New York Stories

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/03/how-skyscrapers-can-save-the-city/8387/

I thought this was a great article that is very relevant to what we discussed when we covered the architecture topic. The author, Edward Glaeser (whom I have mentioned earlier on this blog), argues for building skyscrapers in large metropolises, that they greatly increase available housing, making living in an attractive area affordable. In addition, an area that accommodates a large number of offices and businesses promotes communication and interaction, which, the author argues, is crucial in the globalized world of today. Although the article reads biased, the author offers a number of counterarguments to building skyscrapers.

I think that we cannot say that skyscrapers are ideal in the cities of today and to take a side for or against, one has to place the question in context. Skyscrapers seem to belong on Wall Street or on streets40’s streets on the east side, but I would not want to see very tall buildings encompassing Central park from all four sides. After researching a number of houses a few weeks ago, I know that there are a number of them that are not only beautiful but historically important in architectural sense. And I think that should be preserved. This also brings up another point that came up in the article; the unique example of Paris (although I believe it applies to a number of other cities). The majority of buildings in Paris, as well as Rome, and St. Petersburg (which is really a copy of Rome), to name a few cities, are integral parts of history and preserving those beautiful old cities is not optional.

So it seems impossible to take sides. I agree that if we are going to build we should build as high as we possibly can. If the difference in price between building a 40-story apartment building instead of 20-story one is relatively small, there is no reason why we should not strive to create the extra space. However, if the question is whether we should remove an old 3-story brownstone to create extra space, I would probably say no more often than not. While tall, tall buildings seem like the natural skyline of New York, there are many areas that are also majestic and grandiose but do not have the intimidating, disconsolate atmosphere blocks of skyscrapers can sometimes have.

A bit off topic, I was surprised to read that Otis did not, in fact, invent the elevator. As a matter of fact, elevators are believed to have existed 2,200 years ago (according to the article). What Otis did was invent the safety brake that made the elevators safe and changed the public’s perception about this construction. Otis made the elevators popular.