Thematic paper 3

The assignment instruction is in the attachment file, the following links are readings that are associated with the assignments. Please write for question (A) and just ignore questions (b) and (c).

Supplement reading on NYC zoning: https://old.skyscraper.org/zoning/

New York City in(to) the 21 st  century.
TP #3
This 3rd Thematic paper draws upon our readings and discussions of the past few weeks and
follows the lines of the first two papers. As we’ve noted in class, we are able there to give you
mainly the ‘headlines’. The articles/readings on the syllabus and references we point you to in
class, should supply the details to fill out your understanding of how the city has developed. As
usual, the purpose of these exercises is primarily to make sure that you’re integrating the
‘headlines’ and the various readings/videos/references, et al. into your understanding of the
New York metropolis. Bear that in mind, as you approach this exercise.
Choose two (2) of the following prompts for your submission.
As before, you must include references to/for your sources, as well as a ‘works cited’ page.
There is no set rule for footnotes, though putting them on the bottom of the page is preferable.
Include page numbers, and don’t forget to use the spell/grammar checker. This exercise has a
1200-word limit & include the word count in your identifying info at the top. MS Word docs
only. This exercise is to be submitted to BB/Turnitin by next Fri. (4/23) 10 pm.
Plz alert us ASAP, if there are any problems in making this deadline.

Over the past few weeks, we have spent time discussing large issues re. NYC, e.g., the shaping of NYC’s
physical space, by the Zoning rules, the growth of transport arteries (e.g., mass transit and various
bridges, etc.) the multi-stage processes of immigration which have continued to transform its
population/demographics, the networks/ markets and connections which stitch NYC together, etc.
As soon-to-be-professionals going out into the ‘real’ world, you are not well served by our having you
(simply), regurgitate notes from class, or quotes/clips from various readings. It would be more useful (to
you) to have you take what we have been discussing and apply it to a practical analysis.
Accordingly, we offer three topical prompts below. Pick two, and write 4 pages total (plus or minus)
addressing them. Plz utilize all the tools at your disposal (indeed, we expect that you will), readings,
class discussion, NYT, WNYC, Gothamist, BirdLib. resources, et al.) Just be sure to cite appropriately.

A) Re. Zoning in NYC: looking at its use in 20 th century NYC (& now the 21 st ), how have the zoning
resolutions shaped (private) residential housing construction in New York, or its commercial/business
spaces, i.e., the ‘built environment’? E.g., how have the zoning rules shaped the distinctive look of NYC
apartment buildings, or its commercial spaces & office towers? In answering this question, link your
analysis re. the city’s zoning rules to graphic examples of such (blocks of) housing in New York or
commercial zones & office buildings, (e.g., 125 th St. in Harlem; include links to pictures/images).
If you’re looking at business / commercial spaces, it would be useful to also include how the zoning
resolutions were put in place, or were changed after notable failures of the Zoning rules. For example,
Wall St., the Equitable Building (1915), et al. Nota bene: While we didn’t get to illustrate the some of the

New York City in(to) the 21 st  century.
ways these rules changed through various eras, e.g., re. building ‘setbacks’, plazas, Billionaires row, et al.
Such changes are discussed in various readings. Here’s an additional link to bkgd for discussion(s) that
normally come up in class.
B) In considering (recent) immigration to NYC, our discussion has ranged over changes in the laws
regulating the flows of immigrants to the US, to the various groups themselves, and where they find
living space in the metropolis, and the lives they begin to carve out for themselves and their families in
millennial New York. Looking at one or another of these groups, discuss the scale of their migration,
(some of) the neighborhood spaces they have carved out for themselves in the metropolis, the
economic impact of their settlement in the city, and a few of the institutional accommodations they
have caused to be made to their growing presence (e.g., their impact on the school system) in the
metropolis. I.e., develop a picture of one of these groups within the city. Nota bene: if this is what
you’re doing for your final project, use a different group for this TP. The syllabus readings discuss several
such immigrant groups and given the visibility of such immigration in recent decades, you’ll have lots of
material to flesh out your discussion.
C) We have spent time discussing Gentrification and its impact on particular neighborhoods and
populations .In addition to class discussion & readings, My Brooklyn (a film on the syllabus – which you
should have watched) is an exemplar of the issues surrounding gentrification. For NYC, using a particular
neighborhood(s) as an example, discuss what gentrification has meant for it and its residents, and what
has been its impact on formerly(?) resident populations therein. Again, Nota bene: if this is also what
you’re planning for your Final Project, use a different neighborhood/district for this TP.