Stadiums are pretty damn cool. I'm somewhat obsessed with finding out as much as I can about a new stadium whenever I hear one is being built. There's the whole timeless human experience thing as well as a simple fascination with the architectural structures themselves.
My focus today is on the new Gehry-designed Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY (construction photo gallery here). Underneath it is a brand new subway station that serves 9 lines, and although a huge mixed-use development surrounding the stadium may not pan out exactly as planned, it did come with NYC's first Community Benefits Agreement, making provisions for housing and employment opportunities for low-income area residents as well as several other components.
OK, that's all well and good, but mainly I just think the stadium itself is awesome. Because I like sports and I don't care who knows.
And yes I know that the ever-present debate with stadiums is whether public funds are a worthwhile investment. I don't want to get into it right now though because I feel like we've been fighting a lot lately. Do you feel the same way? Besides, this specific project was funded privately, with the exception of infrastructure improvements around the site (which the city paid for). So yeah.
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