By Emily Myers| May 31, 2019 - 10:00AM

This episode takes a look at rezoning, how it works, what it adds or detracts from a neighborhood and how residents can be better informed about the process. 

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In this episode of The Brick Underground Podcast, we take a look at what happens when your neighborhood gets rezoned.

Zoning in NYC is an important tool when it comes to shaping the city. It's the ground rules of what can be built and where, but it’s often controversial with residents at odds with the city or developers about the changes that will come to a neighborhood. 

It affects the population density of areas, how big a building can be relative to the land that it sits on. And it can also affect housing, jobs, and infrastructure.

We'll take a look at some of the details with Christopher Walters, a rezoning coordinator at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. We'll discuss some of the issues zoning changes can bring, like displacement through gentrification, density changes, and we'll consider some of the loopholes that are giving us supertalls with heights exaggerated by spaces known as mechanical voids.  

We'll also explore Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, the city's program for increasing the number of affordable units in neighborhoods, and the new zoning tools from the Department of City Planning and whether zoning is being used appropriately. 

We'd love your feedback on the podcast. You can contact us via our website or leave us a rating or review at Apple podcasts.

 

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