With New Yorkers, and foreigners of means, increasingly smitten with the views afforded by the city's sprouting luxury residential towers, developers and brokers have found a novel way to sell lower-floor spaces - as 'mansions'.
"With the recession emphatically in the rearview mirror of the very wealthy, the mansion lifestyle is back in vogue," writes Robin Finn.
"By sleight of description, developers and brokerages are marketing as mansions enormous and extravagant lower-floor spaces inside — or in a few cases alongside — top-shelf condo conversions. This is because, according to them, using words like 'maisonette' or 'town house' would unfairly diminish the product in the eye of the buyer/beholder."
"Also, according to the purveyors, the newfangled concept is superior to the traditional version precisely because, along with all that newness and potential for customization, it offers an option the old-timers can’t: an embarrassment of 24/7 white-glove amenities, security and service," he continues.
“Maybe,” said Pamela Liebman, the chief executive of the Corcoran Group, “this is New York City’s version of the McMansion, a grand multilevel space that is fully amenitized. This is a way to differentiate a product that hasn’t been offered in the past: but whatever it’s called, it still has to deliver.”
FULL STORY: Call Me ‘Mansion’
Magical Thinking and NIMBYism
Comparing different types of NIMBYism and where they go wrong.
The Relationship Between Rents and Housing Supply
Despite a strong belief in market forces in many other aspects of the economy, many Americans don’t see a correlation between housing supply and housing costs.
Luxury Housing Construction and Rents on the Rise in Tampa Bay
A majority of new construction permits in the region are for high-end housing, accompanied by an increase in average rents.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
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
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
