New York
Related: About this forumNew York City’s appalling “poor door” fiasco
HENRY GRABAR
The condominiums of Riverside South, a dull glass comb along the Hudson River in Manhattan, have hardly made an interesting contribution to New Yorks architectural profile. But the development has made an impact on the global lexicon, thanks to a new buildings two entrances: one for buyers of market-rate apartments and one for tenants of subsidized units.
By now youve surely heard about Extell Developments poor door, approved last week for 40 Riverside Drive, talk of which has reverberated unfavorably from Park Slope to Paris. Its easy to see why the concept hits that rare sweet spot for viral architecture. The poor door opens on the tensions of the times the housing shortage, the divergence of the rich and poor, the sense of threadbare social fabric.
Its not an isolated case. New York has a number of mixed-income developments where facilities like pools and gyms are restricted to residents who have paid the full price. London, which has adopted a similar strategy for creating affordable housing, also has a raft of poor doors. Even bicycle storage spaces, rubbish disposal facilities and postal deliveries are being separated, the Guardian reports.
A perfect metaphor for our times? Perhaps. But more important, an illustration of how a common, progressive affordable housing strategy is ill suited to a citys needs.
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/03/new_york_citys_appalling_poor_door_fiasco/
Warpy
(111,329 posts)even if I had more money than brains and bought one of the overpriced units with the hefty condo fee to provide a steep profit on caring for the pool and cleaning the sweat off the equipment in the gym.
I've been fairly well off and I've been poor and poor folks are just nicer, more helpful, and generous when they can be.
The unfashionable north side of Beacon Hill in Boston was just as convenient to everything as the pricey south side was.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)Louisiana1976
(3,962 posts)Warpy
(111,329 posts)and that's especially unlikely since I never buy tickets.