Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2018
Capstone Advisor
Richard Rosa
Honors Reader
Shawn Amsler
Capstone Major
Architecture
Capstone College
Architecture
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
yes
Honors Categories
Creative
Subject Categories
Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Abstract
Midtown East is an aging part of Manhattan that needs immediate attention from developers, urban planners, and architects alike in order to flourish amongst the other recently blooming districts in both Mid- and Downtown. This part of the city has not seen major redevelopment for over 70 years and is struggling to maintain basic city functions such as high commuter traffic, aging infrastructure, low vacancy rates, and in particular the provision of Class A commercial real estate for big corporate tenants. These are just the most pressing issues, which Midtown East must face. Fortunately for the special Midtown district, in August 2017, its Steering Committee approved a zoning amendment with modifications that permit drastic and necessary alterations to the district’s current urban context. Significantly, the changes include an upzoning amendment that will allow much more built area than before; although this thesis argues that can the increased density can bear a detriment to Midtown East if not handled tactfully. If all goes well, Midtown East will be able to defend its character as a premier global business district. Notwithstanding the particularities of the current attempt at solving the multiple problems that affect Midtown East, this Capstone anticipates that the broader changes initially suggested must be amplified to properly achieve the goal of restoring Midtown East’s previous reputation amongst its competitors. This Capstone suggests a radical urban design, spanning some 10- blocks in Midtown East between Park and Madison Avenues, 46th and 57th Streets. For the envisioned project, both the Department of City Planning and private developers must work unilaterally to reshuffle the organization of public to private real estate at the scale of Midtown East, invite variation to the district’s long-time unvaried socio-economy, and transform a previous world-class business district to remain competitive in the twenty-first century.
Recommended Citation
Asoli, Daniel, "Midtown East Re-Development" (2018). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 1158.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/1158
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
