From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New York City zoning code
The
1916 Zoning Resolution
in
New York City
was the first citywide
zoning code in the United States
. The zoning resolution reflected both borough and local interests, and was proposed after the
Equitable Building
was erected in
Lower Manhattan
in 1915.
The resolution was a measure adopted primarily to stop massive buildings from preventing light and air from reaching the streets below and established limits in building
massing
at certain heights, usually interpreted as a series of
setbacks
and, while not imposing height limits, restricted towers to 25% of the lot size.
[1]
The chief authors of this resolution were
George McAneny
and
Edward M. Bassett
.
[2]
[3]
Impact
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]
The 1916 Zoning Resolution had a major impact on
urban development
in both the United States and internationally.
[4]
Architectural delineator
Hugh Ferriss
popularized these new regulations in 1922 through a series of massing studies, clearly depicting the possible forms and how to maximize building volumes. "By the end of the 1920s the setback skyscraper, originally built in response to a New York zoning code, became a style that caught on from Chicago to Shanghai," observe Eric Peter Nash and Norman McGrath,
[5]
discussing the
Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building
, which rose in isolation in
Brooklyn
, where no such zoning dictated form. The tiered
Art Deco
skyscrapers of the 1920s and 1930s are a direct result of this resolution.
Legacy
[
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By the mid-century most new
International Style
buildings had met the setback requirements by adopting the use of plazas or low-rise buildings surrounding a monolithic tower centered on the site. This approach was often criticized.
[6]
The
New York City Department of City Planning
passed the 1961 Zoning Resolution in October 1960,
[7]
and the new zoning rules became effective in December 1961, superseding the 1916 Zoning Resolution.
[8]
The new zoning solution used the
Floor Area Ratio
(FAR) regulation instead of setback rules. A building's maximum floor area is regulated according to the ratio that was imposed to the site where the building is located. Another feature of new zoning solution was adjacent public open space. If developers put adjacent public open space to their buildings, they could get additional area for their building as a bonus. This incentive bonus rule was created because of the strong influence from two representative skyscrapers. The
Seagram Building
by
Mies van der Rohe
with
Philip Johnson
, and
Lever House
by
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
, introduced the new ideas about office building with open space. These buildings changed the skyline of New York City with both the advent of simple glass box design and their treatment of adjacent open spaces. The new zoning encouraged privately owned public space to ease the density of the city.
[9]
See also
[
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References
[
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]
- ^
Barr, Jason M.
(27 March 2019).
"Revisiting 1916 (Part I): The History of New York City's First Zoning Resolution"
.
Skynomics Blog
. Retrieved
9 March
2020
.
- ^
Dunlap, David W.
(July 26, 2016).
"Zoning Arrived 100 Years Ago. It Changed New York City Forever"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Celebrating 100 Years of Zoning"
. Regional Plan Association
. Retrieved
2 December
2020
.
- ^
"Background"
.
www1.nyc.gov
. Archived from
the original
on 2021-04-16
. Retrieved
2017-05-24
.
- ^
Nash and McGrath,
Manhattan Skyscrapers
2005:55.
- ^
Dunlap, David W. (December 7, 2006).
"At New Trade Center, Seeking Lively (but Secure) Streets"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
2008-06-06
.
- ^
Bennett, Charles G. (1960-10-19).
"Planners Adopt New City Zoning; Resolution Goes to Board of Estimate for Final Vote"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2020-05-01
.
- ^
"New Zoning Code Goes into Effect"
.
The New York Times
. 1961-12-15.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2020-05-01
.
- ^
Bressi, Todd W., ed. (1993).
Planning and Zoning New York City
. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. pp. 9?12.
Further reading
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External links
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