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Another component of NYC’s housing problems: many of the city’s smaller buildings have undergone resident shrinkage, in part due to smaller, wealthier family un

Another component of NYC’s housing problems: many of the city’s smaller buildings have undergone resident shrinkage, in part due to smaller, wealthier family units. In other words: a brownstone that would have housed 3 or 4 extended families in 1923 is now housing a single family.

throw0101b 3y ago
Also happening in Toronto: > Over a 45 year period, 1971-2016, 56 of Toronto’s 140 Official Neighbourhoods had smaller populations in 2016 than they did in 1971 (e.g. The Annex). More than 70% of Neighbourhoods in what was formerly Old Toronto, fall into this category of de-densification. 80% of the City of Toronto’s population growth have come from 20 Neighbourhoods. * https://www.erikdrysdale.com/DA_kramer/ https://www.erikdrysdale.com/DA_kramer/
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- downrightmike 3y ago
  Their growth only comes from absorbing the outlying areas. They aren't making a functional city by doing that.
- Whoppertime 3y ago
  Isn't this just the changing composition of families? If divorce becomes more popular and marriage becomes less popular there are more single adult households which results in a smaller population density
  - nikanj 3y ago
    It's many different things. Smaller families, units combined into larger units, units serving as pied-à-terre / airbnb instead of having permanent residents, etc
downrightmike 3y ago
The whole NYC island was cut into grid lots without taking into things like utilities, just lots, by a realtor. It takes so much more money and effort it service and maintain all of that. They have no ability to grow the city like Tokyo does. They don't have the engineering ability, or funds. Tokyo has 38m people to NYC's 12m. This is all due to NYC not wanting to think about the future, only preserve the poorly designed past.
- woodruffw 3y ago
  > The whole NYC island was cut into grid lots without taking into things like utilities, just lots, by a realtor First of all, NYC is not an island. It's 5 different boroughs, four of which are spread across 3 islands with one connected to the mainland. Manhattan is just one borough; it's not the biggest by size or population by a long shot (that would be Queens). Second: I don't know why you think this. Manhattan's grid plan was produced in 1811 by a handful of leading citizen types[1]. It's worth noting that utilities in the sense we mean today weren't really a thing they could plan for in 1811. But, as far as I know, the city's grid really hasn't been an impediment to the city's utility system, besides trash collection. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners%27_Plan_of_1811 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners%27_Plan_of_1811
- majormajor 3y ago
  Population density around "grid lots" isn't a thing holding NYC back from Tokyo's total population; the land area of Tokyo proper is nearly 3x that of NYC proper for about 1.5x the people. The surrounding area is denser in Tokyo, but the city proper is already denser in NYC (which makes sense if you've seen the building heights in Manhattan).
- FooBarBizBazz 3y ago
  Brooklyn (Williamsburg)? Jersey City? Hoboken? These have all gone from blue-collar to completely-unaffordable within the lifetime of GenX and elder Millennials. NYC does expand. Now -- funny thing: With the PATH, you can get into the financial district faster from Newark than you can from Brooklyn. So the obvious next thing to do is to gentrify Newark. That's been slow though -- money still remembers the 1967 riots.

throw0101b 3y ago

Also happening in Toronto: > Over a 45 year period, 1971-2016, 56 of Toronto’s 140 Official Neighbourhoods had smaller populations in 2016 than they did in 1971 (e.g. The Annex). More than 70% of Neighbourhoods in what was formerly Old Toronto, fall into this category of de-densification. 80% of the City of Toronto’s population growth have come from 20 Neighbourhoods. * https://www.erikdrysdale.com/DA_kramer/ https://www.erikdrysdale.com/DA_kramer/

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
downrightmike 3y ago
Their growth only comes from absorbing the outlying areas. They aren't making a functional city by doing that.
Whoppertime 3y ago
Isn't this just the changing composition of families? If divorce becomes more popular and marriage becomes less popular there are more single adult households which results in a smaller population density
- nikanj 3y ago
  It's many different things. Smaller families, units combined into larger units, units serving as pied-à-terre / airbnb instead of having permanent residents, etc

downrightmike 3y ago

The whole NYC island was cut into grid lots without taking into things like utilities, just lots, by a realtor. It takes so much more money and effort it service and maintain all of that. They have no ability to grow the city like Tokyo does. They don't have the engineering ability, or funds. Tokyo has 38m people to NYC's 12m. This is all due to NYC not wanting to think about the future, only preserve the poorly designed past.

woodruffw 3y ago
> The whole NYC island was cut into grid lots without taking into things like utilities, just lots, by a realtor First of all, NYC is not an island. It's 5 different boroughs, four of which are spread across 3 islands with one connected to the mainland. Manhattan is just one borough; it's not the biggest by size or population by a long shot (that would be Queens). Second: I don't know why you think this. Manhattan's grid plan was produced in 1811 by a handful of leading citizen types[1]. It's worth noting that utilities in the sense we mean today weren't really a thing they could plan for in 1811. But, as far as I know, the city's grid really hasn't been an impediment to the city's utility system, besides trash collection. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners%27_Plan_of_1811 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners%27_Plan_of_1811
majormajor 3y ago
Population density around "grid lots" isn't a thing holding NYC back from Tokyo's total population; the land area of Tokyo proper is nearly 3x that of NYC proper for about 1.5x the people. The surrounding area is denser in Tokyo, but the city proper is already denser in NYC (which makes sense if you've seen the building heights in Manhattan).
FooBarBizBazz 3y ago
Brooklyn (Williamsburg)? Jersey City? Hoboken? These have all gone from blue-collar to completely-unaffordable within the lifetime of GenX and elder Millennials. NYC does expand. Now -- funny thing: With the PATH, you can get into the financial district faster from Newark than you can from Brooklyn. So the obvious next thing to do is to gentrify Newark. That's been slow though -- money still remembers the 1967 riots.