4th Avenue's Walls of Voodoo
Not sure how we missed The Journal story about 4th Avenue yesterday—Curbed and The Observer both picked up on it—but it certainly is worth mentioning. Not because the gist was anything new, but because the gist is important enough to merit repeating. While the 2003 rezoning resulted in 859 new apartments—either built, under development or…
Not sure how we missed The Journal story about 4th Avenue yesterday—Curbed and The Observer both picked up on it—but it certainly is worth mentioning. Not because the gist was anything new, but because the gist is important enough to merit repeating.
While the 2003 rezoning resulted in 859 new apartments—either built, under development or in planning—the design of many of the new buildings have come under attack. They’ve done little to improve the character of the neighborhood or make it more pedestrian friendly because they have parking garages, air vents or concrete slabs at street level rather than shops and cafes, critics say.
We’ve been riffing on this subject for years—as has Streetsblog—but nice to see it getting some ink from Rupert.
Did Brownstoner also miss the NYT video about the new TV show with Jonathan Ames, writer and private eye, set in Brooklyn — first episode in Boerum Hill?
Ditto, is this your work?
the retail in new construction buildings tends to be shitty anyways. not sure how a strip of chain drug stores does anything to make a vibrant street scene.
ah, i meant they are NOT inherently yuppie 🙂 sorry about that..
oooh yes a duane reade on 4th avenue would be nice.
‘
*rob*
I know it’s short sighted, but wouldn’t these storefronts just be empty? I’m pretty sure there’s still vacant storefronts on 5th. And, architect66 mentions larger scale retail, I can’t imagine this would have been applauded by “the critics.”
shpps and cafes existed decades before yuppies did Rob, there’s no way they can be inherently yuppie. Why are we even having this nonsense conversation?
Seems to me like 4th Ave would be a great place to put larger retail, but I guess nobody wants to take the first step into the void. Not even a Duane Reade or a CVS or a Rite-Aid. It doesn’t help if all the new storefronts that could accommodate such a use are actually bricks and louvers.
they are inherently yuppie, and i dont find anything wrong with shops and cafes, they are good for the neighborhood. the kinds of people who move into these buildings move in because they want a parking spot in a building, perhaps like the anonymity of 4th avenue, and dont wanna be sitting on their stoops all day up in peoples business. diff’rent strokes and all..
*rob*
Rob, what is bizarre is that you think “shops and cafes” are yuppie.
Fjorder, you’re right there. The traffic calming measures on 7th/8th aves around the 20s in Manhattan have worked quite well (they keep traffic moving but break up the vast widths of car-owned tarmac). Its plenty lively there.