Next month, a daring, $20 billion development officially opens in a previously inhospitable and uninhabitable area on Manhattan’s Far West Side. Spearheaded by real estate firm Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group, the 28-acre Hudson Yards sits atop an active rail yard, making it a remarkable architectural and technological achievement. It’s also an audacious experiment in large-scale urban planning, combining public art and tourist-worthy stores and restaurants with high-end office towers and mixed-income residential buildings. “It’s a city within a city,” says Related chairman Stephen Ross. Below, an early look at the first phase of this built-from-scratch neighborhood.
1. Office buildings
Hudson Yards has 10 million square feet of office space spread across five high-rises including 30 Hudson Yards, New York’s second-tallest office building. The development has attracted a diverse array of companies including investment firms (KKR), media entities (VaynerMedia, HBO), global conglomerates (L’Oréal, Tapestry), and tech companies (Sidewalk Labs).
2. Residential
Once complete, the development will have 4,000 condominiums and rental apartments with market-rate residences beginning at $1.95 million. But the neighborhood is not just for the wealthy: 20% of apartments are reserved for affordable housing, with rents starting at $858 a month for a studio.
3. A Connected district
Related uses data from cell phones and street cameras to monitor and react to traffic patterns, air quality, power demands, temperature, and pedestrian flows. The neighborhood’s residents can use the Hudson Yards app to pay bills and book onsite amenities. Visitors who use the public Wi-Fi may opt in to receive notifications about events and experiences.
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