Why Are There So Many Empty Plazas in New York?

in new york There are more than 590 plazas did you know? Each of these is larger than the floor area of ​​the World Trade Center.

But most of these areas lack energy. Contrary to popular belief Not all of them have huge crowds! Okay but why?

The story begins in the early 1900s, with New York’s skyscraper craze.

When the city starts to get crowded The development plan came into effect in 1916. The plan divided the city into five height zones and determined the height of buildings based on the width of the streets in front of them.

In addition, zoning decision; floor area of ​​the building, unlimited as long as it does not exceed 25% of the land He stated that he could raise it.

So famous Like Seagram and Lever House The groundwork was prepared for the birth of skyscrapers.

Both buildings included large public plazas in their design.

Design all over the city became a model for new skyscrapers and led to the 1961 zoning decision. With the new regulation, private contractors for larger buildings were required to add public spaces to their projects.

Although it seems like a win-win in theory Problems arose in implementation. A 2017 review found more than half of public spaces were not compliant.

Access issues and unauthorized occupations, It prevented New Yorkers from enjoying these spaces.

New York is still trying to solve this problem.

For example, the application on Water Street was implemented in order to revitalize the plazas and positively affect the neighborhood. aims to convert it into retail stores.

However, critics say this move will only benefit private property owners and argues that it will provide them with more rental income. So, as you can see, the situation is a bit complicated.

Well, have you ever One of these plazas in New York Have you visited?

Our other content that may interest you: