2024-03-18 12:00
Jason M. Barr March 18, 2024
[Note this post is a part of a series on the history of New York’s grid plan. The entire… Read More
Blog Directory > Design Blogs > Architecture Blogs > Skynomics architecture Blog >
Skynomics Blog
buildingtheskyline.org
Tags:
housing
manhattan
grid
park
redevelopment
infectious disease
common council
tenement
average
upzoned
Skynomics Blog is about the economic causes and consequences of tall buildings around the world. The blog discusses what drives the construction and heights of skyscrapers, and how they impact cities and the people who work, live and play in them.
2024-02-27 13:00
Jason M. Barr February 27, 2024
[Note: Starting Monday, March 4, 2024, Gerard Koeppel and I will be co-teaching a six-week online course on t… Read More
2024-02-21 13:01
Jason M. Barr February 21, 2024
[Note: Starting on Monday, March 4, 2024, Gerard Koeppel and I will be co-teaching a six-week online course o… Read More
2024-02-13 13:01
Jason M. Barr February 13, 2024
[Note: Starting Monday, March 4, 2024, Gerard Koeppel and I will be co-teaching a six-week online course… Read More
2024-01-29 13:00
Jason M. Barr January 29, 2024
[Coming May 14, 2024: Cities in the Sky: The Quest for the the World’s Tall… Read More
2024-01-10 13:04
Jason M. Barr January 10, 2024
The billion-dollar question: What’s driving the housing affordability problem in large cities like New Y… Read More
2023-12-14 12:59
Jason M. Barr December 14, 2023
The Birth of Economics
Roughly speaking, the century from 1870 to 1970 can be ca… Read More
2023-11-27 13:02
Troy Tassier and Jason M. Barr November 27, 2023
Prominent in the list of dangerous and aggressive nuisances are the tenement houses of the city&he&hell…Read More
2023-11-06 13:00
Troy Tassier and Jason M. Barr November 6, 2023
Those sickened must be cured or die off, & being cheifly [sic] of the very scum of the city, th… Read More
2023-08-14 12:01
Jason M. Barr August 14, 2023
Many cities around the world… Read More
2023-07-24 12:03
Jason M. Barr July 24, 2023
Author’s Note: This blog post is the second in a series that brings to l… Read More
2023-06-12 12:04
Jason M. Barr June 12, 2023
A few weeks ago, I received an email from an acquaintance with a link to an article about my re… Read More
2023-05-09 12:01
Jason M. Barr and Remi Jedwab May 9, 2023
When we think of skyscrapers, we think… Read More
2023-04-03 12:00
Jason M. Barr April 3, 2023
“More Rundown Buildings Now!”
That should be the new motto for expensive citi… Read More
2023-02-28 13:01
Jason M. Barr February 28, 2023
Author’s Note: This blog post is the first in a series that brings t… Read More
2023-01-17 13:00
Jason M. Barr January 17, 2023
Gotham has a housing affordability problem. Gotham has a transit problem. There’s a simple solution… Read More
2022-12-27 13:16
Jason M. Barr December 27, 2022
Slouching Towards Utopia is a “grand narrative” of the “long 20th century” from 1870 to 2010… Read More
2022-11-29 13:02
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) November 29, 2022
The price of housing j… Read More
2022-10-26 12:01
Cristina Scofield, Mary Beth Combs, and Jason M. Barr October 26, 2022
The post-Wo… Read More
2022-09-13 12:10
Jason M. Barr September 13, 2022
New York is a resilient city. In 1975, it was left for dead when President Gerald Ford failed to help stave off its Fiscal Cri… Read More
2022-08-31 12:05
Jason M. Barr August 31, 2022
New York City suffers from a housing affordability crisis.
The fundamental problem is that there are too few homes to keep up with the demand… Read More
2022-08-08 12:03
Jason M. Barr August 8, 2022
Stefan Al is the author of Supertall: How the World’s Tallest Buildings Are Reshaping Our Cities and… Read More
2022-06-13 12:10
Jason M. Barr June 13, 2022
New York’s resurgence in the 21st century has led to a housing affordability crisis. More than half of the city’s rente… Read More
2022-04-18 11:58
Jason M. Barr April 18, 2022
Gotham is haunted by a gg-ghost!! The ghost of Robert Moses that is.
Whenever a lar… Read More
2022-03-28 12:14
Jason M. Barr March 28, 2022
Today, metropolises like New York, Vancouver, and London, get a lot of flak for constructing ultra-luxury high-rise condos for inte… Read More
2022-02-21 13:09
Jason M. Barr February 21, 2022
Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try… Read More
2022-01-31 13:10
Jason M. Barr January 31, 2022
[Note this post is the fourth installment in on-going series on the history of the floor area rati… Read More
2021-12-13 13:04
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) December 13, 2021
Two facts in New York seem inviolable. Housing prices always rise, and wherever you look, a shiny, ne… Read More
2021-11-01 12:17
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) November 1, 2021
If you ask someone familiar with New York City real estate about the birth of modern zoning, they’ll point to 196… Read More
2021-09-27 12:02
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) and Sean Franklin September 27, 2021
The 1970s was New York’s darkest decade. The government nearly went bankrupt. A recessi… Read More
2021-08-09 12:12
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) August 9, 2021
Preface
Today, many cities worldwide regulate urban density by limiting the floor area ratio (FAR)—the amount of allowable… Read More
2021-06-22 12:11
Jason M. Barr June 22, 2021
Today is primary day, and New Yorkers are heading to the polls. This year, the Big Apple is using ranked choi… Read More
2021-05-26 12:29
Jason M. Barr May 26, 2021
Peace on Earth
In the 23rd century, humanity has finally found peace. The hatred and violence inflicted upo… Read More
2021-05-11 12:18
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) May 11, 2021
Author’s note: This post is Part I of a four-part series on the birth and growth of modern zoning, focusi… Read More
2021-04-19 12:22
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) April 19, 2021
Editor’s Note: In the Skynomics Blog, I frequently discuss the subject of housing aff… Read More
2021-04-05 12:11
Jason M. Barr (@JasonBarrRU) April 5, 2021
Editor’s Note: In the Skynomics Blog, I frequently discuss the subject of housing affo… Read More
2021-03-23 12:10
Jason M. Barr March 23, 2021
Erin go Tweet
On March 9, 2021, Professor Ronan Lyons, an economist at Trinity College Du… Read More
2021-02-25 13:08
Jason M. Barr and Troy Tassier February 25, 2021
The Great Equalizer?
In March 2020, during the salad days of the CO… Read More
2021-01-20 13:17
Jason M. Barr January 20, 2021
You’re So Vain?
On January 4, 2010, the Burj Khalifa officially opened its doors. At 828 meters (2,717 f… Read More
2020-12-23 13:17
Jason M. Barr December 23, 2020
The Space Race
At the end of the Roaring Twenties, New York City witnessed a three-way race for the world’s tallest building. F… Read More
2020-11-19 13:09
Jason M. Barr November 19, 2020
In the 21st century, Planet Earth has gone on a skyscraper building spree. Since 1995, for example, the number of skyscra… Read More
2020-10-22 12:34
Jason M. Barr October 22, 2020
Pleasure or Pain?
One of the biggest complaints about new construction is that it is harmful to the quality of urban life. For e… Read More
2020-09-16 12:35
Jason M. Barr September 16, 2020
Hong Kong on the Hudson?
When we think of New York City, we think of Manhattan and its supertall skyscr… Read More
2020-08-17 12:28
Jason M. Barr and Gabriel Ahlfeldt August 17, 2020
The Bricks o… Read More
2020-07-15 12:13
Jason M. Barr July 15, 2020
Captain Kirk: It exists on the hate of others.Mr. Spock: To put it sim… Read More
2020-06-16 12:15
Jason M. Barr June 16, 2020
Pandemic 2020
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a… Read More
2020-05-19 12:11
Jason M. Barr and Troy Tassier May 19, 2020
Pandemic 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic rages on with no end in sight. How long it will take to return to normal, a… Read More
2020-04-20 11:55
Jason M. Barr and Troy Tassier written on April 3, 2020, posted on April 20.
Note: A shorter version of this post was written for Scientific American, wh… Read More
2020-03-17 12:17
Jason M. Barr March 17, 2020
Your New Job
Imagine the governor of your state announces that she is going to create a brand-new city out of whole cloth. The stat… Read More
2020-02-10 13:28
Jason M. Barr February 10, 2020
Note this is the first post in an intended series on the technologic… Read More
2020-01-14 13:41
Jason M. Barr January 14, 2020
Note: This post is one of several about New York City. More posts can be read here.
Costanza versu… Read More
2019-12-19 13:24
Jason M. Barr December 19, 2019
Swaying in the Wind
In the early-1990s, my wife worked for WH Freeman and Co., a publisher… Read More
2019-11-18 13:06
Jason M. Barr November 18, 2019
Across U.S. cities, perhaps nothing is more controversial than the issue of gentrification—the process of weal… Read More
2019-10-23 12:27
Jason M. Barr October 23, 2019
Note this is Part III of an on-going series on the evolution of skyscraper… Read More
2019-09-24 12:04
Jason M. Barr September 24, 2019
Note this is Part II of an on-going series on the evolution of skyscraper technology. Part I can be read here.
The Chicken or the Egg?
What came… Read More
2019-09-03 12:08
Jason M. Barr September 3, 2019
Astor’s Vision
On his deathbed in 1848, John Jacob Astor—America’s first millionaire—reporte… Read More
2019-08-06 12:31
Jason M. Barr August 6, 2019
Note: This two-part series is adapted from chapters seven and eight of my book, Building the Skyline: The Birth and Gr… Read More
2019-07-29 12:15
Jason M. Barr July 29, 2019
Note: This two-part series is adapted from chapters seven and eight of my book, Building the Skyline: The Birth a… Read More
2019-07-16 12:22
Jason M. Barr July 16, 2019
Note this is Part I of what will be an on-going series on the evolution of skyscraper technology.
The Birth of Height
In 1900, the architect Cass Gil… Read More
2019-07-01 11:55
Jason M. Barr July 1, 2019
Ingrid Gould Ellen is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at New York University, and a Faculty Director at the NYU Furma… Read More
2019-06-17 12:27
Jason M. Barr June 17, 2019
Ingrid Gould Ellen is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at New York University, and a Faculty Director at… Read More
2019-06-04 12:26
Jason M. Barr June 4, 2019
Note this is Part IV of a series on the economics of skyscrapers. Part I can be read here, Part II here, and Part III here.
Rise of the Sky… Read More
2019-05-16 12:35
Jason M. Barr May 16, 2019
Congestion Pricing for Manhattan
This past April, New York State passed a law allowing congestion pricing in Manhat… Read More
2019-04-30 12:42
Jason M. Barr April 30, 2019
[Note that this is the third part of a three-part series on New York City’s first comprehensive land use regulations, enacted in 1… Read More
2019-04-10 12:31
Jason M. Barr April 10, 2019
[This is part two of a four-part series on New York’s first zoning regulations, enacted in 1916. Part I focuses on the histor… Read More
2019-03-27 12:20
Jason M. Barr March 27, 2019
[Note this the first part of a three-part series on New York’s first comprehensive land use regulations, enacted in 1916. Par… Read More
2019-03-13 12:35
Jason M. Barr March 13, 2019
Almost none of the land use regulations that cities have ardently adopted for over a century have been justified… Read More
2019-02-20 13:04
Jason M. Barr February 20, 2019
Is it possible they built their machines too well…gave them pride and a desire to survive? Machin… Read More
2019-02-05 13:11
Jason M. Barr February 5, 2019
Today, just over half of the world’s population lives in cities. By the middle of the 21st century this figure will likely… Read More
2019-01-21 14:01
Jason M. Barr January 28, 2019
Note this is Part III of a three-part series on the economics of skyscrapers. Part I can be read here and Part II can be read here.
Whe… Read More
2019-01-03 13:59
Jason M. Barr January 3, 2019
Note this is Part II of three-part series on the economics of skyscrapers. Part I can be read here.
When we think of the world’s tallest… Read More
2018-12-17 14:12
Jason M. Barr December 17, 2018
Clark and Kingston
In 1930, W. C. Clark and J. L. Kingston (CK), an economist and architect, respectively, published a book call… Read More
2018-11-26 12:46
Jason M. Barr November 26, 2018
You are a barbarian….Don’t sound so incredulous, captain. We all are. A killer first, a builder second. A hunter, a warri… Read More
2018-11-07 12:33
Jason M. Barr November 7, 2018
In the 1969 film, Midnight Cowboy, the eager young Texan, Joe Buck (played by John Voight) abandons his hometown and makes his way to t… Read More
2018-10-19 12:14
Jason M. Barr October 19, 2018
A Brief History of Homo Sapiens
If we look back over the long sweep of Earth history, Homo sapiens has succeeded not only because it can adap… Read More
2018-10-02 13:20
Jason M. Barr October 2, 2018
For millennia, after the birth of cities nearly 6,000 years ago, people world over lived in constant fear of the conflagration—the… Read More
2018-09-12 12:11
by Jason M. Barr September 12, 2018
[Author’s Note: This is Part II of a two-part Q&A Interview with Professor Edward Glaeser. Part I can be read here.]
Edward G… Read More
2018-09-05 12:06
by Jason M. Barr September 5, 2018
[Author’s Note: This is Part I of a two-part Q&A interview with Professor Edward Glaeser.]
Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Elea… Read More
2018-08-23 12:26
Jason M. Barr August 23, 2018
[Author’s note: This is the second of at least two blog posts about Jane Jacobs and her book, The Death and Life Great American Cities… Read More
2018-08-08 12:43
Jason M. Barr August 9, 2018
[Author’s note: This is the first of at least two blog posts on Jane Jacobs and her book, The Death and Life of Great America… Read More
2018-07-25 12:52
Jason M. Barr July 25, 2018
From my eighth-floor office in Newark, New Jersey, I have a view of the Manhattan skyline. On a clear day, I can see One World Trade Cente… Read More
2018-07-10 12:27
Jason M. Barr July 10, 2018
Author’s note: The paperback of Building the Skyline: The Birth and Growth of Manhattan’s Skyscrapers was recently… Read More
2018-06-18 12:34
Jason M. Barr June 18, 2018
Have you heard the old joke about gravity—it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law! Ignore the law—say by jumping off a cliff i… Read More
2018-05-31 15:06
Jason M. Barr May 31, 2018
A growing body of research demonstrates that across the United States there is significant variation in household greenhouse gas emissions… Read More
2018-05-10 12:51
Jason M. Barr May 10, 2018
Critics of Manhattan’s new supertall superslim buildings have a laundry list of complaints. One particular trope is that they are ugly and… Read More
2018-04-10 12:20
Jason M. Barr April 10, 2018
Imagine it’s the dead of winter and you’ve just come home from work. Your house is chilly and so you move to the thermostat to cran… Read More
2018-03-26 12:42
Jason M. Barr March 26, 2018
First, answer this survey question:
On a scale of 0 to 10, please rate your satisfaction with life in general, where 0 means comple… Read More
2018-03-08 17:11
Jason M. Barr March 8, 2018
Imagine that one day, walking through a crowded business district, you discover that you have a new power: you can see directly insi… Read More
2018-02-20 13:10
Jason M. Barr February 20, 2018
On a recent Saturday, my wife and I stopped into a burger joint on the Upper West Side of Manhattan; nothing fancy, but not a dive either. T… Read More
2018-01-31 17:50
Jason M. Barr January 31, 2018
As the income of Planet Earth continues to rise, the construction of tall buildings proceeds apace. Many cities around the… Read More
2018-01-16 02:07
Jason M. Barr January 15, 2018
In the last decade, New York has seen the emergence of a new skyscraper type—supertall, superslim, ultra-luxury residential… Read More
2018-01-02 08:37
Jason M. Barr January 2, 2018
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) recently issued its 2017 Year in Review for skyscraper construction around the world. As in… Read More
2017-12-17 17:19
Jason M. Barr December 17, 2017
One day soon man is going to be able to harness incredible energies, maybe even the atom. Energies that could ultimately hurl us… Read More
2017-12-10 18:22
Jason M. Barr December 10, 2017
While skyscrapers are primarily built for their occupants, they, perforce, impose themselves on the urban fabric. We can, for example… Read More
2017-11-26 20:19
By Jason M. Barr November 26, 2017
The Manhattan skyline was created by developers seeking their fortunes. Skyscraper heights, frequencies, types, and locations are b… Read More
2017-11-19 17:54
By Jason M. Barr November 19, 2017
In the last decade, New York has seen a resurgence of skyscrapers. In particular, has been the rise of the supers… Read More
2017-11-05 17:53
By Jason M. Barr November 5, 2017
In 1999, an economist named Andrew Lawrence thought he saw a relationship between the business c… Read More
2017-10-20 12:59
By Jason M. Barr October 20, 2017
In the year 1848, a stroll down lower Broadway in Manhattan would have revealed a decidedly low-rise town. The reason was simple: th… Read More
2017-10-07 14:18
By Jason M. Barr October 7, 2017
What was the world’s first skyscraper? If you do have an answer, you would be, most assuredly, wrong (sorry). Any s… Read More
2017-09-27 17:57
By Jason M. Barr October 1, 2017
Skyscrapers are awe-inspiring creations—their gigantism makes them so compelling. They impose themselves on the urb… Read More
