Saving money is always a top concern of any co-op or condo board, but with tough economic times and high fuel prices, saving on energy costs can be a challenge. Thanks to deregulation of the New York energy market a little over a decade…
The late 1990s saw a surge of nationwide smoking restrictions put into effect. State by state, legislation banning smoking in various settings was proposed and passed into law. With varying amounts of resistance and controversy, workpl…
Since its launch in 1987, The Cooperator's annual Co-op & Condo Expo has become a fixture on the business calendar of vendors, service providers, board members, building staff members and residents all over the tri-state area. Each year…
When people think of the Bronx, most probably picture an urban landscape of tenements and commercial buildings surrounded by acres of concrete and asphalt—the image of a leafy suburban enclave is perhaps not the first thing that comes t…
New York City takes understandable pride in the many beautiful parks studding the concrete rigidity of its urban grid. This makes it somewhat ironic that one of the lovliest of these green spaces is locked up—accessible only to those lu…
They're the reason you feel safe entering your office or apartment building, the reason you can see across all of New York City out a shiny Empire State Building window, and the reason you receive that package of important papers on ti…
Ever since the first hydraulic passenger elevator was installed in New York City in 1870, the city has relied upon elevators to support its upward growth. Given that few would care to contemplate living or working in a 20-story walk-up,…
"Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” An immortal line from a beloved movie, and perhaps a reflection of how many Western urbanites over the years have viewed the large pockets of Asian immigrants that have settled in their cities. Chinato…
Real estate professionals, developers and builders are all reporting the same thing: today’s homebuyers who are looking for maximum value are asking for more than granite countertops and hardwood floors—they want energy savings and green …
Talk of “green” homes and buildings these days often evokes images of roof gardens, solar panels, and even wind turbines humming in the background. For most co-ops and condos however, “going green” comes incrementally, in much smaller m…