NY Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman has given a far more thoughtful review of Barclays Center/Atlantic Yards than his starchitect-kissing predecessors. In sum he says he likes the arena's design but hates Atlantic Yards.
In this excerpt he channels DDDB and other project opponents, we've been saying roughly this same thing since 2004, and it is part of the demands made by the coalition responsible for the AY Crime Scene theme around the September 28th arena opening. So while it is not novel, we welcome the company:
...It's probably too late to reconsider the first apartment towers. But it's not too late to hold Mr. Ratner, the city and the state to their word about creating jobs and building the promised number and type of subsidized apartments for low- and moderate-income Brooklyn families. Then the remainder of the project, which promises next to nothing for the public realm, ought to be sent back to the drawing board, so that, should it go forward, it could still include density (density is good) but also much smarter streets, different scales of development and diverse public services...
Sounds a lot like UNITY.
More about the review from Norman Oder.