Business
October 18, 2011, 12:30 pm

Newspaper Boxes: Urban Blight or a Waste of C.B. 3’s Time?

By DAWN LIM

Tali Cantor, an associate director of CIVITAS, is on a quest to get the city to enact stricter rules mandating the upkeep of newspaper boxes. She believes the boxes – often marred by graffiti and stuffed with garbage – have become a “blight on our valuable streetscapes.” Having convinced Community Boards 1, 4, 7, 8 and 11 to support her cause, Ms. Cantor was surprised when she didn’t get the same warm reception as she addressed members of Community Board 3 at the tail end of a two-hour meeting of the Transportation and Public Safety committee last Tuesday. Watch our audio slideshow and you’ll see it’s hard to be a saint in the city. Then tell us what you think: Are the vandalized (decorated?) boxes an eyesore or an indispensable piece of the city’s fabric?

Business