I'll be posting my 2009 round-up in 2010 (sorry), but here are four AY mentions--two pro, two con--worth noting in other publications' end-of-the-year wrap-ups.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
In a column, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle's Dennis Holt asserts that "Few people [at the opening press conference] could have foreseen the bitterness and anger that lay in the future for this project," to which NoLandGrab's Eric McClure responds, "Actually, we think it was probably quite easy to foresee the rancor the Atlantic Yards project would engender, especially once the audacity and magnitude of the land- and subsidy-grab became clear."
Curbed awards
Curbed, in typically restrained language, targets the "facade architect" of the AY arena:
Real estate columnist Lois Weiss offers an award:
Streetsblog awards
Streetsblog asked voters for the Urban Abomination of the Year
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
In a column, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle's Dennis Holt asserts that "Few people [at the opening press conference] could have foreseen the bitterness and anger that lay in the future for this project," to which NoLandGrab's Eric McClure responds, "Actually, we think it was probably quite easy to foresee the rancor the Atlantic Yards project would engender, especially once the audacity and magnitude of the land- and subsidy-grab became clear."
Curbed awards
Curbed, in typically restrained language, targets the "facade architect" of the AY arena:
Our Favorite Architectural Sell-OutsCurbed also notes that New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff didn't love the redesign (though he gave it two cheers, actually):
Dude, can you believe they're using that Vampire Weekend song in a fucking commercial now? Or that those dudes at that hip architecture firm SHoP scored a commission from fucking Bruce Ratner to redesign his fucking Brooklyn basketball arena at the same time they're remaking the East River waterfront? It's like there's nothing pure anymore.
Don't Make Nicolai Angry, PeopleNew York Post
3) SHoP rolls out a new design for the Brooklyn Nets stadium: "Still falls short of the high architectural standards... the larger project remains worrisome
Real estate columnist Lois Weiss offers an award:
Russian Brick to Bruce Ratner and Forest City Ratner for selling the Nets to a Russian billionaire and closing on the Atlantic Yards purchase despite years of NIMBY lawsuits.Ratner gets an award for losing money on the team and finding a bailout buyer? As for the "NIMBY lawsuits," Weiss almost certainly hasn't taken a look, or recognized that even the mend-it-don't-end-it groups in BrooklynSpeaks are now in court.
Streetsblog awards
Streetsblog asked voters for the Urban Abomination of the Year
Ongoing massacre of the public realm near Atlantic Yards footprint (38%, 113 Votes)
Ben Fried wrote: This seems a little premature to us. Forest City hasn't turned whole city blocks into oceans of surface parking plus a big ugly arena just yet, though transgressions like this certainly deserve to be shamed...
(Also see Forest City's role in the New York City Economic Development Corporation's award as "worst city agency," given its approval of suburban-style devlopments like East River Plaza.)
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