Panel: Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York: The Oversuccessful City, Part 1: Developers’ Realities

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There are economic realities that underlie development and change in the city, all the more so in flush times. In facing the challenges of the growing city, New Yorkers need to consider these truths and their implications. This, the first of two panels on what Jane Jacobs called "oversuccess," will consider these issues primarily from the developer’s perspective — with the objective of opening up a conversation about economics, land value and other issues that shape the city.

Jane Jacobs explored these realities and the ways that economic considerations influence political decision-making and cultural development. Real-estate developers have a particular interest in (and control over) how urban land is used, especially in New York, where the costs of land and construction are so stratospheric. The economic logic of development today — and the regulatory climate in which it occurs — seems to favor high-density, high-revenue developments. How has this reality affected the fabric of the city as a whole? What motivates developers and what constrains them?

  • Charles V. Bagli, The New York Times — moderator
  • Douglas Durst, developer
  • Eugenie L. Birch, University of Pennsylvania
  • Greg O’Connell, developer
  • Carlton Brown, Full Spectrum NY

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