This article form The New York Times looks at the success of Times Square and talks with real estate experts about whether this success is really such a good thing.
"As a resident of the area, Robert L. Sammons, who lives on 42nd Street between Ninth and 10th Avenues, might be expected to stew about this sea of humanity. But he also happens to work in the field of commercial real estate in a position of some visibility, and in this capacity he raises a question about the health of Times Square: Could it become a victim of its own success?"
"A poll conducted by a group of local businesses, called the Times Square Alliance, found that of 2,350 Times Square workers who were asked for the top reasons they would consider working elsewhere, 68 percent cited congestion."
"But it is rare for those in the real estate industry to question the success of the area, which is generally defined as the blocks along Broadway, Seventh and Eighth Avenues from 42nd to 48th Streets. About six million square feet of commercial space was added to Times Square from 1996 to 2003; the total is about 32.7 million square feet. About 13.7 million more square feet is projected to be developed by 2020."
Read the full story: A Place So Crowded, Nobody Goes There Anymore
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority