07 July 2009

Ruins of 2nd Guided Age

NYT slideshow of partially built projects that may never get finished:
 


In a similar vein, an article in WSJ:
...Small houses on small lots—or condos and townhouses—require more dense zoning than is currently on the books in suburbia. Unless an area is already blighted and abandoned, the "threat" of higher density inevitably resurrects "not in my backyard" fears of more noise, traffic and overcrowded schools, which often results in considerable citizen pushback and bad publicity for the builder. That is, of course, why sprawl happened in the first place—builders almost always find it less of a hassle to build on undeveloped land than to create so-called "infill" housing.

... several big suburban builders, including K. Hovnanian, KB Homes and Toll Brothers, have started divisions for building urban housing, while other companies have started to convert failed suburban shopping malls, office parks, car dealerships and even golf courses into denser mixed-used buildings....

3 comments:

Randy Simes said...

Just went past a large subdivision that was to be built on Atlanta's southern side. The neighborhood at one time had five partially built homes which were stripped of their copper and eventually bulldozed as the banks foreclosed on the entire project. The site is now overgrown with weeds, no homes, barely noticeable infrastructure and a stone entry way that too is difficult to see through the weeds and nature that have overtaken the site. I'll try to get photographs next week.

N_O_R_T_O_N said...

can't stop thinking about that unfinished office tower project on I-71 by Kenwood Mall...

dave said...

Compelling photos, but bizarrely it turns out they're mostly photoshopped.

http://www.metafilter.com/83061/Ruins-of-the-Second-Gilded-Age

http://metatalk.metafilter.com/17934/The-New-York-TimesemiT-kroY-weN-ehT