Chapter 6 of Tom Angotti’s book New York for Sale: Community Planning Confronts Global Real Estate called “Making the Plans Official” explores how community planning has a presence in New York, but zoning has been taking a priority over community plans. The city charter change in 1989 did little to help community planning and resulted in more power in the hands of the mayor. As for the processing of 197a plans, the Department of City Planning (DCP) put in place rules that undermined community plans by allowing for the rejection or neglect of plans. Even when plans were approved, such as the Bronx Community Board 3 plan that would introduce more affordable housing and infrastructure/service fixes, the DCP was able to ignore taking action on them in any way. With over 100 community plans being ignored, and only 10 approved 15 years after the charter change, the issue of community plans being implemented is exaggerated further with zoning changes having to undergo a long process to be changed. The City Planning Commission, despite admiring a Red Hook 197a plan, still chose to favor businesses over the community board when implementing the plan, showing just how much of an uphill battle it is for community planning to make any progress, as well as showing how discouraging it can be to invest in a city plan only to see it be disregarded.
The development of strategic planning as an option for having community plans be successful in some way, by means of taking private partners into account of community plans, did not get as much support from the DCP, but it did catch the eye of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Through the EDC, some community plans were able to make its way through completion, indicating small victories for community planning. However, the EDC is limited to promoting economic development more than catering to community plans being successfully implemented, so strategic planning is not a full solution to the problems community planning faces. The dynamic that exists between the community board and the DCP reminds me of the comic strips from MAD Magazine called “Spy vs. Spy” in which two spies try to out-do one another and obtain small victories in battles against each other. The community board would seem to have more losing battles than the DCP, but with the persistence that communities have had in making and proposing plans to shape New York City, it seems that a solution to this issue in power balance may not be so far out of reach. By continuing to strengthen communities’ power and influence, and by developing or adjusting plans that can empower community planning, there may come a day in which the balance of victories and defeats is more reflective of the balance seen in the “Spy vs. Spy” comics. And better yet, overcoming differences and instead having the DCP work together with community boards rather than ignoring their proposals and plans to shape the city.
Questions to Consider:
1.) What other alternative techniques can community planning employ to meet both the goals of communities while attracting the Department of City Planning’s support?
2.) How can community plans be prioritized more or implemented by the DCP?
3.) Should the DCP’s plans take priority over community planning? Why or why not?
