars. University of Delaware, Newark, DE. (Vol. 15) 1983.
“Fundraising 101; A Short Course in the Basics.” American Community Gardening Association Journal. Ann Arbor, MI (Vol. I; No. 1) 1982.
“Towards the Creation of a New York City Open Space Task Force.” Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, New York, NY 1982.
“The Bronx Land Reclamation Program – A Demonstration in Large Scale Land Treatment and Public/Private Cooperation.” Neighborhood Open Space Coalition. New York, NY 1982.
and Tessa Huxley. “Community Organizations and Participation in Design.” Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Washington, D.C. 1978.
“Solar Fun.” Energy, Management Ideas for Parks. National Recreation and Parks Association, Arlington, VA 1977.
Dune Study Guide – National Park Service Field Guide, Gateway National Recreation Area, New York, 1977.
Select Lectures and Presentations
2020 “Urban Revitalization Trends Panel,” New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate, New York, NY.
2017 “The Growth, Decline and Rebirth of the New York City Ferry System,” Passenger Vessel Association Annual Conference at Maritrends, Seattle, WA.
2016 “Preserving and Restoring Urban Estuaries,” The Second Global Estuaries Forum, Deauville, France.
2016 “Public/Private Partnerships for Urban Waterborne Transportation – London, New York and Sydney” 41st Annual Interferry Conference, Manila, The Philippines.
2014 “Urban Mobility: Access To, and From, the Waterfront,” Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
2013 “Public Participation in Reshaping Communities for Health, Environment and Economic Development,” The 9th European Congress of Community Psychology, Naples, Italy.
2013 “Urban Waterfront Redevelopment: The Importance of Maritime Industry and Waterborne Transportation,” Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Sydney, Australia.
2010 “Creating New York Water Taxi’s Intra-City Waterborne Transportation System,” 25th Annual InterFerry Conference, Brooklyn, NY.
2005 “Small Scale Waterborne Transportation in the New York/ New Jersey Harbor,” 30th Interferry Conference, Athens, Greece.
1996 “Big City, Inner City: Reshaping the Urban Landscape; American Society of Landscape Architects Expo and Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA.
1995 “Public/Private Partnerships for Parks in Urban Settings,” The National Park Service and City University Graduate Center, New York, NY.
1992 “Building Bridges Between the Construction Industry and the Environmental Community;” International Union of Operating Engineers, General Board Meeting, Bal Harbor, FL.
1990 “Redeveloping Manhattan’s West Side Waterfront,” 8th Annual Urban Waterfront Conference, The Waterfront Center, Washington, D.C.
1989 “The Economic Value of Urban Parks and Open Spaces,” National Park Service National Open Space Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
1988 “Reclaiming Land in the City,” 75th Anniversary Symposium, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of California at Berkeley, CA.
1987 “New York City Street Games,” 40th Annual World Affairs Conference, University of Colorado, Boulder CO.
1985 “New York City Open Space System – A Process of Evolution.” Technical University of Berlin, West Germany.
1984 “Urban Wildflowers Transforming the South Bronx,”- National Wildflower Research Center, Johnson City, TX.
1984 “Creating the Active Community”- Green Towns and Cities UK/USA, Liverpool, England.
1983 “Private/Public Action for Open Space Development,” Quality of Life: The Competitive Edge, Chattanooga, TN.
1982 “Building Urban Coalitions,” Second National Urban Forestry Conference, Cincinnati, OH.
1981 “Urban Redevelopment- The Importance of Open Space,” Society for International Development, United Nations, New York, NY.
1980 “Urban Community Gardening,” Community Green Conference, University of Toronto, Canada.
1980 “Urban Microclimate Design- Its Passive Solar Potential,” First National Conference, Minorities Organized for Renewable Energy, San Bernardino, CA.
1979 “Urban Agriculture as an Appropriate Technology,” International Symposium on Appropriate Technology, Delft, the Netherlands.
1979 “Urban Composting Projects: The Role of Local Government,” New Directions in Farm, Land and Food Policy, Nashville, TN.
1979 “The South Bronx Open Space Task Force,” American Society of Landscape Architects, National Conference, New Orleans, LA.
1978 “Heavy Metals and Urban Agriculture,” Clean Air Coalition, Baltimore, MD.
1978 “Do Coalitions Make Good Crowbars?” Urban Ecosystem Conference, New York, NY.