According to critic James Russell, Long Island City has come to resemble the new metropolises of Asia. A frenetic jumble of old and new, the area's "dystopian" qualities aren't all bad.
While James Russell considers Long Island City to be mildly dystopian, it's a dystopia that grows on you. With a built environment reflecting the diversity of its inhabitants and uses, the area is transcending its previous status as a way into Manhattan.
Russell sees a fascinating parallel between this section of New York and the wave of urbanization sweeping the world. "Long Island City, which has seemed to exist only to feed rail and roads to Manhattan, now is convulsively transforming into the kind of opportunistic urban mashup that resembles the new skyscraper cities of Asia and the Middle East as much as New York."
Poking up amidst older buildings, luxury high-rises attract criticism. "Considering they are advertised as luxury product and command spectacular views, the towers, enabled by recent high-density rezoning, could not be lazier exercises in developer cynicism. With proportions ranging from merely dull to ungainly, they advertise mainly their cost-cutting compromises."
Russell emphasizes a constant interplay between old and new uses. "Dutch Kills Green is a lush patch of park at Queens Plaza that would be an absolute oasis but for the screech of elevated trains overhead. Blocks from MoMA PS 1 is the SculptureCenter, a trolley-car garage converted to gorgeous brick-faced galleries full of slanting daylight."
FULL STORY: In Long Island City Real Estate Thrives on Dystopia
Mayor de Blasio Stresses Affordable Housing in State of the City Address
In his State of the City Address on Feb. 3, the New York City mayor made it clear that his overriding priority is affordable housing. He targeted six neighborhoods in all five boroughs where development will be required to include affordable housing.
Measuring the Coronavirus Effect on Development in Brooklyn, Queens
Two development markets charged by an early 2000s rezoning will test the reach of the coronavirus in New York City's development market.
First New Bridge to Manhattan in Decades Proposed Just for Pedestrians and People on Bikes
Introducing the proposed Queens Ribbon Bridge, a $100 million idea to connect Manhattan to Long Island City in Queens, by way of Roosevelt Island.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service