Midtown Manhattan in 1932, showing the results of the Zoning Resolution

The New York City 1916 Zoning Resolution was a measure adopted primarily to stop massive buildings such as the Equitable Building (Manhattan) from preventing light and air from reaching the streets below. It established limits in building massing at certain heights, usually interpreted as a series of setbacks and, while not imposing height limits, restricted towers to a percentage of the lot size. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 564 pixelsFull resolution (5359 × 3779 pixel, file size: 6. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 564 pixelsFull resolution (5359 × 3779 pixel, file size: 6. ... The Equitable Building, viewed from street level The Equitable Building is a famous 36-story office building at 120 Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. ... Setbacks on the Pyramid of Djoser. ...

Architectural delineator Hugh Ferriss popularized these new regulations in 1922 through a series of massing studies, clearly depicting the possible forms and how to maximize building volumes. The tiered Art Deco skyscrapers of the 1920s and 1930s are a direct result of this resolution. Hugh Ferriss at work, c. ... Asheville City Hall. ...

By mid-century most new International Style buildings had met the setback requirements by adopting the use of plazas or low-rise buildings surrounding a monolithic tower centered on the site. This approach has been criticized for its hostility ^[1] and, among other issues, led to the codes being reformed in 1961. International style can refer to International style in ballroom dancing - see ballroom dance; International style in architecture - see international style. ...

References

• Ferriss, Hugh. The Metropolis of Tomorrow, with essay by Carol Willis. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1986. Reprint of 1929 edition. ISBN 0910413118.
• http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zonehis.shtml NYC Zoning History
• http://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC/nycadd.html#zone New York Skyscrapers additional info