NYU has announced its intention to reduce the proposed square footage for their controversial Greenwich Village expansion plan by approximately twenty percent.
New York University's contentious plan for campus expansion in the village will be reduced from 2.3 million square feet to just under 2 million square feet. The plan adds new dorms, classrooms, and commercial space to the two superblocks surrounding Washington Square Park. The university currently owns and operates 7 buildings surrounding the landmark park.
As one of the top 5 employers in New York City, NYU has its share of proponents. However the Greenwhich Village Historic Preservation Society, neighborhood activists, and the community board have all been vocal dissenters against the plan. Opponents argue that NYU's proposed towers are out of scale with the neighborhood's existing building heights and density.
It was for this reason that the Community Board unanimously rejected NYU's initial development plan despite strong support from Mr. Stringer, the Manhattan Borough President who recommended approval to the City Planning Commission on Wednesday. Although NYU's square footage reduction may seem like a compromise, some have argued that NYU overpitched their square footage to have room to negotiate to their ideal range.
Thanks to Elaine Mahoney
Read the full story: N.Y.U. Agrees to Scale Back Its Expansion in the Village
Breaking point: Why the affordable housing business model is unraveling
Affordable housing has never been easy to finance. Now, with rising insurance, debt, and operating costs outpacing rents and subsidies, developers say it’s getting harder to make the math work.
Does Historic Preservation Really Define a “Successful” City?
One common argument against new housing is that a successful city is an historic city. The data says otherwise.
Beating Extreme Heat Through Community Efforts
U.S. cities don't provide residents with enough protection against heat, the deadliest weather-related killer in the world. In New York City, one organization came together to distribute ACs to neighbors in need.
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.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority