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Sup, born and raised New Yorker here currently not around. I am thinking about coming back to the city. This is because it's only only place in USA can live without a car and still have access to the whole city. It's the walkability that attracts me most.
Anyway i've been around since leaving NYC. My beef is this: Those neighborhoods classified "affordable" seriously lack amenities, among other things.
Lets go borough by borough, at least the two boroughs I know best:
Bronx, dense borough, most dense outside Manhattan? At least the western part. Feels like most of the west half of the borough is still really run down, same with parts of the east. I'm a Bronx boy, born and raised. I saw a ton of new things the last time I visited (summer) but the place is still so behind. The transformation in terms of new construction and renovations is remarkable, too bad so many of the same issues exist. They could really use a subway down Third Ave or at least a street car. BX19 should have private lanes too for a true "Cross Bronx" effect.
Pros: cheaper than the rest of the city overall, Dense and walkable, has a "green future".
Cons: Still a hot bed for social problems, lots of past crap construction ruins the fabric of some neighborhoods (STOP BUILDING ROWHOUSES IN THE WEST BX), needs a new subway/street car line down the center of the west Bronx, not much in terms of things to do locally.
Manhattan is expensive, the whole damn island is. The "affordable" areas are greater Harlem and the Heights/Inwood or uptown. The problem, prices are really high but the areas lack things to do among other issues.
Pros: Walkable as hell, some interesting new housing stock, great public transportation.
Cons: Hotbed for social issues and the place will always be mixed income, of course with the prices so high and lack of things to do there/good places to shop why is it worth the price?
The thing I like about areas like SoHo and Tribeca is you have a tight dense urban fabric great shopping, things to do, but of course it cost a ton. If the city plays it's cards right (by city I mean developers) they can make the affordable areas great or they can make them dry and almost "suburban". Props to some of the new buildings in the Bronx along Melrose with the green features, high denisity, and mixed use zoning, that's the right direction.
Someone like me a "New Yorker", will deal with petty things like graffiti, some trash, loud music, and some neighborhood "street justice" from time to time. Thing is I need my good public transit and amenities I need in walking distance. Those are my demands and my purpose for living in the city period.
I'm all about mixed use, affordable housing, density, and housing diversity (bring on the tall buildings). Screw the NIMBYS.
First of all, NYC is not the only American city you can manage without a car. You could also live in San Francisco without a car.
As for living in NYC, have you thought about living in Queens? There are several affordable neighborhoods in Queens that have amenities within walking distance and good access to public transportation. I suggest Astoria, Rego Park & Forest Hills.
First of all, NYC is not the only American city you can manage without a car. You could also live in San Francisco without a car.
As for living in NYC, have you thought about living in Queens? There are several affordable neighborhoods in Queens that have amenities & good access to public transportation. I suggest Astoria, Rego Park & Forest Hills.
This post was more of a rant but I don't know too much about Queens. Seems pretty low density in comparison with the rest of the city. Unless your talking northwest Queens. I am no expert on the borough though. So many areas are excluded from subway coverage too.
Not really interested in living on the West coast. A lot of the streets seem purely residential, reminds me of D.C. Great cities but not as much mixed zoning blocks as NYC. I'm probably wrong since I have only seen S.F. via google street views.
Things I see way too much in the affordable areas and do not like:
-Driveways in front of new townhouses (What about behind them or under them, what about not including them at all, especially when they are a block from a subway station?)
-Crap buildings withe Fedders A/C covers.
-McMansions, seen a few in the far east Bronx, sure there are many more in Queens, BK, and S.I.
Things I see that should have been done more in the past:
-Rooftop Gardens, GREAT IDEA.
-BRT Lanes. (Fordham Road for instance)
-Closing streets to traffic. (Major retail strips should be shut down to traffic, E 59th Street, 125th Street, 181st Street, Fordham Road, Fulton Street, the HUB, ect)
-Building taller residential structures in the outer boroughs, theres only so much room in this city.
Last edited by nykeroutoftown; 10-16-2010 at 06:09 AM..
You have illustrated what some people people call "finger" buildings (a thin building that is taller than its neighbors). They generate a lot of opposition in New York because some people believe they destroy the streetscape.
It's no easy to screw the NIMBYs. The problem for all American cities is that there is a very vocal and powerful lobby that opposes all increases in density. I don't want developers bulldozing architecturally significant and historical buildings, but these people get furious about building on vacant or nearly vacant land (like the East River waterfront).
Most neighborhoods are afraid of 'affordable' because of some of the people that it attracts. Sometimes they are right. There is a group of 6 family units, with very small front and backyards, a few blocks from me. 4 are in attrocious condition. I feel bad for the two who take care of the property. At least they are trying.
This post was more of a rant but I don't know too much about Queens. Seems pretty low density in comparison with the rest of the city. Unless your talking northwest Queens. I am no expert on the borough though. So many areas are excluded from subway coverage too.
Not really interested in living on the West coast. A lot of the streets seem purely residential, reminds me of D.C. Great cities but not as much mixed zoning blocks as NYC. I'm probably wrong since I have only seen S.F. via google street views.
Things I see way too much in the affordable areas and do not like:
-Driveways in front of new townhouses (What about behind them or under them, what about not including them at all, especially when they are a block from a subway station?)
-Crap buildings withe Fedders A/C covers.
-McMansions, seen a few in the far east Bronx, sure there are many more in Queens, BK, and S.I.
Things I see that should have been done more in the past:
-Rooftop Gardens, GREAT IDEA.
-BRT Lanes. (Fordham Road for instance)
-Closing streets to traffic. (Major retail strips should be shut down to traffic, E 59th Street, 125th Street, 181st Street, Fordham Road, Fulton Street, the HUB, ect)
-Building taller residential structures in the outer boroughs, theres only so much room in this city.
Actually in Queens there are several areas that don't match your description at all. There are areas that have many red brick apt. buildings which are usually 6 floors above the ground. There semi-detached rows of homes that have parking and driveways only in the back of the homes. In front of these homes are nice gardens.
As for rooftop gardens, there are some buildings in Brooklyn that have those.
First of all, NYC is not the only American city you can manage without a car. You could also live in San Francisco without a car.
You can "manage" in most cities without a car. The question is, would you want to? San Francisco is better than most, but still nowhere close to NYC. Most people who make $100k+ in San Francisco own cars. Muni and BART do the job for commuting to and from work, but don't really provide the level of service necessary to make living without a car not a question in San Francisco. Manhattan is basically the only place in the country where even rich people don't own cars.
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