Dear sir..
I would like to know how much the skyscrapers of NewYork had an effect on its urban form..The districts ,nodesand paths for example

• ID# 82.2 (reply to #82.1) - 26 Nov 1998
  That question would require an academic study in itself -- and there certainly are plenty of them around [hint, hint]...
  The effect certainly depends on the area of the city; in the, say, eastern reaches of Queens, the towers of posh Manhattan have little effect, except maybe physically as motorways leading to Manhattan, or as working places for the Queens dwellers.
  The skyscrapers have, of course, had a definite effect in the urban form of Manhattan; in addition to their physical presence and the effect in the cityscape in their vicinity, also the increased traffic created in rather small areas by their existence must be flowed through the streets and the commuter cars reposited to parking facilities.
  Skyscrapers often affect the appearance of a city by forming concentrations of corporate activity, such as the Midtown and Downtown Manhattan. The districts of office towers also tend to get deserted after office hours -- much of the Midtown being an exception, mostly due to the great amount of evening entertainment activity in the area. ED

• ID# 82.3 (reply to #82.1)
  From: Frank Gerlak ([email protected]) - 27 Nov 1998

  As an urban planner I can go on an on about skyscrapers and the urban form in New York or anywhere else for that matter - such as in my home town of Cleveland. I will do so, but at a later date -into matters such as concentrations of population, transportation (without the NYCTA such concentrations of population would be impossible), and other infrastructure needs. The luxury of bedrock close to the surface in New York City has helped too. I commend the book "Rise of the New York Skyscraper" by Landau/Condit to see how it all got started.

• ID# 82.4 (reply to #82.1)
  From: Frank Gerlak ([email protected]) - 19 Apr 1999

  The "rise" of the New York skyscraper parallels directly, the completion of massive New York transit projects. "Contract 1" (the IRT subway) was completed in 1904 and provided subway service from Lower Manhattan to 42nd St. and over to Broadway to the Bronx. "Contract 2" provided an extension of the IRT and entry into Manhattan of the BRT (later named BMT) by 1918. Grand Central Terminal was completed (essentially) in 1913 with Penn Station finished shortly thereafter. With these improvements in place, it was possible to contemplate large concentrations of people that skyscrapers - and groups of skyscrapers - would bring. Without these transit improvements, the concentration of skyscrapers in lower and Midtown Manhattan would be impossible.