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September 13, 2006
Brooklyn and Belfast, sister cities in overdevelopment
From New York Magazine Letters to the Editor:
Ratnerville
Having read Chris Smith’s article [“Mr. Ratner’s Neighborhood,” August 14]‚ I have empathy for Brooklyn’s residents. I am an architect and resident of Belfast, Northern Ireland, a city emerging, like Brooklyn, with a new identity. Our famed shipyards occupy prime development land on the fringe of downtown Belfast. Original plans for the site touted new neighborhoods, packed with affordable housing. Recently, these plans have transformed into gated apartment developments having little to do with regeneration or integration. Unfortunately, a city new to such a process has sat idly by. In my visits to Brooklyn, I see the price for the Atlantic Yards development will extend far beyond the loss of sunlight. Perhaps next time, those who so eagerly support Ratner’s plans will have confidence in Brooklyn’s potential and avoid the bandwagon of politically backed developers in town for the next prized scalp.
—David Coyles, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Posted by lumi at September 13, 2006 11:40 AM