The Urban Design Committee of the City Club of New York explores matters involving the programmatic and spatial synthesis of our civic commons. The committee identifies underlying issues that hinder or help the process by which our urban environment evolves and it comments on particular projects or proposals as a way of explicating the general issues.
If you are interested in participating in this journey please contact John West at john.west.iii@gmail.com.
Our work is currently organized around four themes:
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Should the regulatory regime of New York City be founded on a well considered, living, comprehensive plan?
ZONING FOR DOLLARS
Zoning is a police power intended to regulate the design and use of buildings; it is not a taxing power. How can the use of zoning be constrained to avoid the unintended consequences of using it to produce revenue for the City?
INFRASTRUCTURE
How can infrastructure be better coordinated with existing facilities and land uses to achieve the greatest benefits at the least cost?
OPEN SPACE
Public space, open or enclosed, is precious in New York City. How can it be increased, designed and maintained to be useful, equitably distributed, and not usurped or privatized?