What if New York City Implemented SB 827-Style Upzoning?

SB 827 is a controversial land use regulation under consideration in California that would relax building height and density standards along transit corridors. New York has a reputation as the most transit oriented city in the country.

1 minute read

March 30, 2018, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Manhattan Construction

JimboMcKimbo / Shutterstock

Following in the footsteps of previous efforts to map the development potential of SB 827, Moses Gates mapped the still-speculative California law onto the land use map of New York City. More than just a topical thought experiment, the project interrogates the transit orientation of New York City. "What we found was surprising," writes Gates, "New York’s zoning isn’t as transit-friendly as you might think."

The post details the project's methodology, which produced a finding that much of the land uses along New York City's transit corridors still "are just not zoned for the density that their transit proximity might suggest."

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