The official news of Amazon's choices for its second location broke this morning, but hot takes were streaming in all day.
[Updated 11/14/2018, 11/15/2018, and 11/16/2018]
The news that Amazon official officially announced its selections of Long Island City, in New York City, and Crystal City, in Arlington County, Virginia, for the location of its second headquarters (HQ2) set the urbanist and planning media world ablaze today. After sharing the breaking news this morning, a steady stream of informative and thought provoking hot takes and insight on national and local media sites as well as social media, continued throughout the day. Here's what we recommend for reading on this big day for capitalism and urban planning.
On New York City
- BREAKING: Sweetheart Deal for Amazon Includes ‘Infrastructure Fund’ for City (Streetsblog NYC)
- Amazon’s New Neighbor: The Nation’s Largest Housing Project (New York Times, November 12)
- 'It's obscene and wrong': Amazon HQ2 gets typically warm New York welcome (The Guardian)
- Will New York Fund Amazon Subsidies or Student Debt Relief? (Capital & Main)
- Ocasio-Cortez lashes out at Amazon’s plan to locate HQ2 in Queens (Politico)
- Here’s what Amazon HQ2 employees will face in Long Island City when it comes to transportation, housing and ... sewage (Recode)
- De Blasio sides with Amazon against the City Council, and his own rhetoric (Politico)
- Don’t let Amazon build an uninviting HQ in Queens (New York Post)
- What does Amazon owe New York City? (Curbed NY)
- "Amazon HQ2 will strain spaces and systems on which all New Yorkers rely" (Dezeen)
- Amazon deal will disrupt plans for affordable housing on Long Island City sites (Politico)
- “We Had to Win the Competition": For Cuomo and De Blasio, the Amazon Deal Comes With a High Cost (Politico)
- The Amazonians Are Coming. How Will They Get to Work? (Next City)
On Arlington County, Virginia
- What Does Amazon's HQ2 Mean for the Washington Region's Housing Market? (The Stephen S. Fuller Institute)
- Did Amazon Just Rename Crystal City? (Washingtonian)
- For HQ2 in Crystal City, build the “Metro Express” (Greater Greater Washington, November 12)
- Forget Crystal City, Amazon is coming to “National Landing” (Greater Greater Washington)
- Northern Virginia’s National Landing Selected for Major New Amazon Headquarters (Arlington County)
- As an Arlington resident, I’m excited about Amazon—and worried about housing costs (Greater Greater Washington)
- Amazon Invents a New Virginia City in Naming Washington-Area Hub (Bloomberg)
- Amazon Invents a New Virginia City in Naming Washington-Area Hub (GeekWire)
- Amazon Can’t Make Crystal City Worse (Slate)
- Washington Could Be Transformed By Amazon. But It’s (Probably) Not The Next Silicon Valley. (WAMU)
On Nashville
- Amazon already announced its HQ2 picks, but it’s coming to Nashville too (Vox)
- Music City strikes a chord with Amazon: Nashville lands logistics hub with 5,000 corporate jobs (GeekWire)
On Everything Else
- What’s next for Seattle after HQ2? Amazon plans suggest expansion, then big hiring slowdown (The Seattle Times)
- Amazon HQ2: the many layers of backlash against the company’s expansion, explained (Vox)
- Amazon’s HQ2 split between New York and Virginia sparks backlash from locals, politicians (The Washington Post)
- Winners and losers from Amazon’s HQ2 decision (The Washington Post)
- HQ2 incentives revealed: Here’s what NYC and Virginia gave up to get Amazon’s new headquarters (GeekWire)
- Amazon selects New York City and Northern Virginia for new headquarters (Amazon)
- Loser cities to Amazon: We didn't want you anyway (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- L.A. loses bid for Amazon HQ2 and thousands of possible jobs. Here’s why some experts are relieved (Los Angeles Times)
- Your city didn’t win the Amazon HQ2 beauty pageant. Now what? (Brookings)
- Amazon's HQ2 split sparks backlash (The Washington Post via The Oregonian)
- After Amazon closes HQ2 door, Austin shrugs and moves on (Statesman)
- Snubbed by Amazon, Newark Pins Its Hopes on Landing the Next Prize (Bloomberg)
- What Philly gained from Amazon’s HQ2 process (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Amazon HQ2 shutout prompts 'soul searching' on how Dallas can compete with power cities (The Dallas Morning News)
- Inside Georgia’s secret bid for Amazon’s second headquarters (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- How Amazon's HQ2 decision could impact transit (Smart Cities Dive)
- We didn’t get Amazon’s new headquarters, but we should act as if we did (The Boston Globe)
- What Denver learned during its failed 14-month courtship of Amazon (The Denver Post)
- 'Maybe we were trying to be something we aren’t.' Pittsburgh's tech community weighs in on Amazon HQ2 loss (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- The Amazon HQ2 pitch that would've forever changed southern Dallas (The Dallas Morning News)
- Mark Cuban explains why Dallas wasn't selected as Amazon's HQ2 location (The Dallas Morning News)
- What Amazon rejected: $5.7 billion HQ2 package from Philly and PA (Billy Penn)
- Losing Amazon HQ2 underscores where Philly falls short (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
- In Seattle, Amazon HQ2 panic fizzles (Crosscut)
- Here Are The Most Outrageous Incentives Cities Offered Amazon In Their HQ2 Bids (Buzzfeed)
- Pittsburgh offered billions in incentives, free land and more in failed Amazon bid (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- Why Amazon Chose the Wrong Locations for Its HQ2 (The New York Times)
- Cities That Lost Amazon's HQ2 Contest Can Still End Up Ahead (CityLab)
- Amazon's Lesson (Globe St.)
- Amazon Chooses Industrial New York City and Suburban Washington for HQ2(Architectural Record)
On Social Media
My statement on @amazon choosing Long Island City as the site for their HQ2. pic.twitter.com/PFd4AYR6Gz
— Corey Johnson (@CoreyinNYC) November 13, 2018
Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 13, 2018
New York City is about to get tens of thousands of new, good paying jobs and Amazon is about to meet the most talented work force in the world in one of the most diverse places on the planet. Welcome to Queens, #HQ2.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) November 13, 2018
A Tale of Two Progressives pic.twitter.com/uOykqQiHyO
— Eliza Shapiro (@elizashapiro) November 13, 2018
A total on the state incentives:
NYS capital grant: $505 million
NYS Excelsior credits: $1.2 billion (up to)
NYC REAP: $897 million
NYC ICAP: $386 million
TOTAL: $2.988 billion
State estimates Amazon will generate $27.5 billion in state/city revenue, so a 9:1 return.— Jimmy Vielkind (@JimmyVielkind) November 13, 2018
"You can either do this or you can go to the dentist - without anesthesia," @NYGovCuomo says after the first question is why the city and state are giving Amazon nearly $3 billion to come here.
— Erin Durkin (@erinmdurkin) November 13, 2018
New York taxpayers will be forced to literally subsidize a HELIPAD for Jeff Bezos https://t.co/WuOBIHHU7M pic.twitter.com/UiYdq5gdjf
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) November 13, 2018
Jeff Bezos is not arriving on the 7 train pic.twitter.com/SPfBflDCRa
— Henry Grabar (@henrygrabar) November 13, 2018
$48,000 per job! pic.twitter.com/pWFibHoXGq
— Henry Grabar (@henrygrabar) November 13, 2018
Amazon Makes It Official With New York and D.C.; Throws Another Curveball With Nashville
The reported selection of New York and Washington, D.C. as the dual winners of the Amazon HQ2 competition was officially announced this morning. Still, Amazon wasn't done with the surprises.
Amazon Calls the Whole New York Thing Off
The AmazonHQ2 circus is packing up and moving to another city.
Report: Amazon Thinking Twice About Second Headquarters in New York
The opposition to the idea of Amazon locating one of its second headquarters locations in New York City has given the company pause, according to a recent scoop.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Greening Oakland’s School Grounds
With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.
California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.
Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship
In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.
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