40 percent of Manhattan's skyline would disappear by today's zoning standards

A new study found that 40 percent of all the current buildings in Manhattan could not have been built today. The study done by Quantierra looked at public records for 43,000 buildings around Manhattan and found 17,000 would not meet current zoning requirements. These requirements vary from too much commercial space to too tall to even something as mundane as not enough parking spots.

New York City’s zoning laws turn 100 this year, the oldest in the nation, and have been fluid to this day. That's undoubtedly contributed to the staggering number of buildings that would not be allowed if they were proposed tomorrow.

An interactive map that breaks that 40 percent down to buildings that would be “too tall,” “have too many apartments,” “have too many businesses,” and be denied for “too much lot coverage” can be found here. 

[h/t The New York Times]

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