Same old struggle with new development

Frédéric Borel’s Paris Val-de-Seine Architecture School in an old factory (NYTimes)

People think of Paris as the quintessential pedestrian city, so what happens to the rich urban experience when it attempts a new infill development along the Seine with mixed-use, institutional, mixed-income, and innovative architecture?

This article in the NYTimes outlines some of the typical issues that occur with new developments in the US - only this time. NYC should pay attention, especially as it looks to develop Willets Point in the Bronx, next to Shea Stadium under PlanYC, or perhaps even more appropriately, downtown Brooklyn where a starchitect is leading the charge.

In particular,

like La Défense, the area lacks the street life and sidewalk-level charm for which Paris is loved. At the moment there are few cafes, restaurants or small shops to speak of. “It looks good on paper as a plan, but at an experience level it leads to the same old thing: well done, well detailed, just dry,” said Brendan MacFarlane of Jakob & MacFarlane, which is building a fashion institute inside an old warehouse. “We need something richer on an urban level.”