In this piece from The New York Times criticizes plans for a railyard redevelopment in Manhattan as overblown and lacking architectural ambition.
"Given current economic realities, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's selection on Wednesday of a team led by Tishman Speyer to develop the West Side railyards seems like a wishful fantasy. Yet even if the project takes decades to realize, it is a damning indictment of large-scale development in New York."
"Like the ground zero and Atlantic Yards fiascos, its overblown scale and reliance on tired urban planning formulas should force a serious reappraisal of the public-private partnerships that shape development in the city today. And in many ways the West Side railyards is the most disturbing of the three. Because of its size and location - 12.4 million square feet on 26 acres in Midtown - it will have the most impact on the city's identity. Yet unlike the other two developments, it lacks even the pretense of architectural ambition."
"On the contrary, as a money-making venture conceived by a cash-starved transit authority, it signals a level of cynicism that should prod us to demand a moratorium on all such development until our public officials return to their senses."
FULL STORY: Profit and Public Good Clash in Grand Plans
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Cash for Transit Drives Hudson Yards Plan
James S. Russell comments on the $1 billion deal to redevelop Hudson Yards, and finds the plan lacking in vision.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
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Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
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Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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