Image via Flicker user eotb uk Le Corbusier’s “Towers in the Park” theory strongly guided the architecture and planning of housing projects throughout the mid-2oth century. Envisioned as a Utopian solution to the cramped, poorly designed housing that faced the polluted industrial cities of the time, such housing developments often failed to live up to their promise. Jane Jacobs campaigned against them for their tendency to create superblocks. With fewer “eyes on the street” and fewer local businesses, safety could no longer be self-policed by residents themselves, she argued. Open space in the housing projects were underutilized and unprogrammed, and remain mostly like this today in New York City. Still, places such as Queensbridge have made efforts to reprogram its exterior spaces while also providing revenue generating opportunities for residents. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is The Alfred E. Smith Houses, which is part of NYCHA’s plan to lease out… Read More
