The other day I got some pushback from my weird (non-)historical preservation example, with some people saying that it wasn't a great example of what's wrong with preservation districts – the thing got built, after all! And of course I was being coy – that building was obviously going to pass the … [Read more...]
When “affordable housing” is just a random middle class housing subsidy
Affordable housing and inclusionary zoning are complicated subjects and it's hard to sum up all my thoughts and objections to the schemes in one post, so I'm going to take the death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach. Today's installment: income eligibility levels.Now, the stated intent of affordable … [Read more...]
The effects of the Bloomberg rezonings
Here's a chapter in a book (you can read a lot of it for free) by the same authors of the NYC parking minimum study, but this time on the practical effects of the Bloomberg rezonings. Here's an excerpt from the conclusion: This study helps to shed light on the land use consequences of this tension … [Read more...]
From the comments: “Architects always ask, with a haggard look in their eyes…”
In response to yesterday's post about landmark districts, one commenter said that it wasn't a good example of landmarking gone awry, since the project was approved, apparently without controversy. Of course, he's right – even the Landmarks Preservation Commission isn't going to turn down an … [Read more...]
A question for the blogosphere: How much affordable housing is enough?
Reading about a new ultra-luxury Far West Side rental project going up where over 40% of the apartments are going to have controlled rents ("affordable housing"), I'd like to pose a question to supporters of affordable housing mandates in the planning blogosphere (which includes pretty much the … [Read more...]
Historical landmark districts in two pictures
Ralph Lauren had to get permission from the NYC Landmarks Commission a few years ago to tear down this:...in order to build this: … [Read more...]
Old Urbanist on the failure of Boston’s newest park
Old Urbanist is one of my favorite urbanist blogs (and not just because of the name), and Charlie's got a post up about Boston that I think has a good market urbanist lesson in it. He describes how the formerly elevated Central Artery, buried by the Big Dig, was replaced with a park, with nobody … [Read more...]
Links: A private cable car line for Hamburg, a private downtown for Quincy, Mass., and no adaptive reuse for Brooklyn
1. Hamburg's newly-revitalized port could get a completely privately-funded cable car line, if the city allows it.2. Quincy, Mass., a few T stops away from downtown Boston, is getting a new downtown from a private developer, replete with infrastructure and dense development. It's unique, … [Read more...]