Reimagining our cities for a sustainable and human-centric future In her groundbreaking book Wonder City, Lynn Ellsworth delves deep into the heart of modern urban life, casting a critical eye on the transformative changes sweeping through cities like New York. This compelling journey into the world of urban development goes beyond the usual narrative, serving as a passionate call to action that encourages readers to actively participate in shaping the future of their cities. Ellsworth expertly navigates through complex themes such as affordable housing, urban planning, historic preservation, and architecture. With a focus on major cities undergoing significant transformations, Wonder City offers an insightful examination of the challenges and opportunities that define contemporary urban life. At the core of this engaging narrative is a striking critique of the real estate industry's influence over urban landscapes. Ellsworth reveals how historic and culturally rich urban settings are increasingly being overshadowed by the rise of impersonal glass towers, a trend she argues is driven by the industry's grip on politicians and technocrats. This analysis is both eye-opening and unsettling, shedding light on the forces reshaping our urban environments. Wonder City is more than a critique, however. Ellsworth provides a pragmatic blueprint for revitalizing urban spaces. She champions the need for affordable housing, sustainable urban planning, and architecture that respects and enhances the human experience. Her arguments challenge the prevailing economic theories behind housing supply and question the architectural ideologies that often justify the demolition of historic urban assets. This book is an essential read for urban planners, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of urban living. Ellsworth's clear, accessible insights into complex issues make Wonder City a vital contribution to the discourse on urban development, appealing to a broad audience that cares about the dynamics and future of city life.
Lynn Ellsworth is an economist, mother, New Yorker, and founder of Humanscale NYC, the Tribeca Trust, the Empire Station Coalition, the Citywide Land- use Coalition, and the Friends of Duane Park. She is on the advisory board of the historic preservation program at the University of Notre Dame and lives in Lower Manhattan.
1. Competing Visions of the City and Urban Life 1 2. The Failure of Trickle- Down Housing Supply Theory 36 3. The Costs of Towerization and the Problem of Density 67 4. Economics of the Urban Commons 97 5. The Curse of New York: The Real Estate Lobby as the Demolition Machine 133 6. How Big Real Estate Stays on Top 173 7. Demonizing Historic Districts and the Capture of the Landmarks Preservation Commission 209 8. The Architecture of Rupture and Nihilism 251 9. What Policies for a Human- Scale City? 286 Acknowledgments 319 Notes 321 References 327 Index 359
A compelling argument for readers interested in the future of urban development, as well as anyone who has ever been enchanted by the Big Apple.---Shelf Awareness Lynn Ellsworth's Wonder City blows up the myths that underlie the real estate growth machine in New York City and beyond. She makes a passionate activist's argument for human-centered urban planning and architecture and backs it up with rigorous research and analysis. In the spirit of urbanists from Camillo Sitte to Jane Jacobs, she values human-scale development and historic preservation. She contrasts the powerful role of the real estate industry in shaping the built environment with the docile submission of city and state governments and their urban planners to the growth machine. Her masterful critique of trickle-down housing policies includes a brilliant take-down of economist Edward Glaeser and his use of free market fundamentalism to rationalize failed urban policies in major cities.---Tom Angotti, Professor Emeritus of Urban Policy & Planning, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York Finally an economist who understands sustainable housing policy! Lynn Ellsworth's book explains the problems that arise when 'market fundamentalism' is inappropriately applied to the market for housing in NYC. Currently the debate around housing cost is largely a debate about the extent to which simple notions of 'supply and demand' can explain high home prices. This author explains at length, and in accessible terms, that there are myriad other factors at play and that bulldozing existing urban fabric is not the solution. A must read for all, especially by self identifying NIMBYs and YIMBYs.---Patrick M. Condon, University of British Columbia Wonder City reveals how current city planning, housing, and real estate development policies and practices in New York City (and not only there) promote skyscrapers as the dominant building type and manage to overcome popular resistance that favors low-rise and pedestrian-scaled neighborhoods. This essential book challenges the architecture and urban design ideas that have dominated in the professions and among public authorities for many decades and offers specific reforms that prioritize human-scale urban environments for all.---Steven W. Semes, University of Notre Dame School of Architecture
