The point of this project is to showcase how bad zoning is not merely an inconvenience for developers or the cause of ugly buildings, but something that destroys a place over time. One of the most glaring examples of terrible, hatchet wielding zoning in my old neighborhood is below:
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| As you can see, a single family house has been built in an old neighborhood of rowhomes. A 60's style ranch house, it has a 30 foot setback, a huge lawn, and no sidewalk. To the right, you can see the style of rowhouse that dominates Troy, and once stood on the lot now wholly occupied by one family. |
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| Another view of the area, you can see the difference in setbacks, height, density, walkability, and general appeal of the buildings. |
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| Opposite the single family house, is a dense alley, behind a row of Brownstones. This block is home to a lively and active, though poor community. Unlike the ranch houses which dot the landscape, all of the units are occupied, and crime on this stretch of road is reasonably low. |
When I lived on 14th street, I stayed up in the area of rowhouses near College Ave, or down on Congress. Walking by the vacant lots and ranch houses in the center of the street, however, is not a comfortable feeling. You have to walk on the grass or in the street, due to the lack of sidewalk. There are no eyes on the street, and you rarely see the inhabitants of these buildings. On the other hand, those who live in the row houses hang out on their stoops and sidewalks, chatting or just watching people go by. This is not a side effect, but the core of good city planning: Eyes on the street, easily walkable neighborhoods, and a sense of community. This ranch house is the antithesis to this, a gaping hole in the middle of what once was.
Tomorrow, I'll go into the actual laws that produced this disparity, and talk about ways Troy could easily bring sanity back to its urban design.
-James
