Week 2: Wicked Design Problems
#WickedDesignProblems Hudson Yards is a new and distinct part of New York City garnering strong feelings from locals and tourists. Many find the construction a beautiful addition to the skyline that makes use of an area that was previously undeveloped. It’s also a fun tourist attraction, housing the Vessel, Little Spain, and other great dining and shopping. However; from 2020-2023 I worked at 30 Hudson Yards, one of the offices spaces in the area and I became aware of a few Wicked problems the area faces.
1. Lack of integration into Manhattan - HY feels sterile and is not well integrated into the surrounding neighborhoods of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. The group of buildings feel more like a gigantic mall than a neighborhood in NYC.
2. The Vessel- While it is a popular tourist attraction, the Vessel was closed after flawed design and major safety concerns were brought to light after multiple tragedies occurred on the structure. It is now re-opened with netting, but it still leaves a dark spot on the neighborhood.
3. Lack of affordable housing - When proposed, Hudson Yards was supposed to have up to 20% affordable housing. I only know a handful of people who can afford to live and Hudson Yards and if they can, would choose to live in that neighborhood over another arguably nicer, more historic neighborhood for the same cost.
4. Empty office spaces - Hudson Yards often feels like either a giant mall or a giant office park- because that’s exactly what it is. However, after 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, with a shift to work from home many of the office spaces are empty. Now, Hudson Yards feels not only sterile, but devoid of New Yorkers in general. With fewer office workers, the whole neighborhood just feels like a big tourist attraction.
For Hudson Yards to become a more live-able and love-able part of NYC, some of these wicked design problems will have to be addressed.
