News
HOW TO BUILD A NEIGHBORHOOD
September 26, 2011
| NYC is full of revitalization stories: Grand Central, Downtown, Battery Park City, Metrotech, Times Square... the list goes on. We joined CoreNet's NYC chapter on Thursday at the Time Life Building to find out what's next. |
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| The panelists and moderator: NYC Economic Development Corp prez Seth Pinsky, Related Hudson Yards prez Jay Cross, Brookfield Office Properties SVP of development Ronne Hackett, and NYU Schack divisional dean Jim Stuckey. Seth discussed up-and-coming areas, such as Atlantic Yards, Hudson Yards, Seward Park, Governors Island, Roosevelt Island, and Brooklyn Navy Yard. Of course, plans always come with naysayers, “You have to take lessons from opposition,†Seth says. “The community planning process, although a hindrance, leads to better neighborhoods. No one knows the communities better than the people who live there.†|
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| Jay pointed to the success of Related's Time Warner Center, brought into mind while planning 12M SF at Hudson Yards (above). “You can't afford to get it wrong,†he says; you have to talk to residents, tourists, and workers about what they like in a neighborhood. One thing's for sure: they thrive on liveliness. Ronne says sustainability, design, and technology are common themes for such projects and buildings built today. The latter can cut down development time greatly; using concrete bridge technology at one project slashed development from years to 18 months, she says. (Brookfield is building 5.4M SF on the eastern edge of Hudson Yards, mostly residential.) |
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| And congrats to Jim, who was appointed by Haitian president Michel Martelly to the 32-member Presidential Advisory Council on Economic Growth and Investment, co-chaired by former president Bill Clinton and entrepreneur Laurent Lamothe. The council—political and biz leaders from around the world—will advise the Office of the Presidency on policy and strategic initiatives to improve Haiti's competitiveness, enhance its economic outlook, and attract investments. Jim has played a vital role in Haiti's post-earthquake reconstruction efforts, making several trips to the country (some with students) and becoming involved with the Clinton Global Initiative, Architects for Humanity, and other groups in rebuilding projects there. |
