Cityscape

Homelessness is on the rise in New York City. According to a recent report from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness is up 11% from 2014. The survey found 75,323 people living on the streets or in shelters in the Big Apple. Mayor de Blasio has been taking a lot of heat for his handling of the homeless situation. But, he recently unveiled a $2.6 plan to help tackle the problem. The 15-year plan would create 15,000 units of housing that would include social services for veterans, mentally disabled people and others in need of assistance. On this edition of Cityscape, we’ll explore other efforts to help combat homelessness in the city, including Councilman Mark Levine’s push to stem evictions, and a program that uses running to combat homelessness.

This is an especially busy time of year in New York City.  Tourists typically come to the Big Apple in droves during the holiday season.  And with all of those out-of-towners comes the opportunity for con artists and hustlers to make some easy money. Our guests on this edition of Cityscape spent years with con artists to uncover their secrets. Trevor B. Milton is an assistant professor in social sciences at Queensborough Community College, and Terry Williams is a professor of sociology at the New School for Social Research.  Trevor and Terry join us to talk about their new book The Con Men: Hustling in New York City.

In the blink of an eye the holiday season is upon us once again. And for a lot of people that will mean more time in the kitchen cooking and baking for family and friends. On this week’s Cityscape, we’re focusing our attention on food, and to some extent, the preparation of it. We'll visit the Museum of Food and Drink in Brooklyn, where some of the exhibits, are, in fact, edible.  We'll also talk with famed food photographer Alan "Battman" Batt who has established a school to train line cooks in New York City.  The school educates unemployed people and places them in restaurants. It's free of charge to students. And we'll check in with Brooklyn resident and classically trained chef Jackie Newgent about her book The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook.

Every day millions of people get to and from their destinations using the New York City subway system. A lot of them are too rushed to take notice of their surroundings. But, not Adam Chang. The freelance art director and designer has been taking the time to uncover the subway’s hidden treasures for his NY Train Project. Adam is cataloging the signs of subway stations on his website. He'll join us on this week's Cityscape to talk about the project. We'll also hear from the author of The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City’s Unbuilt Subway System, as well as talk with a busker who plays the saw at the Times Square, Union Square and Herald Square subway stations.

Each quarter, WFUV works to raise awareness of a particular issue through our Strike a Chord campaign. Past campaigns have focused on everything from mental illness stereotypes to teen suicide prevention. WFUV and Bronxnet Television teamed up to produce a special panel discussion for our latest campaign focused on family caregivers. When you’re faced with having to care for a sick or disabled loved one, you’re bound to encounter a set of new responsibilities – many of which might be unfamiliar or intimidating. Our panel discussion on the subject features the following guests: Randi Kaplan, Director Caregiver Support Program Montefiore Health SystemChris Widelo, Associate State Director for AARP New YorkMatt Kudish, Senior Vice President of Caregiver Services at Alzheimer’s Association, New York City chapterSharon Corso, a caregiver for her husband who has Alzheimer’s Disease

Central Park has long been a magnet for New Yorkers and tourists alike. Some people are drawn to it because of the peace and quiet it can provide in the often obnoxiously loud city. Others are attracted to its ballfields.  And if you’re a runner, you may appreciate both its hilly and flat terrain. Since its inception, artists have also felt the tug of Central Park. Roger F. Pasquier has put together a book that explores how artists have depicted the park in their work dating back to the mid 1800s. Roger studied art history at Columbia and the University of California, Berkley.  He retired from his career as an ornithologist a few years ago, which freed him up to focus on his book, titled Painting Central Park. Roger is our guest on this week's Cityscape.

Women have played a wide variety of roles during wartime. During World War I, their main role was to work in munitions factories, on farms and other areas to replace men drafted into the military. But, as the years progressed, women got more and more involved in war efforts, including serving as journalists covering the combat. On this week’s Cityscape, we’ll talk with a New York City resident who’s penned a novel that explores the role of female journalists on the battleground and in the newsroom during the Vietnam War.  We'll also attend a retreat that takes an unusual approach to helping female veterans cope with PTSD.

From landmark buildings like City Hall to hidden gems like New York Marble Cemetery in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood, New York is a city of endless discoveries. For one weekend each year, the organization OHNY, which stands for Open House New York, invites the public to explore hundreds of New York City’s most impressive sites. On this week's Cityscape we're talking with OHNY Executive Director Gregory Wessner, as well as checking out a couple of sites featured in this year's OHNY weekend.

One could argue that no food item is more New York than the bagel. For a lot of people buying bagels on a Sunday morning is a ritual. But, let’s face it, New York City is a great place to grab a bagel any day of the week. The city is home to a wide variety of places to get a bagel fix. On this edition of Cityscape, we're taking a bite into the history and culture of the bagel in New York City.

You can see a lot of New York City from the top of a double-decker bus. But, outside views of the Empire State Building and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are limiting. If you never venture inside these kinds of iconic places you’ll miss out on some pretty spectacular interiors. A new book encourages readers to look beyond buildings’ facades.  It’s called Interior Landmarks: Treasures of New York. On this week's Cityscape, we're talking with the book's authors, Judith Gura and Kate Wood.