Hudson Yards Development Will Bring Big Things To New York

As design proposals come in for the Hudson Yards development site in Manhattan, Peter Slatin writes that this project more than any other has the potential to bolster the economic power of New York City in a huge way.

2 minute read

October 12, 2007, 7:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"The particulars of the proposals that at least five development teams will deposit on Oct. 11 with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority are sure to differ somewhat in their respective visions of the future of Manhattan's gritty, 28-acre Hudson Yards district. But the plans will certainly all be powered by the same overriding conceptual engine: this contested site is – no pressure, folks – intended to set Manhattan on course for the 21st century and save the city from global obsolescence."

"Large and raw, Hudson Yards isn't just another development parcel. It's a very real and potent extension of what is already the nation's largest, wealthiest and most powerful Central Business District. It's a new piece of, not just a new adjacency to, the market that is the very definition of high barrier to entry. But even before a piling has been driven in what will likely be the $1 billion-dollar decking over of the rail cut that is Hudson Yards itself (not to mention the likely $1 billion price tag for ownership), the site bears the expectations of many constituencies: City Hall and Albany, the would-be developers, the larger real estate industry and the city's business interests, and of the local and regional community."

"The entire redevelopment district, which is larger than the site immediately in question, holds out the potential to engender business and economic development on a grand scale and even resolve, through new mass transit, commuter and freight rail and trans-Hudson connections, some of the terribly difficult infrastructure challenges faced by the entire metropolitan region and especially the city."

Thursday, October 11, 2007 in The Slatin Report

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight