Author Archives: lawrence

Posts by lawrence

Comments by lawrence

"In real estate, one of the primary aspects of any property is location. Waterfront homes are prestigious for their magnificent views and floor to ceiling windows that allows spectators to take in the scenery. There always has been a demand for properties by the water, and a tremendous amount of wealth is often concentrated in these areas. Just look at Manhattan Beach and Seagate in Brooklyn. Despite the utter devastation caused by Sandy, many residents cannot bring themselves to leave their beautiful neighborhoods. Lightstone is entering a niche market that can prove to be tremendously profitable. By providing structures that take into account the risks posed by storms and flooding, these "invulnerable" buildings provide the appeal of living on a waterfront while reducing the potential downsides of being located in a flood zone. After Sandy, shorefront property has lost some of its appeal, which lowered prices. By building structures that are even somewhat prepared to withstand superstorms, value and appeal become somewhat restored."
--( posted on Mar 11, 2013, commenting on the post The future of architecture or stubbornness? )
 
"Politics can somewhat constrict planners' ability to institute visionary plans for NYC's future. Many politicians are concerned primarily with retaining political power, and making drastic moves may alienate public support. A majority of voters would be more pleased with short term benefits rather than planning for the long haul at the expense of taxpayers. Thus, they must find a delicate balance between adequately helping New York City adapt to climate change while maintaining the support of the people. Despite the glimmer of hope presented by Climate Change Program Action Plan, many politicians have taken a conservative stance on this issue. In economic terms, taxpayers would much rather see their dollars being spent in a tangible way. This mindset allows us to justify delaying the resolution of serious issues until later generations are forced to deal with them immediately. In essence, the far-off, distant crisis of today will eventually become the imminent danger of tomorrow."
--( posted on Mar 11, 2013, commenting on the post plaNYC vs futurists )
 
"Jane Jacobs would surely be a proponent of PlaNYC, a program that has improved parks, made buildings more energy efficient, and increased neighborhood access to public transportation. Jacobs seems to be an advocate of parks, but states that their impact depends vastly on location, which in turn determines who will make use of the parks and how they will do so. Jane Jacobs would also likely cite the inadequate clean-up efforts in "lower income areas" following Hurricane Sandy. Jacobs would advocate fortification and preparation. If the devastating effects of climate change cannot be prevented, at least their impact can be ameliorated."
--( posted on Feb 4, 2013, commenting on the post week 2 – Engage )
 
"In addition to the key points raised, I wanted to cite Jacobs' criticism of urban planning in relation to vehicles. "The simple needs of automobiles are more easily understood and satisfied than the complex needs of cities, and a growing number of planners and designers have come to believe that if they can only solve the problems of traffic, they will thereby have solved the major problem of cities." Jacobs is essentially saying that we see traffic, and automatically blame the number of automobiles rather than incompetent urban planning. However, to revamp a city would be costly, and according to Jacobs, inadequate. In class, we learned about mitigation versus adaptation. PlanYC is clearly an effort to adapt to climate change by attempting to curtail our contribution to the problem. The effects of CFCs on the ozone seem virtually irreparable with available technology, so Bloomberg is approaching the issue from a policy standpoint rather than a scientific one that would work to mitigate the issue at hand. There are fundamental issues with the way our cities are built and powered, but perhaps the best option for now would be damage control. It is unfeasible to shut the financial capital of the world down for revamping, but our city continues to flourish at the peril of our environment. Policy makers are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to climate change."
--( posted on Feb 4, 2013, commenting on the post Week 2: Engage )