designing
public
consensus

The Civic Theater of
Community Participation
for Architects, Landscape Architects,
Planners, and Urban Designers

Foreword by Alexander Garvin

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The

Sun

Theater Meryl Streep in 'Mother Courage, p. 11

Style A New Fragrance for Tots, p. 18

VOL. 122 No. 69

PUBLISHED AT NEW YORK CITY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2006

***

© 2006 ONE SL LLC

50¢

## INSIDE

### OBITUARY

Alexander Cushing, who created the Squaw Valley ski resort, was 92. Page 4

Arts & Letters 11, 13-15 National 4-5

Business 10 New York 2-3

Calendar 12 Obituaries 4

Classified 14 Opinion 3-9

Crossword 16 Sports 16-17

Editorials 8 Style 18

Foreign 6 Sun Doku 16

Lebanon Truce 7

## How Sweep It Is

## NEW YORK LAGS IN HOUSING CREATION, CENSUS DATA SHOW

> 'There Aren't the Jobs' Here As South, West Outpace State

By DAVID LOMBINO

Staff Reporter of Sun

The Arizona county that contains Phoenix added more housing units than all of New York State last year, according to numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau yesterday.

New York added 33,666 housing units, an increase of 0.4% of its total housing stock, from July 2004 to July 2005. That makes it second-worst among the 50 states in percentage housing growth, trailing only Rhode Island.

In total number of units built, New York ranked 20th. Florida added nearly 247,000 units of housing, fol-

reported in New York City is an increase of about 31% over the previous year measured by the census, 2003 to 2004.

A spokesman for the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Please see CENSUS, page 2

WRITTEN ON BACK OF THIS
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH
TAKEN FOR THE BOSTON
HOUSING AUTHORITY IS THE
COMMENT 'OVERCROWD-
ING.' FOR MANY URBAN
PLANNERS, THE NARROW
STREET PATTERN AND HIGH
BUILDING DENSITY
INDICATED LESS THAN
DESIRABLE URBAN LIVING
CONDITIONS.

Table 4. Largest Parks in the Largest Cities in the United States

<table><thead><tr><td>Name</td><td>City</td><td>Acres</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>South Mountain Preserve Park</td><td>Phoenix</td><td>16,283</td></tr><tr><td>Cullen Park</td><td>Houston</td><td>10,534</td></tr><tr><td>North Mountain Preserve Park</td><td>Phoenix</td><td>7,500</td></tr><tr><td>Mission Trails Park</td><td>San Diego</td><td>5,700</td></tr><tr><td>Forest Park</td><td>Portland, Oregon</td><td>4,836</td></tr><tr><td>Eagle Creek Park</td><td>Indianapolis</td><td>4,813</td></tr><tr><td>Mission Bay Park</td><td>San Diego</td><td>4,600</td></tr><tr><td>Griffith Park</td><td>Los Angeles</td><td>4,171</td></tr><tr><td>Fairmount Park-Wissahickon Valley</td><td>Philadelphia</td><td>4,167</td></tr><tr><td>Trinity River Park</td><td>Dallas</td><td>3,653</td></tr><tr><td>White Rock Lake Park/Greenbelt</td><td>Dallas</td><td>2,956</td></tr><tr><td>Pelham Bay Park</td><td>New York</td><td>2,766</td></tr><tr><td>Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve</td><td>San Diego</td><td>2,572</td></tr><tr><td>San Pasqual Open Space</td><td>San Diego</td><td>2,341</td></tr><tr><td>Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area</td><td>Los Angeles</td><td>2,031</td></tr><tr><td>Greenbelt Park</td><td>New York</td><td>1,778</td></tr><tr><td>Swope Park</td><td>Kansas City, Missouri</td><td>1,769</td></tr><tr><td>Upper Fall Creek</td><td>Indianapolis</td><td>1,660</td></tr><tr><td>Pennypack Park</td><td>Philadelphia</td><td>1,618</td></tr><tr><td>Mount Airy Forest</td><td>Cincinnati</td><td>1,472</td></tr><tr><td>Hansen Dam Recreation Area</td><td>Los Angeles</td><td>1,463</td></tr><tr><td>Memorial Park</td><td>Houston</td><td>1,431</td></tr><tr><td>Forest Park</td><td>St. Louis</td><td>1,293</td></tr><tr><td>Flushing Meadows-Corona Park</td><td>New York</td><td>1,255</td></tr><tr><td>Lincoln Park</td><td>Chicago</td><td>1,212</td></tr><tr><td>Rouge Park</td><td>Detroit</td><td>1,200</td></tr><tr><td>Van Cortland Park</td><td>New York</td><td>1,146</td></tr><tr><td>Golden Gate Park</td><td>San Francisco</td><td>1,107</td></tr><tr><td>Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park</td><td>Baltimore</td><td>1,100</td></tr><tr><td>Balboa Park</td><td>San Diego</td><td>1,048</td></tr><tr><td>Richmond Parkway</td><td>New York</td><td>984</td></tr><tr><td>Rochester Park</td><td>Dallas</td><td>983</td></tr><tr><td>Belle Isle Park</td><td>Detroit</td><td>981</td></tr><tr><td>Riverfront Park</td><td>Kansas City, Missouri</td><td>955</td></tr><tr><td>Eisenhower Park</td><td>Houston</td><td>883</td></tr><tr><td>Central Park</td><td>New York</td><td>840</td></tr></tbody></table>

Note: Data cover only the cities profiled in this book, the 25 largest cities in the United States, excluding Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. There are other city parks that are as large as some of the parks on this list.

THE ZONING ORDINANCE

THE ZONING ORDINANCE was adopted and put into operation in 1931. It was drawn up on a basis of a survey of the physical and economic aspects of the city and its buildings made in 1931. It provided for use districts, height and area districts, and an area designated as "Old and Historic," "for the preservation and protection of historic places and areas of historic interest." The Zoning Ordinance is administered by the City Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Engineer. A five member Board of Adjustment may be appealed to for interpretation of the ordinance, and the Board of Architectural Review passes on new construction and alterations in the "Old and Historic Area." When the ordinance was adopted its provision for the protection of historic and esthetic values attracted national attention. It was commended by Charles Henry Cheney of California as "one of the most forward advances in city planning work and architectural control that we have ever yet had in the country," and by Robert D. Kohn of New York, then president of the American Institute of Architects, as "the most progressive ordinance ever adopted in America." Editorial comment in the *Charleston Evening Post* characterized it thus: "It is a very difficult thing to order satisfactorily the growth of an old city, with all the settled ways and all the venerable landmarks it has acquired. The zoning plan which has been worked out after six months of intensive study and which is embodied in the ordinance now submitted for passage by City Council, has most happily disposed of much of this difficulty by following in the main the life lines of the community, recognizing established characteristics and instituting what might be almost called influences rather than regulations for the future to bring about a correction of departure from the true form of the community rather than to change it in any essential element."

The Board of Architectural Review which has under its special protection the area of the city designated as "Old and Historic" is to be credited with the greatest accomplishments of the commission. The Board has undoubtedly prevented many an architectural indiscretion in the years of great restoration activity in the old and historic area, and has exercised a wise and healthy influence upon would-be restorers. However, as illustrated by the accompanying maps, this area protects only some of the historic and valuable buildings of the community.

There is undoubtedly a lack of understanding on the part of the average citizen of the intentions of the Planning and Zoning Ordinance, and conse-

figure 2-3

Comparison of Performance Expectations

<table>
   <thead>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Performance Parameters
     </td>
     <td>
      Traditional Super Regional Mall
     </td>
     <td>
      New-Generation Retail Entertainment Destination Development
     </td>
    </tr>
   </thead>
   <tbody>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Scale
     </td>
     <td>
      800,000 to 1.7 million square feet
     </td>
     <td>
      250,000 to 600,000 square feet
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Sales per Square Foot
     </td>
     <td>
      $300 to $330
     </td>
     <td>
      $700 to $1,200
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Drawing Radius
     </td>
     <td>
      Approximately 20 miles
     </td>
     <td>
      Estimated 35 to 40 miles
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Repeat Visitation
     </td>
     <td>
      Average of three times per month, penetration of 80 to 200 percent
     </td>
     <td>
      Average of two to four times per month, penetration of 100 to 400 percent
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Regional Dominance
     </td>
     <td>
      Achieved through department store anchors/scalè/mix
     </td>
     <td>
      Achieved through offerings unique to the region
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Appeal
     </td>
     <td>
      Tends to be focused on shopping trips
     </td>
     <td>
      Broadened through entertainment and dining offerings
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Duration of Visit
     </td>
     <td>
      Approximately 1.24 hours
     </td>
     <td>
      Estimated 3.5 hours
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Demand Period Productivity
     </td>
     <td>
      Concentrated across number of periods, affected by seasonality
     </td>
     <td>
      Concentrated over evening and daytime periods, low periods enhanced through tourism and leisure activities
     </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
     <td>
      Tourist Draw
     </td>
     <td>
      Limited
     </td>
     <td>
      Potentially 20 to 40 percent of visitor base, depending on location
     </td>
    </tr>
   </tbody>
  </table>

Source: MRA International.

Veni, Venti, Grande

Starbucks Strikes Deep in a Wary Land of Pushcarts and Delis

By TERRY PRISTIN

Each dot
represents a
Starbucks cafe
in Manhattan.

1992
0

Mark Damian, an East Village writer with a pierced chin, consumes a lot of coffee — five or more cups of strong brew every day. He likes to drink it at Java N Jazz, an independent cafe near Union Square, which he says has more character than Starbucks.

Nonetheless, Mr. Damian, 31, admits that he can often be found at a Starbucks shop. "You can't really avoid them," he said.

Mr. Damian thinks that $3 is a lot to charge for a small latte, but he is willing to pay, if a little reluctantly, to avoid the unexpected. "If you are accustomed to good coffee," he said, "it doesn't cut it to go to places where they endlessly fill your cup with brown water. At least here it's not much of a gamble."

About as fast as you can say doppio espresso macchiato, Starbucks shops have sprouted all over Manhattan, with 124 at last count and four more on the way. New Yorkers love to complain about Starbucks and make fun of the chain's explosive growth — "obviously predatory and very capitalistic," Mr. Damian said — and yet they drink Starbucks coffee by the gallon. Since coming to New York in 1994, the Seattle-based chain has surpassed even the drug retailer Duane Reade in number of stores — and Duane Reade, with 113 stores, started in the city in 1959.

Hard-to-please New Yorkers like Mr. Damian have often turned a frosty shoulder to out-of-town brands, as three chains based in the Southwest — EatZi's Market and Bakery, Boston Market and California Pizza Kitchen — have learned in recent years. City dwellers are famously impatient, and they pride themselves on their discerning tastes and disdain for off-the-rack conformity, said Arlene Spiegel, a restaurant consultant.

"They have the luxury of many choices," she said. "They are resistant to chains and they do favor their own native concepts and brands."

Until relatively recently, coffee in New York meant stamina-enhancing fuel. The Beat generation coffee houses in Greenwich Village were

Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

Starbucks containers and shops have become common sights on the streets of New York, where coffee traditionally came in a Greek-scrolled cup with the message, "We are happy to serve you."

*Continued on Page B2*

1994
6

1997
36

2002
124

Source: Starbucks
The New York Times

Fig. 21—Plan of the residential districts, dated November 1929.

The Challenge

The mid-20th Century problem of physical stag-
nation and human waste at the inner core has
plagued every large city in America. Nationally,
slum areas were producing 6% of the Cities' revenues
while consuming 45% for urban services.

Since before World War II, slum and blight areas
have hampered Detroit's growth and development,
drained its resources and impaired its physical
appearance. Only bold and farsighted action to chal-
lenge the inevitability of complete decay in the inner
city could halt the disastrous course of history.

The enormity of the Gratiot Redevelopment under-
taking is partially measured by the thousands of
people directly involved, the dollars spent and the
many years required to accomplish the task. As the
first city in the nation to begin residential redevelop-
ment under the Federal Housing Act of 1949,
Detroit's accomplishment is also a pioneering achieve-
ment, requiring the initiative and boldness to mark a
new path, the courage to break with tradition and
the willingness to make considerable material sacri-
fice. These are the qualities needed for our cities to
survive and grow, and the survival and growth of
our cities can be attained only by the fulfillment of
urban renewal goals.

The following pages tell the story of the renewal of
an area of 129 acres, the relocation of nearly 2,000
families, the revitalization of a city's central resi-
dential area, and the subsequent stimulus given to
the downtown business and finance center.