New York's lack of sunlight might be overstated, but the New York Times mapped the shadows cast by every building on every block of the city just to be sure.
The New York Times has produced a series of artful maps that illustrates "all of the shadows produced by thousands of buildings in New York City over the course of one day."
Quoctrung Bui and Jeremy White provide the context for the maps, noting that in most parts of America, "sunlight is not debated the way it is in New York, where the city’s thirst for living space, working space and economic growth has turned the sun into a virtual commodity."
Planning, and specifically zoning, has been at the center of the debate for decades, according to the article.
The city’s first attempt at light preservation was through a setback rule. As successive buildings grew taller, they would have to be continually set back a couple of feet from the street (like the Empire State Building), producing the classic wedding-cake style of skyscraper. Decades later, in the 1960s, the city overhauled this rule in favor of a floor-area ratio model, which tended to produce tall, narrow structures with open plazas at the base (like the Seagram Building).
The article includes three maps, presenting the variations between the seasons.
FULL STORY: Mapping the Shadows of New York City: Every Building, Every Block
Friday Eye Candy: A Sorely-Needed Map of New York City Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods don't get the same official boundaries as cities, counties, states, and countries. So how do we know where one neighborhood ends and another begins?
Friday Eye Candy: The Theatricality of the Subway
A new book of photography amplifies what was already there.
The New New York Subway Map Works in Real Time
There's a new chapter, and maybe an end, for the "Great Subway Map Debate."
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.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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