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The Battery Master Plan, adopted in 1979, has facilitated the private development of 8 million square feet (743,000 m2) of commercial space, 7.2 million square feet (669,000 m2) of residential space, and nearly 36 acres (14 ha) of open space in lower , becoming a model for successful large-scale planning efforts. The strength of the master plan has al- lowed development to occur incrementally, thereby creating a neighborhood with a stable mix of uses and diverse that blends into the existing City street grid. “ Park City

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9?L?9 ,, Master Plan represents a positive shift away from the urban renewal mindset of the 1960s and 1970s. The plan has been responsive to changing conditions—such as the emergence of energy-efficient E=DIDIN 6JI=DG>IN,,!,-A!,-G!,. buildings—but has remained true to its original intent,” according to Joe Brown, chief executive, plan- ning, design, and development at AECOM and chairman of the ULI Global Awards for Excellence. The original master plan for was developed during the 1960s under New York governor . Early ideas for the “city within a city” envisioned the area as a continu- ous 100-acre (40.5-ha) truck dock and warehouse to bring shipping companies back to Manhattan. However, this plan was quickly scrapped, and a new team of planners and designers sketched out a community reminiscent of a 1960s beach resort—hoping to offer homeowners an oasis in and office tenants an alternate destination to the buzzing financial district. This design was meant to exemplify an innovative “city of the future” with a protected pedestrian realm, urban open space, and integrated transportation options. In 1962, however, the idea of combining housing, of- fices, and light industry was not well received. Governor Rockefeller hired architect Wallace K. Harrison to design the second generation of the plan. Harrison was tasked with inventing a model community that was the antithesis of the slums plaguing at the time. The result was a socially diverse, mixed-income community: the plan sought to create safe streets, ample and green spaces, and healthy buildings where every unit received abundant sunshine and fresh air. Harrison’s proposal relied heavily on strong social pro- grams and, coinciding with dwindling approval of the city’s public housing policies, met with vehe- ment public resistance. In 1969, a collaborative city/state design team created the final master plan. Although well received by all of the stakeholders, the plan was held up by the 1973 recession, stagnating until a financial emergency in 1979 caused New York State’s Urban Development Corporation to condemn the project and transfer the title from the city to the Battery Park City Authority. The authority acted quickly to E=DID

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