Crains New York - July 22, 2013 - (Page 11)

VISHAAN CHAKRABARTI Cities, not suburbs, are central to growth T he data are in: Dense, transit-rich, mixed-income cities are outpacing suburbs in the “three Es”—the economy,the environment and social equity (which I define as equal access to opportunity). Cities nationwide, however imperfectly, are delivering more prosperity, sustainability and social mobility than suburbs. My research indicates that our cities, which make up 3% of the land in the continental U.S., generate 90% of our gross domestic product and 86% of U.S. jobs. Urbanites’ carbon footprint is far lower than suburbanites’ because we use mass transit and live in energy-efficient apartments. Nonetheless, the federal government subsidizes suburban living by more than $100 billion annually through tax deductions, fossil-fuel giveaways and highway spending. We must push to recapture the billions in taxes we send to Albany and Washington,D.C.,without a return. It also means we must build upon our city’s success by embracing growth. Manhattan works because of its density, yet our outer boroughs are less dense than Los Angeles.The Brooklyn renaissance correlates to the borough’s densest parts, including brownstone neighborhoods and downtown, where mixed-income, modular high-rises are springing up. At SHoP Architects,we are working with Two Trees Management Co. on the Domino Sugar plan, integrating new housing (including hundreds of affordable units), entrepreneurial office space, neighborhood retail and more than five acres of waterfront park into Williamsburg. These burgeoning parts of Brooklyn resulted from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s selective upzonings, which his successor must continue. At Columbia University’s Center for Urban Real Estate, we will soon release a report indicating that a lack Demographics are Thompson’s problem T he only African-American candidate for mayor is on track to get something like a third of the black vote in the Democratic primary, a startling development that speaks volumes about the problems of former Comptroller Bill Thompson and the surprising strength of former Rep. Anthony Weiner. Last week, a Quinnipiac poll indicated Mr. Thompson was the preferred candidate of only 14% of the African-Americans polled. Other polls have shown a similar result ever since Mr. Weiner entered the race. Black voters used to embrace Mr. Thompson. He faced only marginal opposition in the primary four years ago, so that isn’t a good comparison. As the fall campaign began, more than half of black voters preferred the former comptroller to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The week before the 2009 election, Quinnipiac showed that Mr. Thompson had jumped to a 62%-23% lead. In the end, he wound up with 76% of the African-American vote. What is different this time is the campaign Mr.Thompson is running. He sought the endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers, yet told advocates of education reform that he will protect the most important Bloomberg initiatives. He criticized stop-and-frisk but said he GREG DAVID wouldn’t abolish it. He told the real estate community he is its friend while courting labor by saying he will require union workers on affordablehousing projects,one of the industry’s biggest fears.It is all way too calculating—and it is obvious to the voters. Enter Mr. Weiner, whose mes- of affordable housing and zoning capacity means adding a million new residents to the city won’t happen until 2040—not 2030, as PlanNYC projects.Unless we zone for more affordable urbanism—particularly larger mixed-income projects on or near the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts—we will not meet even that tepid growth rate. Every new urban resident increases our tax base and reduces our region’s carbon footprint. We have come a long way since the days of Mad Men, when midtown was our dominant job center. Our future is as a “city of cities” in which many hubs—midtown, downtown, the Flatiron district, Hudson Yards, a new Penn Station, Hudson Square, Dumbo, Roosevelt Island, Long Island City and emerging areas like St. George and the South Bronx—form walkable, bikable, live/work districts. We can build them with dense, green affordable housing, office and retail; to withstand storms and climate change; and with vibrant streets, parks and schools. The city’s history is about welcoming strivers from around the globe. Our future must expand upon this great past. Vishaan Chakrabarti is a partner at SHoP Architects, the director of Columbia’s Center for Urban Real Estate, and the author of A Country of Cities (Metropolis Books). WHO’S WINNING THE BLACK VOTE Anthony Weiner 31% Christine Quinn 16% Bill Thompson 14% John Liu 11% Bill de Blasio 8% Source: July 15 Quinnipiac poll sage as a fighter for the ignored middle class is clearly resonating. With the two most liberal candidates— Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio—going nowhere, Mr. Weiner has become the choice of the disaffected, especially black voters. That Mr. Thompson failed to attack Mr. Weiner from the start paved the way for Mr. Weiner’s surge. Two caveats. First, the polls could be understating Mr. Thompson’s support among blacks, but there is no reason to think Quinnipiac’s methodology is worse this time than in 2009. Second, the Rev. Al Sharpton could endorse Mr. Thompson with enthusiasm, campaign aggressively with him, and bring black voters back into the Thompson fold. (Rev. Sharpton did all three for Fernando Ferrer at just about this time in 2001.) If that doesn’t happen, though, then Mr. Thompson will lose, because every scenario for a victory begins with solid black support. And the idea that demographics are destiny in New York politics would be laid to rest once and for all. July 22, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 11

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - July 22, 2013

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
REAL ESTATE DEALS
SMALL BUSINESS
OPINION
GREG DAVID
REPORT: INFRASTRUCTURE
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE BREAKFAST
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - July 22, 2013