Following up on my post yesterday skyscrapers in Europe, I’d like to explain why, in detail, central business districts are generally superior to off-center ones like La Défense outside Paris or Washington’s Virginia suburbs. It’s not that I just enjoy the spatial symmetry and … [Read more...]
How Europe Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Skyscraper
I often hear from people who are defending Washington, D.C.’s height limit argue that the restriction gives the city a “European” feel. I disagree with this for a number of reasons – the city has much fewer historic downtown buildings, and the ones it does have are much younger … [Read more...]
The War on Drugs Is a War on Cities
Ken Burns’ new documentary Prohibition is excellent and highly recommended on its own merits, but urbanists should take special note of its urban themes. Cities have always been caricatured as centers of licentiousness, and the booming cities of turn-of-the-century America, teeming with poor … [Read more...]
NJ, the far West Side, and LIC should pay for the No. 7 subway expansion
The transit blogosphere has been falling over itself with excitement since yesterday about Bloomberg's proposal to extend the No. 7 train into New Jersey, and I have to agree that it sounds like a very good plan. It would be much cheaper than the recently-axed ARC project and wouldn't involve a … [Read more...]
Internalizing positive transit externalities
by Stephen Smith The Wall Street Journal ran an article a few days ago claiming that the MTA's recent NYC transit cuts have lowered real estate prices along train and bus lines that have been axed. While it's not a quantitative study, the anecdotes are compelling: "The buyer who buys in Astoria … [Read more...]
NYC 20-Somethings’ Stagnant Wages and Higher Cost of Living
I need help with this one. Is this a phenomenon of statistical cherry-picking or a true trend that should worry us? New York Observer - A Yoke for the White Collar New York’s college grads now hustle for jobs paying 1970s wages. Meet their coping mechanism—massive debt! A younger New Yorker … [Read more...]
NIMBYs sue to force developer to “protect character”
Nearby residents want to stall Columbus Village from being their Upper West Side neighbor. The myth that dense development is bad for the environment continues... Maybe high-priced attorneys help propagate these myths at the expense of the environment and supply of housing for the sake of their … [Read more...]