Dear all,
As we continue to explore the format of the weekly email, we’re trying something new: It will no longer be called a “pitch sheet.” Recently, a friend of mine admitted to immediately deleting the last pitch sheet, because he assumed we were “asking for money.” It was perhaps unclear who was pitching what and to whom.
Meant to foster more casual and frequent communication with our readers and contributors, these weekly emails will be filled with observations on architecture and the city, lists of upcoming events, links to articles now available online, and more. Each message will have a unique subject line related to the topic or theme of the week.
If you have an idea for an article or a reaction to this email, write to editor@nyra.nyc.
If you would like to write up an event for Skyline, write to skyline@nyra.nyc.
As you can imagine, there aren’t many official architecture events this week. Classes are over and institutions are still in a holding pattern. Nevertheless, as the pandemic grinds on, it’s offering abundant opportunities to reflect on the way our cities operate.
Indeed, if quarantine will teach us anything this holiday weekend, it’s that enjoying nice weather is fraught with contradictions in New York.
First of all, direct access to outdoor space is few and far between. Some New Yorkers do have back yards and balconies, luxurious rooftop terraces and private swimming pools. But, for the rest of us, as Memorial Day approaches, we realize just how ungenerous our city’s buildings are when it comes to taking sunshine and fresh air.
As someone living in an old tenement, my only direct access to the outdoors is a decrepit fire escape. How I would descend a metal ladder lapped in flames remains a mystery even to this architect, but in meantime, it’s the closest thing to a balcony I’ve ever had.
On the bright side, when I do leave my apartment, the city is finally opening small sections of streets to pedestrians and cyclists. As I walked down a carless Avenue B on Saturday, for a brief moment I felt like I was in a different city (a more humane, vaguely Northern European one). It’s unusual to see buildings from so far back and to consider their facades at a distance, without worrying about bumping into someone on a crowded sidewalk. I felt at ease.
Yet, I was quickly reminded that I was, in fact, still in New York. A cyclist jolted me out of my architectural musings. “Get out the road!” he barked at a pedestrian walking ahead of me.
Ave B “open” for pedestrians and cyclists only.
While it’s a baby step and New Yorkers are resistant to change, I do think that closing streets to vehicular traffic during the pandemic may force a much-needed re-evaluation of the way we use our city. In our mental maps of New York, public space is largely consolidated in iconic places like Central Park and Prospect Park, yet it’s actually all around us. Hopefully, in the future, more of the space between buildings will be returned to people for their enjoyment, rather than being used as parking lots and linear trash cans.
[You can now read Alex Klimoski’s Issue 11 musings on city streets during quarantine, here.]
Finally, the confusion about beaches in the Tri-state Area (NJ and CT are open, NY State is open, yet NYC remains closed) is especially poignant. It’s a reminder that the same inequalities that shape the tragic health outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic seem to neatly overlay the decisions about opening beaches. Whiter state beaches like Jacob Riis and Ft Tilden will be open, yet browner and blacker city beaches like Orchard Beach and the Rockaways, will remain closed.
Regardless of the rules, I would have likely hopped on my bike for Ft Tilden anyway, but it looks like this Memorial Day weekend the city made my decision for me: With no balcony, back yard or rooftop, I’ll be biking to a state beach to work on my mask tan.
—Dante Furioso, Managing Editor
Online Talks / Events
Putting Climate at the Heart of Covid-19 Recovery Tuesday, May 26, 12pm – 1pm (Center for Architecture) What is the relationship between Covid-19 and the green new deal?
NYLON #17 The Future of Retail in New York and London Wednesday, May 27, 9am – 10:30 am (Center for Architecture) Due to the exorbitant cost of commercial rent, retail was already dying before Covid-19. What can cities like NY and London do to avert a total loss of small businesses, a process that is being accelerated during the pandemic?
Untapped New York: Victorian Flatbush Wednesday, May 27, 12pm – 1pm (GSAPP) Brooklyn is not just brownstones. Join a virtual tour of Flatbush’s Victorian section to catch a glimpse of the rich and diverse architectural history of the borough.
Lecture with Anna Puigjaner Saturday, May 30, 1:30am (GSAPP) That’s Friday night. The bars are closed, so why not join the architect and educator as she discusses her research on collective living? Assuming we’re healthy, don’t we all wish we had a bigger pod these days?
You can see more online talks and events on our website nyra.nyc.