In “Opposing Atlantic Yards: Fails to Accomplish a Delicate Balance,” Kent Barwick discusses issues with megaprojects such as Atlantic Yards. Bertha Lewis explains the benefits of these projects in “Supporting Atlantic Yards: Simply Not Enough Housing in Brooklyn.” In “Eminent Domain as Central Planning,” Nicole Gelinas criticizes the city’s use of eminent domain for developments.
One of Barwick’s main complaints was that the high rises of Atlantic Yards would ruin the neighborhood’s character. At first, I agreed with the idea that maybe such tall buildings should only be built in the neighborhoods where they belong. As I started thinking about it though, I started wondering if keeping such a neighborhood’s character was even feasible considering the demand for housing in New York City. The city has a large and growing population but limited land to house such a population. Lewis’ article explains that New York City has a huge need for affordable housing and compromises must be made because there is no perfect solution to the problem.
The article by Gelinas made me think about how unfairly areas were selected for eminent domain. Gelinas pointed out that almost all neighborhoods exhibit the criteria for a blighted neighborhood. When thinking about the city’s use of eminent domain as a class issue, I was surprised to realize that this process is very similar to one that occurred much earlier to wealthier residents of the city and has simply expanded. I believe the real issue is simply that New York City’s population and economy have been outgrowing the city itself. Changes must be made for the city to support its population. I believe this process began in the early 1900s when the mansions of New York City’s wealthy families on Fifth Avenue were replaced with high-rise apartment buildings. Development in New York City had expanded to its borders and, as land became scarce, it became more valuable. This, among other changes to New York’s society and culture made the idea of a family owning such a large home on such a large piece of land seem ridiculous. From there, the city continued this trend. What is occurring in Brooklyn with Atlantic Yards follows the same idea. There is not enough room in the city for housing, especially low-income housing. Therefore, the buildings with fewer floors that aren’t making the most of the land are being replaced with buildings that do.
One thing about this process that has changed is the use of eminent domain as a mechanism of acquiring the land that is to be redeveloped. While I do understand the issues that some people have with the methods the government used to make this land available to developers, I wonder how much of a difference it really makes. I would think that, as the city grows and demands more space, land values will increase and owners of properties that don’t use the land efficiently will end up paying more for taxes and possibly expenses. At this point, the residents would probably be priced out of their homes and they would be just as angry as they are about the use of eminent domain. Even if this did not happen and the residents were able to keep their keep their homes, I think there would be far more unhappy people struggling to find housing that they can afford in New York City.
I think megaprojects such as Atlantic Yards are a necessary part of New York City’s natural growth. I understand that there are going to be issues related to these developments and think as much should be done as possible to minimize issues but, in most cases, I think the good outweighs the bad.
