Outcry Over Manhattan's Latest 'Supertall' Developments

According to an article by Fred A. Bernstein, "all New Yorkers are losing familiar vistas, and some are losing light and air, as supertall buildings sprout like beanstalks in midtown Manhattan." In fact, writes Bernstein, "[there] are a dozen such 'supertalls' – buildings of 1,000 feet or higher – in the construction or planning stages."

Bernstein goes on to cite some of the complaints against the new batch of supertall buildings, including their obstruction of the Empire State Building (a symbol of New York for 85 years and a "wayfinding device par excellence"), the effect of additional shadows on streets and in Central Park, and symbol of inequality they manifest in the skyline.

On that last point, Bernstein writes:

The real generator of form now is the winner-take-all economy — and with it, the demand for sky-high condos at sky-high prices. Virtually all of the new buildings are condominiums with just one unit to a floor, which means they can get by with very few elevators. And that, in turns, mean they can be built even on very narrow lots. In other words, the demand for $20m to $100m condos, with views in all directions and no next-door neighbours, has given rise to a new building type – making the revised skyline the physical manifestation of New York’s income disparities.