ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with an attempt a history of zoning in New York City during the last thirty years, since the 1961 Comprehensive Amendment to the New York City Zoning Resolution became effective. There was no table of amendments to the 1961 revision; indeed, it was necessary to complete a table of amendments for this paper in order to document the trends it describes and belatedly to fill in its missing history lessons. As a candidate for incentive zoning, it began to lag behind competing "amenities" on the city's social agenda, and the value placed on contextualism today began to outweigh the value placed on open space. Additional pressures for contextual reform accompanied the growing conviction that as-of-right generic contextual districts would be a better way to accomplish some of the goals of special districts and the Housing Quality program.
