> They’re investments, not really meant for living in. They cast these huge shadows and block views—really change the skyline—just so they can stand empty.<p>That is definitely one of the saddest parts for me. These billionaires (many of whom got their wealth in shady circumstances) are just using these condos to park their money. I may think NFTs are insane but at least when people with too much money park their wealth there they don't fuck up an entire city.
> Only 1000 editions of Private Views were published<p>For context this is towards the higher end of a standard print run in the photobook world. Most niche art/photo books will be printed in runs of only 50, 100, perhaps a few hundred, or at most 1,000 so "Only 1000 editions" is actually at the upper end and this is in no way "limited-edition". Unless the project goes viral it's unlikely the book itself will ever be sold out, such is the nature of the [lack of] demand for printed photobooks.<p>So getting the project featured on various sites helps sell a few dozen here and there and works towards clawing back the initial investment. Clearly this was an expensive book to produce as single copies are in the range of €70, which is almost double what most niche photobooks sell for. I'm sure some of the subjects included in the project will be interested in copies, so there's a meta aspect there.<p>If the book <i>does</i> sell out then the price of [secondhand] copies will increase above the original price, and you can find the value can double, or even increase by an order of magnitude. So a project about views you can't see unless you can afford them, becomes a book about views you can't see unless you can afford them which itself you can't afford. Another meta aspect.
> But despite the breathtaking views, Schmied says the multi-million-dollar condos were dishearteningly dull<p>How many new apartments aren't dull? If you're spending $90 million on an apartment, the last thing you would want is for it to be in the style of some architect's avant-garde idea of beauty. If you want to add personality, you hire your own interior designers to find your own aesthetic.
Off topic, but perhaps of interest to anyone in Thailand who would like to experience similar views firsthand:<p><a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/th/thirty-nine-boulevard-executive-residence.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.booking.com/hotel/th/thirty-nine-boulevard-execu...</a><p>The room my wife and I booked in 2019 offered a panoramic, bird's eye view of Bangkok's skyline from one of the higher floors in the building. Not bad at ~$90 / night at the time.
> “They all talked about having a golf simulator room—I’ve never heard of this thing before, but they all had it,”<p>Why are wealthy people so much into golf? It seems like the dullest of activities. Is it just because other rich people say they like golf, and they're all such conformists?
In Copenhagen most apartments require people to live there. "Bopælspligt", residency requirement. As the owner of an apartment you are required to make sure someone lives there at least 180 days a year.<p>The best places to live in a city should have people living there. It's really that simple.
> Her limited-edition book Private Views: A High-rise Panorama of Manhattan<p>I find it deliciously ironic that she would restrict access to her work like this - though perhaps there are other avenues not mentioned.
this is a huge argument for a real estate tax on non-primary residential property. Then, triple the tax its not rented during the year.<p>do we want to allow wealthy princes to have a pied a terre on park ave ? OK.
Let them pay in blood for the privilege.<p>Of course, neither "progressives" or "conservatives" will be willing to threaten upper classes, real estate lobby, and political donors, with such a tax.. despite that the people that stand most to gain from this would be lower income AND first time owners ...who are voters in their own district!
> But some said they always felt like they were privileged to see the city like this and felt like other people should be able to share in it.<p>I cannot understand this line of thinking. I wonder if I can get a set of keys to the author's flat, so I can "share in it".