One really cool resource I found while researching this topic was an online tour of how Michael Bloomberg “reshaped” New York City while he was mayor. The tour consisted of a series of three-dimensional maps and “before” and “after” photos. For visual learners (like me), this kind of format and resource is perfect. 🙂
I also discovered an article comparing Michael Bloomberg’s rezoning tendencies to Bill de Blasio that cited this three-dimensional tour. The article (published on March 3, 2017) made a very interesting claim: the reason why de Blasio isn’t rezoning (specifically why de Blasio isn’t downzoning) as much as Bloomberg was is because de Blasio either isn’t interested or he is not able to do so (“Here’s How de Blasio Stacks Up Against Bloomberg on Rezoning”, The Real Deal: New York Real Estate News). Because de Blasio is constantly advocating for rezoning (according to the article), it seems that the answer can be found in the second option.
Over the course of 12 years, Bloomberg rezoned 37% of New York City. Rather than upzoned (increasing the density of certain areas), many of the rezoned areas managed by the Bloomberg Administration were downzoned (decreasing the density of these areas). The article came to the conclusion that downzoning on such a large scale is simply not feasible under de Blasio due to the lack of space throughout the city. This deduction made me wonder: if de Blasio can’t rezone on as grand of a scale as Bloomberg, is there any hope for another mayor to be as successful in rezoning as Bloomberg and his administration?
Bloomberg was hailed by many as the next Robert Moses due to his work ethic. In some ways, however, Bloomberg was even more prosperous than Moses in that he recognized Moses’ flaws and was able to adopt Moses’ efficiency and avoid his bad habits. When Bloomberg first came to power, most of the populace admired Moses’ work but preferred Moses’ rival, Jane Jacobs’, ability to interact with the public and give the people a voice. The reason why (in some ways) it seems that Bloomberg is more successful than Moses is because Bloomberg inherited Moses’ productivity but embraced Jacobs’ mindset in that he understood how important it was to talk to locals and take their opinion into account.
That being said, it seems that Moses had more space and freedom to bring his vision to life than Bloomberg. Over time, however, with less and less open space being available for building, it seems that visionaries such as Moses and Bloomberg that produce significant, tangible results will become a thing of the past. Nonetheless, it’s undeniable that both Moses and Bloomberg are remarkable people who have made an extraordinary mark on New York City and whose work will never be forgotten.
Works Cited
Fahim, Kareem. “N.Y.U. Study Examines Rezoning Under Bloomberg.” The New York Times, 21 Mar. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/nyregion/22zoning.html.
Larson, Scott. Building like Moses with Jacobs in Mind: Contemporary Planning in New York City. Temple University Press, 2013.
“Reshaping New York.” The New York Times, 18 Aug. 2013, www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/08/18/reshaping-new-york/index.html.
St. Clair, Ben. “Here’s How De Blasio Stacks up against Bloomberg on Rezoning.” The Real Deal New York: New York Real Estate Deals, 16 Jan. 2018, therealdeal.com/2017/03/03/heres-how-de-blasio-stacks-up-against-bloomberg-on-rezoning/.
I thought it was interesting that Shira brought up the perspective of how the projects of Bloomberg’s administration would set up following administrations, such as de Blasio, in order to create a “successful” New York. However, I disagree with the implication that de Blasio or any following administrations would fall short to Bloomberg’s accomplishments because Bloomberg was able to “rezone 37% of New York City in the course of 12 years,” as Shira pointed out. Although, statistically, it seems as though de Blasio is ineffective in his re-zoning efforts this may just be a result of his attempts at a “multipronged approach.” (Goodman 2017) In an attempt to continue the work of Bloomberg and his “technocratic vision of government as a force for good,” (Leonhardt 2017) de Blasio is focusing on compelling developers and landlords to keep rent below the market rate through the mandatory inclusionary housing incentive which allows for taller buildings and more density as long as there is an inclusion of affordable units. (Goodman 2017) Here I think Shira’s point that de Blasio is “not able to rezone” comes in as he is focused more on “what housing experts call preservation” rather than an attempt to change the dynamic of New York City he is attempting to “use the resources of the private sector, and the resources the public sector has, to put together the best deals” (Goodman 2017) for the “greater good”.
Goodman J D (2017) De Blasio expands affordable housing but results aren’t always visible. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/nyregion/de-blasio-affordable-housing-new-york-city.html (last accessed 26 March 2018)
Leonhardt D (2017) A history of Bloomberg’s successes and failures. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/books/review/bloomberg-biography-chris-mcnickle.html (last accessed 26 March 2018)