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New York planning chief offers tips
Mar 28 2010
Vanessa Lu
Read More: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/786756--new-york-planning-chief-offers-tips
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Imagine sidewalk cafes everywhere. Add trees and greenery at parking lots. Mix in seating in both the sun and shade along the waterfront. Those are just some of the changes Amanda Burden has made since 2002 as chief of New York City’s planning commission, overseeing vast redevelopment from the Lower East Side in Manhattan to the Brooklyn waterfront to revitalizing 125th Street in Harlem — home to the famed Apollo Theater.
- “We want people not just to come to New York, but to stay in New York,†Burden told an audience at the University of Toronto on Friday that included politicians, planning students and community activists. The way to ensure people stay in New York, Burden said, is providing affordable housing, local retail, jobs throughout the city and public spaces like playgrounds for kids.
- “We direct development of the city by shaping its neighbourhoods, its business districts, its waterfront and its industrial areas,†she said. “New Yorkers judge us by how a street feels.†That’s why Burden has focused attention on making her city of nearly 8.4 million more pedestrian friendly, less gritty and more economically vibrant. Much of her success, she credits to strong political leadership in Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has given her the freedom to do what she believes is right.
- As well, New York has used a bonus system with developers — where maximum heights are determined but are set at a lower level — where developers are permitted to build automatically, known as “as of right.†If they want to build to the maximum, they are permitted only if they add affordable housing or a public plaza or non-profit arts venue. “Everybody knows what the actual height limit is,†she said. “(Given) the value of those apartments way up high, everybody builds to the full height limit. And we know we’re going to get the low-income housing.â€
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Mar 28 2010
Vanessa Lu
Read More: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/786756--new-york-planning-chief-offers-tips
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Imagine sidewalk cafes everywhere. Add trees and greenery at parking lots. Mix in seating in both the sun and shade along the waterfront. Those are just some of the changes Amanda Burden has made since 2002 as chief of New York City’s planning commission, overseeing vast redevelopment from the Lower East Side in Manhattan to the Brooklyn waterfront to revitalizing 125th Street in Harlem — home to the famed Apollo Theater.
- “We want people not just to come to New York, but to stay in New York,†Burden told an audience at the University of Toronto on Friday that included politicians, planning students and community activists. The way to ensure people stay in New York, Burden said, is providing affordable housing, local retail, jobs throughout the city and public spaces like playgrounds for kids.
- “We direct development of the city by shaping its neighbourhoods, its business districts, its waterfront and its industrial areas,†she said. “New Yorkers judge us by how a street feels.†That’s why Burden has focused attention on making her city of nearly 8.4 million more pedestrian friendly, less gritty and more economically vibrant. Much of her success, she credits to strong political leadership in Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has given her the freedom to do what she believes is right.
- As well, New York has used a bonus system with developers — where maximum heights are determined but are set at a lower level — where developers are permitted to build automatically, known as “as of right.†If they want to build to the maximum, they are permitted only if they add affordable housing or a public plaza or non-profit arts venue. “Everybody knows what the actual height limit is,†she said. “(Given) the value of those apartments way up high, everybody builds to the full height limit. And we know we’re going to get the low-income housing.â€
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