Yesterday, New York City's Planning Commission voted nearly unanimously to support a slightly reduced version of New York University's controversial expansion plans for two superblocks in Greenwich Village, reports Tom Stoelker.
Reduced in overall size from 2.47 million square feet to 2.1 million, the the 2031 Core Campus plan, designed by Grimshaw with Toshiko Mori and Michael Van Valkenburg, saw several aesthetic yet few programming changes, writes Stoelker.
"All four proposed buildings were approved with tweaks here and there. Both of the so-called 'Boomerang Buildings' will be reduced in height that will not exceed the slabs of the Washington Square Village buildings that frame them. The 'Zipper Building' will not be allowed to include a hotel component as part of its programming. The proposal for a temporary gym was also nixed."
"Of the changes to the nearly four acres of public space the most significant is that the university will not be permitted to build beneath the green strips on the northern superblock, thus saving the mature trees that are on the site."
Critics such as Michael Kimmelman and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation are unlikely to be mollified by the tweaks to the plan. They'll have to hope that the City Council, the next stop for approvals, "will show some independence from the mayor."
FULL STORY: With Few Changes City Planning Passes NYU Expansion
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service