Here’s how to ensure long-term redevelopments don’t turn neighborhoods into dead zones

BY ALEX LOPATYNSKY

Many New York properties are ripe for redevelopment, and there is momentum around reinvigorating properties for today’s needs. Renovations, however, can take a lot of time, meaning buildings are left empty until they can be reopened to the public. That leaves the surrounding neighborhood at risk of becoming a dead zone.

While these massive renovations and repositioning efforts are underway, building owners should consider temporary solutions to activate vacant spaces to bring new energy to these underused areas.

As developers embark on various adaptations that have contributed to a rise in renovation work in architectural billings—soaring above the 50% mark in 2022—we need to consider what happens to these spaces during the redevelopment process and if there is a way to breathe new life into them before large-scale repositioning projects are completed.

After all, creating even more dead zones isn’t good for our neighborhoods and city. Architects working on these rehabs can help brainstorm designs—both for the finished projects and for the time between now and then.

In general, temporary solutions that can add vibrancy in the near term depend on the context of the area and could include everything from an artist residency to a rotating pop-up retail space.

We know you don’t have to go far in New York to encounter a completely different neighborhood, so short-term initiatives should reflect the neighborhood. The goal is to introduce activations that are an authentic representation of what the community wants to see.

Collaboration with community leaders, residents and businesses can help illuminate what could work. One of the first steps in facilitating this process is connecting with the community members who live and work in these neighborhoods to evaluate the best transitional uses for the vacant spaces.

Work as a liaison

Architects are uniquely positioned to facilitate these conversations between developers and community stakeholders. We often work as a liaison between private and public interests. What’s more, we often initiate dialogue that can look like community town hall sessions, surveys or simply a call for commentar y on proposed changes. This activity goes on as we work to explore creative tactics to temporarily update these spaces while continuing progress on long-term renovations.

During the summer of 2022, the City Council established an adaptive reuse task force to evaluate methods for reviving obsolete buildings, soliciting community input on legal and regulatory changes that can inform recommendations.

Though the intent is to discover ways to convert buildings into permanent uses, such as housing and schools, the effort is an example of how to formally engage with communities in a way that leads to actionable plans.

As New York undergoes its next evolution, navigating the interstitial space between past and future requires cooperation between all stakeholders. For the city’s unique urban fabric to remain intact while we wait to meet its next iteration, community-oriented short-term solutions will ensure these neighborhoods endure. ■

Alex Lopatynsky is principal of the architecture and design firm Cooper Carry and a managing director of its New York office.