Writing in The New York Times, architecture critic Michael Kimmelman sounds off against recently revealed intentions by Related Companies, the developer of Hudson Yards, that could wall off a semi-public park slated for the western end of the mega-project's second phase site.
The plan for the so-called Western Yard development was originally approved containing a green space that dipped down to meet the city's Hudson River edge, but is now potentially being changed to create a "man-made promontory" that could limit visual connections between the High Line and the park, potentially cementing the district's already strong reputation for existing as a "quasi-gated community" in the heart of Manhattan.
Describing rumors of the changing design, Kimmelman writes, "The developer has recently been talking about elevating the yard’s deck several stories to fit a parking garage underneath," adding, "the site would no longer decline toward the river but rise up, as it moved east to west, creating an immense wall, some 700 feet long, just next to the High Line and towering some two stories above it. Related’s skyscrapers at the yard would rise beside and on top of that."
The potential arrangement is familiar for Kimmelman, who likens the approach to earlier intentional design approaches for large-scale developments aimed at limiting public access.
Kimmelman writes, "The plan brings to mind the long history of deals the city has struck with developers to eke public space out of private developments, including the so-called POPS (Privately Owned Public Spaces) of the 1960s and subsequent decades, which, partly through City Hall’s failure to provide oversight, produced many windswept plazas and heavily policed, frequently shuttered office building lobbies — unwelcoming sites that prioritized the privacy developers actually wanted all along."
Given Related Companies' Stephen Ross's vocal support for President Donald Trump, the optics of building a giant wall to separate his development from the public realm are not great. Expect the controversies over this development to increase as planning continues and construction gets underway over the next few years. Construction on the Western Yard is set to be completed by 2024.
If you've ever had questions about the economics and politics of resilience- look no further.
The raised podium will be justified as a need to address climate change and the rising tides of the Hudson. They'll say it's a necessity to protect residents of the development when they're really referring to profits. It points to a quiet hedonism embedded in the city fabric, residents fiddling while the rest of the city drowns.
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Some years ago I predicted a future of walled urban compounds encircling the 1%. As luxury development and gentrification expands to encompass entire cities so to will the walls.
Service people will enter these compounds through security checkpoints similar to TSA screening. If allowed access they will be fitted with GPS ankle bracelets. Failure to meet scheduled exit times will result in a manhunt.
All you need is to cast nicolas cage in a main role and you've got yourself a great movie!
This is going to be awesome!
the nice thing about NYC is the dirty smelling crazy homeless guy yelling at you at 8am en route to work...the suburbs suck because it's all mommy PTA's, etc...this dynamic can not be walled off. Climb the wall!
A society that actually promoted human rights would be more upset about the fact that the homeless guy is homeless than by his unwelcome presence in your morning commute.
where in the paragraph above do I write "unwelcomed", matter fact it insinuates welcomed wouldn't be the same without it!....riddle me this my friend - lowest unemployement rate in a long time and some places have the highest homeless rate? (I know many factors, but something to think about)
I can barely follow your language much less your point.
point - the world is a clean and dirty place. all clean is too clean (school shootings of severe pyschological disorder happen in clean suburbs). ....your response was a society that promoted human rights should care about the homeless more than 'unwelcome' presence. I never said 'unwelcome', it's part of the commute. I'll start providing cliff notes in the future.
Ah. I interpreted sarcasm where there was none. Carry on, my good urbanite.
I was there recently, walking around midtown and came upon it. As an architect, you'd think I'd check it out, but Instinctively I turned around and walked away. Everything about that place sucks.
I have to hand it to whoever is in charge of POPS in Tokyo. We have a lot of generic towers going up with genuinely good urban spaces lately that are improving life in the city noticeably, if only in small parcels.
The norm used to be as described above, shitty unwelcome spaces made to suit the desire of the developers. Then something shifted, either oversight, or I suspect more likely developers noticed they could attract better rent and more people to good sites. Our world is filled with selfish and short-term thinkers so I will not hold out for anything brilliant happening. There is still hope though. If Tokyo can do it, surely NY is capable...
Will - what is POPS ?
Privately Owned Public Space
Good observation - I find POPS more successful in Asian cities like Singapore and Taiwan too. Does this have to do with a general sense of civic duty or a government that is powerful enough to bend developers? Namba Parks, Roppongi Hills, Midtown Tokyo all seemed pretty good commercial additions to the city last time I was in Japan.
fyi, those damn buildings put a serious glare facing FIT in the morning, like you could make a sunny side up egg between certain hours dependent on the time of year.
but not this bad (london, brits with no ability to handle forward thinking)
If you've ever had questions about the economics and politics of resilience- look no further.
The raised podium will be justified as a need to address climate change and the rising tides of the Hudson. They'll say it's a necessity to protect residents of the development when they're really referring to profits. It points to a quiet hedonism embedded in the city fabric, residents fiddling while the rest of the city drowns.
Kimmelman arrives after a five year climate change world tour to discover — oh my word — Hudson Yards is building a wall instead of a sloping green to the west side highway. Who cares, the plan was bad from the beginning. Kimmelman just wants to save his own reputation (which seems to benefit from his neglect for some reason) by cynically critiquing a McMansion gate. Maybe you should have been there when the plans were being drawn up years ago. Meanwhile, Union Carbide gets torn down and Sunnyside Yards is being decided by the same exact people around Hudson Yards. Kimmelman is a hack
The NYT sells a lot of RE advertising, whole sections are devoted to it. Draw your own conclusions.
both NYT and NYMag have classical musicians on the architecture beat. Trump brings them in, RE pays the bills
both NYT and NYMag have classical musicians on the architecture beat. RE pays the bills
both NYT and NYMag have classical musicians on the architecture beat. Easy
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