International Journal of High-Rise Buildings (국제초고층학회논문집)

Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat Korea (한국초고층도시건축학회)
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Evolution of Skyscraper Block Typology Affected by Air Rights Development: A Case Study of Manhattan

  • Chao Weng (College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University) ;
  • Yu Zhuang (College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University)
  • Published : 2023.03.01
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Abstract

Air Rights techniques, including floor-area ratio (FAR) transfers, FAR bonuses, and FAR storage, have been widely applied among skyscraper constructions in New York City for profit maximization goals. Since 1916, air rights regulations in New York zoning system have been revised and improved over the years to cater the urban development needs of different periods, and they also result in typical skyscraper block typologies. This research firstly performed spatial overlay analysis to reveal the spatial correlation between skyscraper blocks and air rights application blocks; secondly, Spacematrix parameters and cluster analysis are applied to divide the skyscraper urban block of New York City into four categories. Compared with air rights application data, the research attempts to illustrate how various air rights techniques have acted on the formation and evolution of skyscraper block typologies in the pre-1916, 1916-1961, 1961-2010, and 2010-present periods respectively, in order to reveal the relationship between public policies and urban morphology in a broader sense and also provide references for policy making in future.

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References

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