No Land Grab

MetroNY reports this exchange regarding the Columbia University expansion plans, from a recent panel discussion:

...audience member Michael Adams — a Harlem historian and Columbia alum who opposes the university’s expansion plans – stood up and said he was “disheartened.” “Do you really believe that much has changed since the era of Jane Jacobs?” he asked. “Seventeen acres to be cleared for a single owner with buildings that look the same? How is that different from Robert Moses?”

[Columbia University President Lee] Bollinger said Columbia doesn’t want the state to use eminent domain against residents, but emphasized the university does things “for the public good” like researching Alzheimer’s and creating art.

But after listening to the panel, community activist Elizabeth Rose said, “I don’t see the difference between what the universities are doing and the developers.”