The MAS Summit: Development, Density and Diversity for the Future of NYC
Entering Jazz at Lincoln Center on a beautiful early autumn morning, it was easy to feel that the room was abuzz with anticipation of what would be talked about at the Municipal Art Society’s annual Summit for New York City. With prominent thought and design leaders preparing to speak, there were no doubts that New York’s issues of livability, sustainability, and the city’s competitive advantage over other international cities would be addressed.These areas proved to be related as the discussion bounced back and forth on how improving certain aspects of the city will inevitably improve others identified as key challenges for the residents of NYC. With inspiring keynotes such as the one from 77-year-old TED conference founder Richard Saul Wurman, and very knowledgeable moderators such as Lisa Gansky, author of “The Mesh,” there was rarely a dull moment.Robert Steel, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in the City, summed up the key advantages of New York over other U.S. cities in his opening address.According to Steele, New York is the city that:• Best recovered from the recession in the U.S.• Became the number one tourist destination – both national and international• Remains the largest college town in the U.S. with more students living in the city than the entire population of Boston• Had more people move into it than out of it in 2011 – a very important point.Steel stressed that the city’s five-borough strategy was responsible for much of the city’s improvements. What were the improvements? Improving the quality in life through parks, culture, schools, and a falling crime rate; creating a pro-business environment; the diversification of New York’s economy; as well asinvesting in the city’s future with sustainable growth. All of these improvements – and plans for the further improvements - were discussed as the conference unfolded.
On Sustainability and Living Green
Sustainability was a topic that was touched upon by many of the keynote speakers and panelists from a variety of viewpoints. On discussing livability, the topic of preserving historic buildings offered interesting insights on keeping New York’s history intact while also preparing the city for the future with more affordable housing. “Greening” the century old brownstones and public buildings that speckle New York’s cityscape accomplishes just that. Renovations to make these buildings more sustainable reduce the cost of construction (and with it, housing costs) while keeping the history of New York’s design in tact.Most speakers noted that it is undeniable that the many park projects – from the Hudson River Park to the parks in Brooklyn - had improved the quality of life for many New York residents.This prompted a discussion on the New York Bike Share, a program which international citizens may be familiar with in other cities but one that is new to the city of New York. This program gives New Yorkers a sustainable and affordable mode of transportation and lowers the reliance on taxis, subways and buses. The program is aided by the building of bike lanes all over the city – lanes that are sure to fill as biking becomes a more popular option of transpiration in New York.
New York’s Livability
New York’s City livability, both now and in the future, was discussed after MAS’ own presentation of theirannual livability study. The discussion of the future of New York with Robin Pogrebin of the New York Timestouched on immigrants, college students, and artists not being able to afford New York. “Our city loses when that happens,” said Pogrebin.On politics, the panel discussing the 2012 election mentioned the budget cuts proposed by the Republican Party and how these cuts will trickle down to New York. Investments in infrastructure and social programs like New York’s 311 would no longer be possible – unless President Obama’s urban initiatives continue.
“80% of the population lives near urban areas. The Republican agenda focuses disproportionately on suburban initiatives. We have a more urban president now. You have to have lived in a city to understand the challenges and not just think like many of those in the suburbs that cities equal poverty, African Americans, and Hispanics.”
The Economy Into the Future
On New York’s Economy, there was acknowledgement of the importance of the start-up community in New York City, the variety of industries these startups are involved in, and the programs available to start-ups. Kickstarter presented its driving force for creative minds and startups alike - over 2,800,000 backers, $380,000,000 in projects pledged, and 30,000 successful projects completed have helped create jobs and opportunities for small businesses.Over many panels and discussions the speakers agreed that a diversification of New Yorks’ industries would prove to be key in sustaining a lead as a critical international city. Particular industries were mentioned as important to the future of New York’s economy, such as New York’s technology industry. New York City is now seen as the second best place for tech start-ups after Silicon Valley. The benefits to being in New York make success as a tech start-up easier in NYC than elsewhere in the country, from incubator spaces designed to help small businesses succeed, to venture capitalists eager to find the next big thing and a network of contacts in the industry.
The Future of Design
One can see beautiful buildings with cutting-edge design all across New York City - the discussions on the future of design at the MAS Summit tell us there are more to come as design adapts for the future.Lord Norman Foster of Foster & Partners discussed the future of Park Avenue – bringing back an avenue that offered residents a green space shooting down Manhattan. Foster’s recently approved project, 425 Park Avenue, builds using the current 32-story building at 425 Park as a base and creates a more modern and efficient office tower that blends beautifully into the skyline of Manhattan. Foster was followed by Carol Willis, who discussed the verticality of New York City compared to other cities such as Hong Kong and Shanghai and discussed how New York is prepared to grow up (literally) in the future.
Summit Success
At the closing of the summit on Friday evening, the positivity in the room overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park left attendees looking forward to the future of New York. While the challenges of sustainability and livability lay before us as a community, the initiatives taken from so many different parties – from urban planners to the start-up community, community volunteers to those in parks and recreation – made everyone hopeful that New York would remain globally competitive into the future.