Reach for the Skies

My office in Manhattan is on 21st Street and 5th Avenue on a relatively high floor in a prewar building with high ceilings and oversized windows. The view from one of the windows looks straight to the back of The Flatiron Building. Arguably her best angle and one that not too many people get to experience. Everyone else sees her other, narrower angle from Madison Square Park looking South.?

A lot of attention to detail was paid to her entire facade when she was built, and at the time, she was appreciated from 360 degrees. But then, years after her completion, my office building went up and blocked the south view corridor.?

People today don’t miss the south side of her because they never got to know or experience it.?

When I walk out of my office and head uptown on 5th Avenue, I can see the NY Life building, the Madison Clock Tower, and other majestic marvels of rich architecture that I love. One significant absence now is the missing view of The Empire State Building. In the past six months, a new luxury condo building has obliterated the south view of The Empire State Building and caused a bit of a stir amongst NY’ers who seem to care enough to voice their opinion. The NY Post wrote about it last week.?

So much of our experience in cities is made up of our views. An apartment with a great view will sell for millions more than the same apartment with a lesser view. Pedestrians, on the other hand, don’t pay for views, but that doesn’t make them any less important. I often take a more circuitous route if it enriches my visual experience.?

And so my walk up Fifth Avenue isn’t the same anymore, and I will change my walking route. I’m not pissed off about this change; just disappointed because I feel that it could have been so much better. But I will adapt and discover something new in my travels. I probably won’t be the only one buying lunch or coffee somewhere else because of this change. Pedestrian traffic patterns affect retail values for businesses.?

I recently returned from Australia, where there seemed to be a crane on every corner. There’s a disturbing trend in Sydney where magnificent 200-year-old eucalyptus trees are being poisoned to enrich the ocean views (and values) of the houses behind them. In New York City, a tree in front of your living room window adds value. Unfortunately, no mechanism can quantify (aka - monetize) the pedestrian's experience in this situation.?

Every city around the world is changing shape. New York. Sydney. Miami. Chicago. Paris. London. Los Angeles.?

This is good because cities need imaginative workspaces, homes, and cultural institutions. So we are building shinier office buildings, luxurious luxury condos, and more play spaces.?

Most of this development is targeted towards the top 1%. This is how the math pencils out because this is their highest and best user. It’s the top 1% who help drive our cities, and without them, our cities will (and have) suffered. The 1% are the ones who can afford to pay for the benefit of a better view.?

Our cities are changing, and our skylines are being reshaped before our eyes. The next generation won’t miss the view walking up Fifth Avenue like I do because they won’t know what they missed.?

I hope my generation embraces the opportunity to shape our cities responsibly and not just reach for the skies with buildings that look like they’re giving everyone else the middle finger.?

Let’s do this!

Shaun