New-York tribune., 1913-11-16
Sunday Real Estate 81
Owners Should Have Rights
to Air, Light and Sun Pro-
portionate to Their
Holdings.

VI
heights of Buildings Advisory Commission.
A reasonable limitation of the height Of
buildings ought 10 be adopted in New
York City. The charter provides that the
posrd of Aldermen can pass ordinances
limiting the height of buildings. subject
10 the approval of the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment.
The Heights Of Buildings Commission
has since May of this year been collect
,rs all the facts in this and the other
Great cities Of the world, analyzing legis-
Ionon that applies TO this and other
,,,,es and has obtained at first hand the
onnjons of local experts from nearly all
the big cities on the practical results Of
height limitations.
owners Of high buildings, mortgage In
v.stors architects. builders, engineers,
c,v officials, taxation experts and owners
~ land covered by low buildings have all
bsen consulted. Men skilled in fire in
surance. fire fghting and fireproof con-
strpction have contributed their assist
ance. Transportation men and health Of
dcers have freely given us their aid.
The problem is big and many-sided.
Now is not the time for me to speak of
remedies. In general, however, IT may be
said that proper rules of height limita-
ton should protect land values and not
hurt them, should seek 10 preserve for all
of the owners in any block rights TO air,
light and sun proportionate to their hold
ings and tend TO stabilize localities for
the purposes for which they are built UP.
The people Of this city are apt to con-
slider that height limitation is a novelty
and OF doubtful legality. This is not the
case. Practically every great city of the
world. including those of this country
outside of New York City, has for years
limited the height Of buildings. The
courts have almost without exception up
held such limitations.
II our city should to-day take steps in
this direction il would be nearly the last
city in the world 10 come into line.
Some say that New York IS not like any
other city. and that where space is SO linn
tied buildings should be allowed to so to
any height. Is this true? There is ten
times more space in lower Manhattan COW
cred with low buildings than is covered
with high ones. The theatre, retail shop
ping and hotel districts. built up with tall
structures, are almost infnitesimal on the
map Of Manhattan, which is commonly
thought of as the congested borough.
Tunnels and bridges under and over the
surrounding rivers will soon make New
York City round city, the same as Lon
don, Berlin and Paris. and it cannot claim
exemption from rational treatment on the
ground that il differs from any other city
in the world. This is not TO say that its
problems are the same as in other cities
or that the remedies can be copied from
elsewhere. Each city presents its own
peculiar problems, and good sense de-
mands remedy adapted to its particular
needs. Copying is usually a mistake.
Some consider that restricting the height
Of buildings in New York City is locking
the barn door after the horse has been
stolen. To some extent this is true in the
lower end Of Manhattan and here and
there along its backbone, but what shall
Ne say OF all the other parts Of this great
rity. where high buildings do not prevail
and where in some future age there may
be q DEVELOPMENT of which we do not now
wen dream?
Street capacity in lower Manhattan has
much to do with the problem. In fairness
20 all land owners In the southern end or
he city, can the city allow the contnu-
alton Of the building of skyscrapers?
Where would il stop? The streets will
hold just 50 many people in rush hours
and no more. Lower Broadway and Mas
sau street are now crowded nearly TO the
limit three times day. II hundred
more buildings the size of the Woolworth
and new Equitable should be erect
I'd and filed with tenants the streets
would not hold the traffic, to say nothing
Of the dangers of panic conditions. when
hat day came the city would have to pro-
lbit anything except very low buildings
In the district This would almost amount
10 confiscation. but what other alternative
Gould there be?
Every year makes il more impossible TO
widen streets Then, too, come the diffl-
cuties Of transportation. There is liihii
% the number OF subways that can be
built through this district. If all of the
workers capable of being housed in the
new Equitable Building should go TO 'he
subway at once il would take twenty MIN
utes for all the trains, express and local.
10 transport them, If devoted exclusively
to their service.
What one man can do on his land his
neighbor ought to have u right TO do. III
every block downtown were built up as
high as the highest building on II, all
owners would suffer. The lower stories
would be dark and uninviting. Tenants
would seek the top stories or go else
Shere Streets would be dark and cheer
less Loss in health comfort ana prop
erty would ensue. This condition might
never come, even if the city left 1t free
from limitations. Probably the opera
lion OF economic laws would prevent it,
But even So the result would be that the
owners of certain plots of land would
pre-empt the light, air and sunshine OF
other parcels that were oqually entitled to
those rights and the further result would
be untold private injury.
Some say that the whole question In
lower Manhattan should be left to the
working Of natural laws. They say with
much truth that there is an economic
Unit OF height for buildings. and II own
ers transcend il they get hurt. 1t Is well
known that the cost of construction per
cubic foot becomes much higher as addi-
uona stories are added also, that more
space must be set aside for elevators