Why 40 Percent of Manhattan’s

Buildings Couldn’t Be Built Today

“It’s ridiculous that we have these hundred-year-old
buildings that everyone loves, and none of them
‘should’ be the way they are.”

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2016 marked the 100th anniversary of New York City’s zoning code. You
might not immediately think this an occasion to break out the champagne,
but then again, it’s hard to overstate the impact the code has had on
America’s most iconic city. As the New York Times pointed out in a recent
article, there is barely an inch of the island of Manhattan that hasn’t been
touched by the building code. From the tiered design of the Empire State
Building to the coziness of Greenwich Village, the city we know and love
came to us, to a large extent, through the code.
How things have changed: Manhattan as depicted in 1873 …

New York was the first American city to develop a comprehensive building
code. Originally, the code was designed to stem the proliferation of
overcrowded, dangerous tenements. Over time, however, the code changed
to meet new challenges, including environmental and safety standards. Most
recently, Mayor de Blasio received approval for an affordable housing scheme
designed to slow the rise of gentrification.

Because the code is always changing, many of the city’s buildings would
never be approved for construction today. As the Times reports, a real estate
investment firm called Quantierra recently combed through thousands of
records and found that a full 40 percent of the city’s buildings fail to meet
current guidelines.
… A photograph of the same region in 1961 …

“Many buildings in distinctive Manhattan neighborhoods like Chinatown,

the Upper East Side and Washington Heights could not be erected now:
Properties in those areas tend to cover too much of their lots (Washington
Heights), have too much commercial space (Chinatown) or rise too high
(the Upper East Side),” notes the Times. “Areas like Chelsea, Midtown and
East Harlem, on the other hand, would look much as they do already.”

“Look at the beautiful New York City neighborhoods we could never build
again,” said Stephen Smith of Quantierra. “It’s ridiculous that we have these
hundred-year-old buildings that everyone loves, and none of them ‘should’
be the way they are.”

As we move forward, it is important to keep in mind that the code literally

shapes the landscape of the city. In this sense, government officials should
take care to ensure that they aren’t creating rules that would obliterate the
aspects of the city people love.

… And Manhattan as we see it today.

However, it is also important to keep in mind that the code helps preserve
the city, as well. As the Times notes, nearly three quarters of Manhattan was
built between 1900 and 1940. Because the new codes are more restrictive,
developers have an incentive to keep older buildings rather than demolish
them.

A major challenge with the code is its opacity. Although it has important
implications for all residents of the city, few residents can understand it.
That is why the Municipal Art Society of New York has called for an overhaul
of the code that would render it more intelligible to ordinary citizens.

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