A large portion of states have city planning regimes in place, some even requiring local laws to conform with local plans regarding land use, housing and open space. But why put such an emphasis on strategy? Simple. City planning is the crux of developing and sustaining a thriving metropolis. Having said that, I was quite alarmed when I read Jarrett Murphy’s article Five Boroughs. One City. No Plan. Why is New York City falling behind in its efforts to effectively plan the future of the metropolis we live in?
In addition to roughly 8.2 million residents, New York City is home to a rapidly growing population, rising seas, dwindling energy supplies and much more. These issues were only proliferated by the city effectively dodging the creation of a comprehensive plan back in the 20th Century. Failing to plan accordingly in the past puts New York City in a tough position, but the failure to plan accordingly now is what will set us up for trouble ahead. NYC is in desperate need of a comprehensive plan but it does not seem to be doing anything about it.
A quasi-attempt to establish a city “plan” was made in 1916 with the passing of the first zoning resolution. It was since amended, time and time again, as 9,400 blocks were rezoned since 2002. While rezoning is a necessary task, it is not a cure-all. If implemented strategically (if dense neighborhoods are downzoned and more sparsely-populated areas were upzoned properly), it is a great starting point. However, it seems that New York City has used zoning as a crutch, neglecting other means of city planning.
It would be unfair to say that New York City has turned a blind eye to urban design all together. The truth is that numerous ideas were introduced, but each had shortcomings of their own. PlaNYC, for example, made the government a prominent player in city planning and encouraged unique thinking, but was not an actual plan that linked “noble sentiments and…zoning decisions.” As professor Vicki Been of NYU says, “…it’s been a very important contribution, but I don’t think it’s a substitute for the kind of comprehensive planning…” that New York City needs. Policies, namely environmental impact statements, require a painfully slow process. Community benefits agreements give way to conflicting interests and are not exactly legally enforceable. Unfortunately, the challenge of bridging the gap between planning communities and the legal system has been difficult to overcome.
So where does New York City stand right now? Failure to plan in the past is a sunken cost that we now have to deal with. Little is being done now because the real estate industry prefers a “freer hand,” ethnic and political diversity pose resistance, and the growth of New York City outpaces the planning process currently in place. A comprehensive plan is desperately needed, but that is much easier said than done. If the city does not effectively plan now, future difficulties will certainly not be ameliorated. As Elena Conte, organizer at the Pratt Center, said very well, “The absence of comprehensive planning will leave New York City without the foundation for sound future growth.”
