Thursday, 8 March 2018

New York’s gargantuan development is shifting its centre westward

THE far west side of Manhattan’s midtown is a hive of activity. Lorries buzz in and out ferrying materials, cranes dot the skyline. Construction workers in hard hats shout instructions at each other and exchange cheerful gibes. Each week the cityscape changes as new high-rises get taller. New Yorkers, who once had little reason to go to the parcel of land called Hudson Yards, are starting to see a new glossy neighbourhood emerge.

For decades this part of Manhattan was not just on the wrong side of the tracks, it was the tracks. About 30 commuter train tracks pass though it. The surrounding area of decrepit warehouses was neglected for half a century. It took a 300-acre rezoning in 2005 by Michael Bloomberg, then the mayor, for things to change. The area stretching from 30th to 41st Street and from 8th to 11th Avenues had been zoned for manufacturing, which has all but disappeared from Manhattan. A failed Olympic bid served as a catalyst for development for Mr Bloomberg, who worried about white-collar jobs migrating to New Jersey. He persuaded...Continue reading

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