Somewhere I read, that if NYC platted and sold off Central Park for urban high rise development, and the entire park became taxable buildings, that the overall tax base/income for NYC would actually DECREASE!
Ponder this thought. By developing 'the commons' of Central Park, the condos and offices with park views today would 'fall in value', and this decrease would minimize the increase in developed properties inside what was once park. This is the case for green space and it is regularly cited by urban planners.
It is one of the best arguments and reasons parkland is valuable to cities, and places like Austin, TX understand this. The greenbelt around Austin has driven values higher and caused better urban density, vertical growth instead of unlivable sprawl.
The NYC Highline is another amazing, human scale, must-see urban development where an abandoned elevated rail platform has increased Chelsea and Tribeca property values in incredible ways.
Also check out the Dequidre Cut near Eastern Market in Detroit.
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