Darrick Borowski, AIA
@dborowsk.bsky.social
Architect, Designer, Urbanist working on Housing & Equitable Cities @ DBA; Design Studio Professor @ SVA; Research @ ARExA. ex-WeWork/WeLive
"It estimated that it takes on average 3.4 years to build a new apartment building; in Manhattan, it takes more than four years."
"[NYC] needs to be adding more than 13,100 each quarter to meet the 500,000 unit goal."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/n...
"[NYC] needs to be adding more than 13,100 each quarter to meet the 500,000 unit goal."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/n...
N.Y.C. Housing Isn’t Being Built Fast Enough, Report Says
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 12:26 AM
"It estimated that it takes on average 3.4 years to build a new apartment building; in Manhattan, it takes more than four years."
"[NYC] needs to be adding more than 13,100 each quarter to meet the 500,000 unit goal."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/n...
"[NYC] needs to be adding more than 13,100 each quarter to meet the 500,000 unit goal."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/n...
Great story by @nytimes on the history and evolution of the design of kitchens. I'd love to see the same for bathrooms. Especially in the post-spanish flu, early-modern/bauhaus era.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Why Your Kitchen Looks Like That
A century of American kitchen design, from the dawn of electricity to the kitchen island.
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Great story by @nytimes on the history and evolution of the design of kitchens. I'd love to see the same for bathrooms. Especially in the post-spanish flu, early-modern/bauhaus era.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Sometimes the best Science Fiction is just ... Science. nautil.us/visit-the-7-...
Visit the 7 Most Extreme Planets in the Universe
Visit the 7 Most Extreme Planets: From molten glass rain to oceans of lava, an intergalactic tour of the wildest climates out there
nautil.us
November 25, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Sometimes the best Science Fiction is just ... Science. nautil.us/visit-the-7-...
"What if homeownership had no profit motive and no capital gains?"
Yeah, what if?
Well it might look something like this brilliant housing typology in Switzerland —
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/r...
Yeah, what if?
Well it might look something like this brilliant housing typology in Switzerland —
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/r...
A ‘Third Way’ Between Buying or Renting? Swiss Co-ops Say They’ve Found It.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/realestate/switzerland-rental-coops-nonprofit-lausanne.html?trk_msg=7AK7R1B0HP24BAAF0PTR63VIDO&trk_contact=CG1U79JA6MCJVVN7UKA841AS60&trk_sid=5HI8PPSF32NLTT0KPLRFH8LAKK&trk_link=HUF0FUCGBNOKD08F9QCIGT1QE0&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=A+“third+way”%26nbsp%3bbetween+buying+or+renting%3f+Swiss+co-ops+say+they’ve+found+it.%26nbsp%3b(The+New+York+Times)&utm_campaign=Late+Edition+East%3a+The+RPA+accepted+funds+from+Amtrak%2c+Fall+2025+architecture+school+lectures+and+ex
August 27, 2025 at 12:03 AM
"What if homeownership had no profit motive and no capital gains?"
Yeah, what if?
Well it might look something like this brilliant housing typology in Switzerland —
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/r...
Yeah, what if?
Well it might look something like this brilliant housing typology in Switzerland —
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/r...
Vienna has been a leader in social housing for a century now - what can learn from them? Here's a start— www.npr.org/2025/06/15/n...
Could this city be the model for how to tackle the housing crisis and climate change?
Vienna has a way to make affordable housing and combat climate change all at the same time. Now U.S. cities want in, and they're building their own green housing.
www.npr.org
June 15, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Vienna has been a leader in social housing for a century now - what can learn from them? Here's a start— www.npr.org/2025/06/15/n...
Reposted by Darrick Borowski, AIA
Say hello to a new subway map! 🗺️
Today, the MTA unveiled a new subway diagram that provides riders with essential travel information in an easily readable, bright, and orderly manner.
Today, the MTA unveiled a new subway diagram that provides riders with essential travel information in an easily readable, bright, and orderly manner.
April 2, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Say hello to a new subway map! 🗺️
Today, the MTA unveiled a new subway diagram that provides riders with essential travel information in an easily readable, bright, and orderly manner.
Today, the MTA unveiled a new subway diagram that provides riders with essential travel information in an easily readable, bright, and orderly manner.
Unlikely allies indeed... but this housing crisis requires these kinds of conversations...
gothamist.com/news/uncerta...
gothamist.com/news/uncerta...
Uncertainty over federal cuts to NYC housing forges unlikely allies
City leaders and housing groups plan to focus on how cuts would not only affect people directly benefiting from assistance, but also the entire economy.
gothamist.com
March 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Unlikely allies indeed... but this housing crisis requires these kinds of conversations...
gothamist.com/news/uncerta...
gothamist.com/news/uncerta...
Chris Hayes (speaking at St Mary’s) compared the way tech companies are deploying AI currently to Microsoft Word’s Clippy back in the day… captures it perfectly. Noooooo Adobeeeee I don’t need to be asked if I need help from AI every time I select a layer in Photoshop
March 5, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Chris Hayes (speaking at St Mary’s) compared the way tech companies are deploying AI currently to Microsoft Word’s Clippy back in the day… captures it perfectly. Noooooo Adobeeeee I don’t need to be asked if I need help from AI every time I select a layer in Photoshop
Cambridge MA's big strides in housing policy/zoning reform—Bloomberg's CityLab reports "the city previously guessed it would build 350 net units by 2040, now it’s estimating 4,880 units, the majority of which made possible by the new neighborhood-level reforms."
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
How Upzoning in Cambridge Broke the YIMBY Mold
By freeing apartment developers to build up to four stories across the city, the hometown of Harvard and MIT has set a new benchmark for the housing movement.
www.bloomberg.com
March 3, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Cambridge MA's big strides in housing policy/zoning reform—Bloomberg's CityLab reports "the city previously guessed it would build 350 net units by 2040, now it’s estimating 4,880 units, the majority of which made possible by the new neighborhood-level reforms."
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
City of yes passed!👏👏👏
December 5, 2024 at 9:56 PM
City of yes passed!👏👏👏
City of yes (for all) vote happening now in City Council…
December 5, 2024 at 9:52 PM
City of yes (for all) vote happening now in City Council…
A typical block in outer Queens... why shouldn't these homeowners be able to turn their backyard structures into LEGAL ADUs?
New York City Council votes TODAY on #CityofYes.
New York City Council votes TODAY on #CityofYes.
December 5, 2024 at 2:42 PM
A typical block in outer Queens... why shouldn't these homeowners be able to turn their backyard structures into LEGAL ADUs?
New York City Council votes TODAY on #CityofYes.
New York City Council votes TODAY on #CityofYes.
It's not enough on its own, but coupled with the $5B funding secured by the council, plus state incentives, we could start to chip away at the 500K new units needed in NYC in coming years.
December 5, 2024 at 2:34 PM
It's not enough on its own, but coupled with the $5B funding secured by the council, plus state incentives, we could start to chip away at the 500K new units needed in NYC in coming years.
Our explorations of the texts developing massing models and placing them into context revealed the impact to be modest, contextual, and a welcome addition to the toolkit of possibilities for tackling NYC's current #housingcrisis.
December 5, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Our explorations of the texts developing massing models and placing them into context revealed the impact to be modest, contextual, and a welcome addition to the toolkit of possibilities for tackling NYC's current #housingcrisis.
Gothamist today has a nice piece by David Brand which attempts to break down this barrier, showcasing our work at ARExA, w/ Magnussun, & AIANY's Housing Committee, visualizing the potential for new housing production afforded by City of Yes’s proposed zoning changes.
gothamist.com/news/heres-w...
gothamist.com/news/heres-w...
Here's what NYC developers could actually build through Mayor Adams' new housing plan
The American Institute of Architects' New York chapter shared renderings of the types of new housing that would be permitted under the mayor’s proposed zoning changes.
gothamist.com
December 5, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Gothamist today has a nice piece by David Brand which attempts to break down this barrier, showcasing our work at ARExA, w/ Magnussun, & AIANY's Housing Committee, visualizing the potential for new housing production afforded by City of Yes’s proposed zoning changes.
gothamist.com/news/heres-w...
gothamist.com/news/heres-w...
The actual lived impact of Zoning texts can be opaque to most people, especially to those who don’t need to read them for a living. Much of the friction around #CityofYes, I believe, has arisen from this disconnect.
December 5, 2024 at 2:34 PM
The actual lived impact of Zoning texts can be opaque to most people, especially to those who don’t need to read them for a living. Much of the friction around #CityofYes, I believe, has arisen from this disconnect.
At ARExA and WeWork we studied/test-fit over a hundred of these potential projects—before the pandemic only a handful penciled out, 2 (and a half) got built. Perhaps in this post-pandemic commercial real estate environment the numbers may tell another story?
November 22, 2024 at 11:13 PM
At ARExA and WeWork we studied/test-fit over a hundred of these potential projects—before the pandemic only a handful penciled out, 2 (and a half) got built. Perhaps in this post-pandemic commercial real estate environment the numbers may tell another story?
Also heard at the symposium today—
“The biggest barrier to conversion is the cost basis of the asset - as commercial office rents drop, office to residential conversions become more attractive.“
— David Farnsworth, Principal, Arup
“The biggest barrier to conversion is the cost basis of the asset - as commercial office rents drop, office to residential conversions become more attractive.“
— David Farnsworth, Principal, Arup
November 22, 2024 at 11:13 PM
Also heard at the symposium today—
“The biggest barrier to conversion is the cost basis of the asset - as commercial office rents drop, office to residential conversions become more attractive.“
— David Farnsworth, Principal, Arup
“The biggest barrier to conversion is the cost basis of the asset - as commercial office rents drop, office to residential conversions become more attractive.“
— David Farnsworth, Principal, Arup
C) equaling a total (embodied+operating) reduction of Carbon emissions of 11M tons by 2050–the equivalent of removing 2.3M cars from the roads.
November 22, 2024 at 11:05 PM
C) equaling a total (embodied+operating) reduction of Carbon emissions of 11M tons by 2050–the equivalent of removing 2.3M cars from the roads.
B) But, taking that 150M as a case study, ** that bldg stock would, on average, produce 54% lower carbon emissions than building the same housing ground up
November 22, 2024 at 11:05 PM
B) But, taking that 150M as a case study, ** that bldg stock would, on average, produce 54% lower carbon emissions than building the same housing ground up
A) City of Yes would open up the possibility of converting 150M sqft of class B office space (not a projection—just potential, projections of actual conversions currently are closer to 20M sqft)
November 22, 2024 at 11:05 PM
A) City of Yes would open up the possibility of converting 150M sqft of class B office space (not a projection—just potential, projections of actual conversions currently are closer to 20M sqft)
I was particularly struck by Tess McNamara’s (Arup) talk on the carbon story of O2R.
Her research at Arup has found that:
Her research at Arup has found that:
November 22, 2024 at 11:05 PM
I was particularly struck by Tess McNamara’s (Arup) talk on the carbon story of O2R.
Her research at Arup has found that:
Her research at Arup has found that:
Spent the day today at the Center for Architecture for their Office to Residential Conversion Symposium (yes another one—this was gleefully wonky focusing on “Design and Technical Considerations”
Some great presentations—
Some great presentations—
November 22, 2024 at 11:05 PM
Spent the day today at the Center for Architecture for their Office to Residential Conversion Symposium (yes another one—this was gleefully wonky focusing on “Design and Technical Considerations”
Some great presentations—
Some great presentations—
This is a big step forward in our fight to make this city affordable, but there is one more hurdle to pass and that is the full council vote expected Dec 5. Make your voice heard and tell you council member to support City of Yes.
November 22, 2024 at 2:42 PM
This is a big step forward in our fight to make this city affordable, but there is one more hurdle to pass and that is the full council vote expected Dec 5. Make your voice heard and tell you council member to support City of Yes.
I’m proud to have worked with the AIANY Housing and Advocacy committees and the City Council to help unpack the potential impacts of this plan on neighborhoods around the boroughs.
November 22, 2024 at 2:42 PM
I’m proud to have worked with the AIANY Housing and Advocacy committees and the City Council to help unpack the potential impacts of this plan on neighborhoods around the boroughs.