For decades, the New York City’s zoning rules have made it hard to construct high-rise buildings that seem airy and minimize the shadows they cast. The city planning department is now working to change that.
In medium- or high-density areas, the department wants to measure how buildings are set back from the street line differently and update rules for street wall design, so that designers could add gardens or more articulation on building fronts. It also wants to make it easier to build on irregularly shaped lots by changing the rules for lot coverage and the distance between buildings.
The Department of City Planning is working on the first serious update to the city’s zoning code since the 1980s. A guiding vision is to allow more flexibility in the shape of buildings so that the city’s built environment can look more like it did in the early 20th century. That means more interior courtyards, street-side gardens, and ground-floor shops.
The measures are part of the housing plan of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. The aim is to increase the city’s density in a more aesthetically pleasing way.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2011
House Bill Would Block New OSHA Regulations
Proposed riders in a U.S. House of Representatives spending bill would block the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from issuing controversial workplace safety and health regulations.
| Oct 11, 2011
AIA introduces five new documents for use on sustainable projects
These new documents will be available in the first quarter of 2012 as part of the new AIA Contract Documents service and AIA Documents on Demand.
| Oct 7, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: UL Environment releases industry-wide sustainability requirements for doors
ASSA ABLOY Trio-E door is the first to be certified to these sustainability requirements.
| Oct 6, 2011
Taking tenant behavior into account on building energy codes
Over the past few years, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, and Washington, D.C., have passed laws requiring property owners to measure and disclose their energy use, which would help place a market value on a building’s efficiency and provide a benchmark for improvements.
| Oct 6, 2011
Constructed properly, green roofs hold up well in a hurricane
The heavy rains and high winds of Hurricane Irene didn’t cause any problems for a Con Edison green roof in New York City. The roof contains sedum, a plant that adapts well to drought and handles periods of heavy rain well.
| Oct 6, 2011
RoofPoint: A new green standard for roofs
Structured much like other rating systems, RoofPoint, establishes green standards specifically for roofs.
| Oct 6, 2011
Roofers critical of new OSHA harness rules
Roofers say a new OSHA rule requiring all residential roofers to wear a safety harness makes workers less safe, and is causing lost business for those who comply with the rule.
| Oct 6, 2011
Florida county proposes saving on construction costs by trumping city regulations
This summer, Pinellas County, FL wanted to save money on an $81 million public safety complex in Largo by using the county’s own building regulations and permit fees, not the city’s more expensive fees.
| Sep 30, 2011
OSHA Releases New Nail Gun Safety Document
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have developed a new guidance document, Nail Gun Safety—A Guide for Construction Contractors.
| Sep 30, 2011
Cement Industry Advocates For Environmental Regulatory Relief
EPA regulations impacting the cement industry could force the closure of 18 of the nearly 100 US cement plants and cost 4,000 manufacturing jobs .