If you haven't seen it yet, Robert A.M. Stern's New York Times op-ed piece,   

"A Modern City in East Midtown?" (4/21/2013) is making quite a stir, countering arguments that old buildings stand in the way of progress by showing how preservation has in fact made neighborhoods and cities from Soho to Shanghai safer for investment.

"Last summer the Department of City Planning released its East Midtown study, envisioning a taller, denser, shinier future for the neighborhood around Grand Central. New and more liberal regulations that will allow bigger office towers are on their way to the City Council for approval before the end of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's current term. But what is a modern city, exactly? And is New York really in danger of falling behind new global cities like Shanghai?"    

So, dear opinionated readers, please reply with your thoughts and comments on the East Midtown rezoning, as discussed by Robert A. M. Stern. 

Above photo: East Midtown skyline, Department of City Planning