From Gotham Gazette: In New Books on Bloomberg and de Blasio, Unreliable Atlantic Yards History

I have an essay in Gotham Gazette headlined In New Books on Bloomberg and de Blasio, Unreliable Atlantic Yards History, which begins:

Atlantic Yards down the memory hole" is a phrase I coined to describe how the facts and history of the controversial real estate project -- which was renamed Pacific Park Brooklyn in 2014 -- regularly get mangled by journalists, public officials, and commentators, often buffing away the controversy so that people may eventually wonder why anyone ever cared.... 

It's doubly dismaying, though, when book authors err, because they presumably have more time for research and because a hardcover presentation adds gravity. Unfortunately, interesting new books on the Bloomberg and de Blasio administrations get the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park history wrong, in both small and significant ways.
It's understandable that the authors give Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park short shrift, as it's but one controversy within a complex set of governing challenges, and authors have to pick their spots. It doesn't ruin these substantial books. But it suggests they've not given careful attention to this project.

For more on the books, and errors like the location of the project and the amount of subsidies involved, go here. The books discussed are:

• Dan Doctoroff, Greater Than Ever: New York's Big Comeback
• Chris McNickle, Bloomberg: A Billionaire's Ambition
• Joseph P. Viteritti, The Pragmatist: Bill de Blasio’s Quest to Save the Soul of New York
• Juan Gonzalez, Reclaiming Gotham: Bill de Blasio and the Movement to End America's Tale of Two Cities