Queens Crap: The New York Malady: Gothamitis

Monday, February 5, 2007

The New York Malady: Gothamitis

The New York we imagine in 2030 is bound to be as different as this one is from the city we had in 1976, but we want it to be recognizably New York, mixed up, fragrant, and hopeful—middle-class in character, avant-garde in invitation, a place for plain people and pilgrims and plutocrats alike. The Mayor has promised a “major public outreach effort” to hear what people want, and one of the things that most ordinary New Yorkers want is to feel at home in their city, and only the regulating structure of the city itself can make that possible.

The above came from an article in last month's New Yorker Magazine called "Gothamitis." The writer seems to understand what we here on this blog are getting at.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: If we want our city to be "recognizably New York" there are certain characteristics that must be retained. It all begins with our local (if not official) landmarks. This means the ones in that are located in Queens for us. We cannot afford to lose many more of our key architectural treasures as we have in the past, like the Hackett Bldg.Trylon Theater or the Aquacade etc. and we must save St. Saviour's Church. We are tired of being short changed in this area. We now have a record budget surplus. Use it!

New York must be thought of and remembered as "Greater New York" which is composed of more than just the isle of Manhattan. If Bloomberg's talk about future New York excludes us, as I suspect it does, we're doomed to be strictly a bedroom borough with scattered big box stores and shopping malls and high rise encroachment all around.

You want input from us Mayor Mike? Here it is. First and foremost we want our quality of life not destroyed by overzealous planning or greedy over-development. Our unique and distinct architecture is to be protected and preserved. Do you hear that LPC? Stop applying your "brownstone row house criteria" to our neighborhoods of planned communities. Stop rejecting them for designation.

We also need small business rent control or some form of stabilization so we don't lose the "mom and pop" stores which give us character. It's these unique or "rough edges" as well as the new smooth ones that will identify our future city and make it different from another faceless megalopolis. There, I've said my piece. And Queens residents will also have to demand more, not be sweet talked into taking less, from their public servants!; Monday, February 05, 2007
Anonymous said...: You're all beating the wrong horse! It's been dead for quite awhile now. Everything is changing. By 2030 even the lingua franca will have changed -- its changing now. There are just too many people pouring in -- from wombs and wherevers. As long as there are buyers, developers will continue to build more living space wherever, and whenever they can. That;s all there is to it.; Tuesday, March 06, 2007