Brooklynites have 'Manhattanitis'

With features like The Battle for the Soul of Brooklyn in NY Magazine or Time Out New York’s “Battleground: Brooklyn” series, there are some sharp areas of disagreement on keeping the Brooklyn neighborhood’s sense of place rather than recreating Manhattan in Brooklyn.

An editorial viewpoint in today’s Brooklyn Daily Eagle writes that there is a school of thought that the changes in Brooklyn is an “invasion from Manhattan to destroy Brooklyn as we know it:”

An aversion to ‘Manhattanitis’ would have prevented DUMBO from happening. After all, weren’t old lofts and factory buildings in Tribeca and SoHo converted to homes? Then it shouldn’t have been done in DUMBO.

On the other hand, Forest City Ratner’s planned “Miss Brooklyn” is at least original as are the plans for Brooklyn Bridge Park, which are not replicas of anything…”if all of it can be built as designed, there will simply be nothing quite like it anywhere.” Not sure if I agree with the scope of Bruce Ratner’s proposed 22-acre Atlantic Yards development with 19 to 58 story glass and steel buildings, but I guess it’s pretty unique.
{Brooklyn Development: Not Just a Copy of Manhattan, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 8/24/06}

2 Comment

  • Dennis Holt’s Brooklyn Eagle editorial sounds much more authentic than the near-hysterical business put out by New York Mag or Time Out. Imagine that — someone who actually LIVES in Brooklyn writing about Brooklyn.
    MMW

  • Dennis Holt’s Brooklyn Eagle editorial sounds much more authentic than the near-hysterical business put out by New York Mag or Time Out. Imagine that — someone who actually LIVES in Brooklyn writing about Brooklyn.
    MMW