A plan re-envisions the economic engine of the urban environment.
It's impossible to read the recent spate of news coverage about commercial real estate and not worry that the sector's collapse could lead to more bank failures this year or even a full-blown recession. At the same time, as fewer and fewer companies require in-person work, cities across the country are re-envisioning what their downtowns and business districts can be — and how those new visions can bolster future economic growth before it's too late. |
Happily, the authors of an Opinion guest essay today provide one path forward. Meeting Carlo Ratti, the director of M.I.T.'s Senseable City Lab, this winter, I was struck by how expansive his definition is for the symbiosis between humans and their environments, particularly urban ones. He then pitched us an essay on the dawn of a new kind of urbanism, what he and his co-author Ed Glaeser call "the playground city." |
Playgrounds are, naturally, all about fun, and Carlo and Ed use New York City as the test case for a series of recommendations that could be applied across the globe. They argue that cities must embrace a shift to focusing on recreation, "ensuring that New Yorkers with a wide range of talents want to spend their nights downtown, even if they are spending their days on Zoom." (One other idea? Let the flora take over.) |
I edited Ed, a Harvard economist, for many years, so I knew plans for such "playgrounds" would be rooted in strong financial underpinnings, but it was exciting to also read the creativity, history, experimentation and promise that radiates throughout the essay. Combined with the gorgeous photographs by Gus Powell and compelling graphics from Times Opinion, this future urban landscape comes alive. It's a glimmer of hope as we brace for likely economic bumps ahead. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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