Archinect - News

The New York City Rent Guidelines Board approves the largest rent hikes in nearly a decade

2022-06-23T14:20:00-04:00

Roughly 2.4 million New York City tenants will face the biggest rent hikes they’ve seen in nearly a decade after the Rent Guidelines Board approved the increases in a split vote Tuesday night at Cooper Union.

The mayor-appointed nine-person panel, which determines rent adjustments for the approximately one million rent-stabilized apartments in New York City, voted five to four to increase rents by 3.25% for one-year leases and 5% for two-year leases. The rates fall in the middle of ranges approved by the board in May, 2 and 4% for one-year leases and 4 and 6% for two-year leases. This represents a compromise as landlords sought even higher increases, arguing that building maintenance and insurance costs have soared. At the same time, many tenants pushed for rent freezes and rollbacks, noting the rising cost of living in New York City amidst pre-existing poor building conditions. And rising inflation has impacted both sides.

This is the first vote under Mayor Adams’ administration, exhibiting a departure from the approach of his predecessor. Throughout former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure, the board kept rent increases at historic lows, with the highest annual increases at 1.5% on one-ye...

The Asphalt Art Initiative expands to more cities as new statistics point to improved pedestrian safety

2022-04-19T20:06:00-04:00

Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a European expansion of its Asphalt Art Initiative on the heels of a new study from the organization and Sam Schwartz Consulting that revealed some eye-opening statistics about the improvement of blacktop spaces in urban areas. A total of 20 new cities will be given grants of $25,000 each as part of the program’s next round of funding, which has to date gone to fund 45 projects in 41 different locations across the United States.

The joint study of 22 different U.S. test cases revealed that arts-driven transportation projects produce, among other outcomes, a 50% drop in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists, a 37% drop in the rate of crashes involving serious injury, another 25% drop in road rage incidents between pedestrian and motorist, and a 27% increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians who have the right-of-way, suggesting tremendous public health and safety benefits overall.

Asphalt Art Initiative, Amsterdam. Lead artist: ...

New York is moving forward with its controversial congestion pricing plan

2021-09-24T12:13:00-04:00

New York City is moving forward with its plan to install the country’s first-ever congestion pricing law that would tax vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street in an effort to raise money and reduce traffic in the heart of a city that’s home to more than 8 million people.

Construction Drive is reporting that the city government will renew public hearings next week for the scheme, which has been debated on and off since the heyday of the Bloomberg administration.

The controversial push was first approved by the state legislature in Albany in 2019 with the goal of generating over $1 billion a year in revenue, which in turn would help pay for a $51 billion MTA capital project that has since been suspended.

The measure is only beginning to move forward now after being blocked by the Trump administration for a period of years as part of an apparent spat between the executive branch and then-Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Related on Archinect: The War on Cars notches another victory ...

The challenges and opportunities of updating Midtown NY’s aging office towers

2015-12-22T18:20:00-05:00

Amid contentious debate on rezonings across the city, the late 2013 hubbub around an upzoning proposal for East Midtown has, for the moment, abated — but hasn’t disappeared. In a bid to spur significant new development for the first time in decades, the de Blasio administration is currently retooling the Bloomberg-era plan to allow developers to construct much larger buildings [...] Whether this rezoning eventually occurs or not, the buildings in Manhattan’s core aren’t getting any younger.

Is NYC losing its "New Yorkiness"?

2015-05-11T13:03:00-04:00

Amanda Burden often said that, thanks to Bloomberg, "we are building and rezoning today once again like Moses on an unprecedented scale, but with Jane Jacobs in mind." That's oxymoronic. You can't do both. As for who's winning the future of New York, it's clearly the followers of Moses. The preservationists are the underdogs here.

Behind the Scenes at Bloomberg’s Ideas Camp for Cities

2014-07-21T13:29:00-04:00

Serious money is in play in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ “Mayors’ Challenge” for cities competing to show they have come up with promising innovations to cope with 21st-century challenges. “It was a big surprise to hear we’d share our ideas with competitors,” says Gomes. “But it works brilliantly. It’s exactly what you need—everyone sharing and trying to help each other. It’s crazy, but it works.”

Previously:

Herzog & de Meuron's Undulating Condo Design for the Hudson River Waterfront Revealed

2014-07-14T15:22:00-04:00

Since former Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the far west side is the city’s new Gold Coast and Manhattan’s last frontier, a necklace of ravishing projects have been announced along the Hudson River waterfront. The latest reveal is for a new 12-story, 88-unit condominium coming from Herzog & de Meuron Architects. The Hudson Square site at 156 Leroy Street will replace a handful of low-slung buildings that include two auto-body shops, a gentleman’s club and the former Lunchbox Diner.

How the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge Is Being Received in Europe

2014-06-27T13:09:00-04:00

Can a U.S. organization really tell Europe how to run its cities better? [...] Following a successful inaugural challenge last year, the city innovation contest crossed the Atlantic in 2014, winnowing down European applicant cities to a shortlist of 21*, all of whom attended a two-day Ideas Camp staged in Berlin earlier this month. [...] A European organization could not realistically offer anything as substantial as €9 million in prize money.

Previously: Twenty-one finalists for the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge Competition in Europe

Twenty-one finalists for the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge Competition in Europe

2014-05-08T14:58:00-04:00

Twenty-one of what was deemed as the most bold and creative ideas were listed as finalists in the first European edition of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge Competition. European cities with populations of at least 100,000 residents were invited to submit ideas that address a variety of some of the most common and complex urban issues throughout the continent.

In the fall, one winner will get the grand prize of €5 million (approx. US$6.9 million) for the most original and transferable idea, and four more cities will receive €1 million (approx. US$1.4 million).

Below are the finalist cities and a glimpse into the type of issues their ideas address:

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Youth Unemployment
ATHENS, Greece – Civic Engagement
BARCELONA, Spain – Aging
BOLOGNA, Italy – Youth Unemployment
BRISTOL, United Kingdom – Health/Anti-obesity
BRNO, Czech Republic – Public Safety/Civic Engagement
CARDIFF, United Kingdom – Economic Development
FLORENCE, Italy – Economic Development
GDANSK, Poland – Civic Engagement
KIRKLEES, United Kingdom - Social Capital
RAKOW, Poland – Transportation
LISBON, Portugal – Energy
LONDON, United Kingdom – Public Health
MADRID, Spain – Energy
SCHAERBEEK, Belgium – Energy
SOFIA, Bulgaria – Civic Engagement
STARA ZAGORA, Bulgaria – Economic Development
STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Environment
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Civic Engagement
WARSAW, Poland – Tran...

NYC chief city planner Amanda Burden on public space and densification

2014-04-21T13:07:00-04:00

If there is any one lesson that I have learned in my life as a city planner, it is that public spaces have power. It's not just the number of people using them, it's the even greater number of people who feel better about their city just knowing that they are there. Public space can change how you live in a city, how you feel about a city, whether you choose one city over another, and public space is one of the most important reasons why you stay in a city.

Amanda Burden served as New York City's chief planner under Mayor Bloomberg, leading such revitalization projects as the High Line and Brooklyn's waterfront. You can watch the full TED talk below, or read the complete transcript here.

What makes a city work: Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks he knows

2014-03-20T16:32:00-04:00

This is not how most people think of Mr. Bloomberg, who recently stepped down after 12 years as mayor and who is the city’s richest resident. Under his leadership, New York became a land of wealth and plenty, at least for some – in Midtown Manhattan, glassy new high-rises contain the third homes of Russian billionaires; downtown, tourists order $38 steak frites at Balthazar and walk the High Line, an innovative park built with donations from the rich.

The Legacy of Bloomberg’s New York: Who Was Left Behind?

2014-02-07T17:11:00-05:00

According to Brash, the administration had a singular “grand urban vision”—one of New York as a competitive hub for international business deeply rooted in neoliberal ideals.With a radically different vision of the city than those of the working class, Professor Brash argued, many New Yorkers failed to fully benefit from the mayor’s projects and in many instances were left behind.

LEESER transforms historic Strand Theatre into Brooklyn's newest cultural hub

2013-10-03T20:18:00-04:00

The BRIC House and UrbanGlass complex by LEESER Architecture opened its doors to the public on the morning of Oct. 2 in Downtown Brooklyn. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz were present to perform the ribboncutting at Brooklyn's newest creative space.

Back in 2008, Brooklyn-based LEESER won the chance to transform the historic Strand Theatre into what is now a 60,000 sq.foot venue for BRIC Arts | Media, a 35-year-old non-profit organization widely known for its interdisciplinary arts and media programs. The reconstruction project cost $35 million.

An emphasis on community outreach and participation is evident throughout LEESER's redesign of the 1919 building. The central public-gathering and presentation area (known as The Stoop), the white-walled interiors, and the facility's spaciousness create an overall open environment that will be suitable for the venue's various events and functions.

The House is also full of resources for B...

Architects to the Rescue?

2013-09-09T14:19:00-04:00

Almost a dozen major architecture contests are underway. By calling in the pros, city and federal officials are casting a wide net for fixes. “We don’t have all the good ideas, and I don’t care who does have them,” Mayor Bloomberg said recently.

New York City and the feds are turning to design luminaries from the city and around the globe to help the five boroughs rebuild. But are the designers up to the task of saving the city from the next disaster? And will anyone actually follow their advice?

Reshaping New York - How the city changed in 12 years of Bloomberg

2013-08-19T14:37:00-04:00

“We have beaten the odds and the obstructionists over and over again,” the mayor triumphantly declared in his State of the City address in March. He chose an appropriate venue: the Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets, which was a lightning rod for his all-out development policy. A vigorous opposition was beaten in the courts and the City Council in much the same way he often steamrolled opposition to his comprehensive rethinking of development.

While Mayor Bloomberg has attracted media attention recently for his contentious opinions on "stop and frisk" policing and city-wide bans on soda, it's hard to argue with the New York Times' interactive infographic on Bloomberg's twelve-year mayoral run, highlighting his drastic role in city development. A kind of long-form visual report card, the Times focuses on various building and city-planning projects around the city, emphasizing changes in residential complexes, rezoning policies, waterfront development, and bike infrastructure.

The refreshingly simple feature has the reader/viewer fly around a white-styrofoam-model New York City, with areas specific to Bloomberg's development plans highlighted in red. These perspectives are followed by before-and-after photos of details within the site, taken from within Bloomberg's residency.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg Breaks Ground on West 8-Designed ‘The Hills’ Project at Governors Island

2013-07-29T17:51:00-04:00

Last week Friday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg broke ground on The Hills, a new public park land on Governors Island designed by Rotterdam-based landscape architects West 8. Made of recycled construction and fill materials, The Hills will rise 34 to 90 feet above sea level, and the summit of the tallest Hill will provide visitors with a 360-degree panorama of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Lower Manhattan skyline.

New York Design Commissioner David Burney on the Politics of the Public

2013-05-28T20:33:00-04:00

Increasingly it's been cities that have taken the lead on critical issues, from gun control to immigration reform to economic stimulus to climate change. Given the migration of people into cities worldwide, this trend is sure to continue. We might even be in a de facto transition to a society dominated by economically and politically powerful cities — a contemporary version of the great city-states that arose in the 13th century and ruled Europe until the consolidation of modern nation-states.

For almost a decade David Burney has been Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction in New York City.

In an interview with Places editor Nancy Levinson, he reflects on the urban design record of the Bloomberg years, focusing especially on PlaNYC, the ongoing post-Sandy recovery effort, and the potential for cities to take the lead in 21st-century sustainability planning.

Mayor Bloomberg Unveils Plans To Build World's Tallest Ferris Wheel

2012-09-27T19:55:00-04:00

Mayor Bloomberg today will unveil plans to transform Staten Island’s waterfront by building the world’s largest Ferris wheel along with a new retail complex and hotel on sites adjacent to Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George. The New York Wheel will be built just to the north of the ballpark and be 625 feet tall – 84 feet higher than the Singapore Flyer, currently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world.

Mayor Bloomberg announces new "micro-unit" apartment design competition

2012-07-09T19:38:00-04:00

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel and Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Mathew M. Wambua today launched the adAPT NYC Competition, a pilot program to develop a new housing model for the City’s growing small-household population. adAPT NYC seeks to create additional choices within New York City’s housing market to accommodate the city’s changing demographics.

The design competition involves a Request for Proposals for a rental building composed primarily, or completely, of micro-units -- apartments smaller than what is allowed under current regulations. New York City's housing codes have not kept up with its changing population, and currently do not allow an entire building of micro-units. Under this pilot program, Mayor Bloomberg will waive certain zoning regulations at a City-owned site at 335 East 27th Street in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan to test the market for this new housing model. The Mayor made the announcement at the American Institute of Architects' Center for Architecture and also was joined by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs, City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden and Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri, whose agencies collaborated with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development on the creation of this design competition.

HPD will hold a pre-submission conference for ...

Term Limits: Mayor Bloomberg Wants 10 New Gehry Buildings in Two Years

2012-02-01T17:22:00-05:00

“You should know that Frank and I had a conversation backstage,” the mayor said at the opening of the Signature Theater today, “and we both committed to each other that we would get 10 more Frank Gehry projects going here—in the next 700 days. If my math is any good, Frank, that is one every 70 days, so we should meet some time later today to get going.”