A history of New York City’s bonus incentive programme and the changing role of the planning department from 1961 to 2019

In 1961, New York City’s Department of City Planning adopted a bonus incentive programme, allowing developers to build larger buildings if they provided public space. Via a series of zoning amendments, changes to the programme have resulted in a series of changes in the design and use of the spaces. Information for the article was drawn from: archival materials, observations of the use and users of the spaces, and interviews with planners. The history of the David Rubenstein Atrium is presented in detail to answer the question of how the role of the DCP changed over time.