Planning and Zoning New York City: Yesterday, Today, and TomorrowTodd W. Bressi Two unique events shaped the magnificent unnatural geography of New York City and created its sense of place: the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 and the zoning resolution of 1916. The first imprinted Manhattan with a two-dimensional plan, a rectangular grid defined by broad north-south avenues, multiple east-west cross streets, and by its standard units: blocks of two hundred feet by six hundred to eight hundred feet. The second determined the city's three-dimensional form by restricting uses by district, by limiting the maximum mass of a building allowed on a given site.This book addresses the fundamental challenge facing every American municipality: Can zoning - the basic tool of municipal land-use control - balance growth and equity? As New York plans for the future, the nation's foremost commentators on urban planning, architecture, land-use law, and design discuss the accomplishments of New York's zoning laws and explore alternative scenarios for guiding the city's future development.The chapters in this book were originally prepared for a symposium on the history and future of planning in New York City. The authors provide a skillful blend of urban history, architectural review, economic analysis, and social commentary. Contributors include such experts as Jonathan Barnett, Sigurd Grava, Frances Halsband, Jerold Kayden, Brian Kintish, Eric Kober, Michael Kwartler, Larry Littlefield, Norman Marcus, R. Susan Motley, Richard A. Plunz, Peter D. Salins, Richard L. Schaffer, John Shapiro, Robert A. M. Stern, Roy Strickland, Marilyn Taylor, Robert F. Wagner, Jr., and Carol Willis. This book is essential reading for planners, architects, historians, developers, and municipal officials concerned with guiding the future of America's cities. Its lessons are vital for every city in America. |
Contents
How the 1916 Zoning Law Shaped Manhattans | 3 |
Zoning and the New Horizontal City | 24 |
Zoning Revision and the Template of the Ideal City | 48 |
Copyright | |
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1916 zoning resolution 1961 zoning revision allowed amendments architects architectural as-of-right Avenue Battery Park City bonus BRIAN KINTISH Bronx Brooklyn bulk Carol Willis central business district City Planning City Planning Commission City Zoning Resolution community facilities contextual zones density Department of City discretionary economic FIGURE floor area floor area ratio housing Hugh Ferriss industrial Jackson Heights JOHN SHAPIRO KINTISH AND JOHN land landmark Long Island City Manhattan manufacturing mapped mature city ment Midtown NORMAN MARCUS office districts open space Park percent planners planning and zoning plazas Plunz projects proposed real estate regulatory residential districts residents restrictions retail rezoning Seagram Building Section setback sky exposure plane special districts special permit street walls structures subway tion TODAY'S ZONING towers transit Upper West Side urban design waterfront York City Department York City Zoning York City's Yorkers zoning districts ZONING FROM 1961 zoning ordinance zoning regulations