Spaced Out

"The air itself is not real property; airspace, however, is real property when described in three dimensions with reference to a specific parcel of land, as in a condominium unit. A Maryland case has decided that separate owners of the land and the air rights may be separately assessed for tax purposes. Air rights may be sold or leased and buildings constructed thereon, such as was done with the Pam Am Building constructed above Grand Central Station in New York City. "
From ProU.net Real Estate Glossary

I once read that it takes ten times more energy for an individual to get to work now, than it did in the sixteenth century.

This is taking into account the energy and cost involved from when we leave our front doors, till when we arrive at our work places.

In the 16th century, the be-smocked yeoman arose at the crack of dawn, to walk a few yards to his field. The cost involved was probably the cost of the production of a bowl of porridge.

Five centuries later, we still get up at the crack of dawn. The difference is, that we now take two hours longer to arrive at our workplace. Plus we have consumed, or caused to be consumed, millions more kilojoules of energy than our ancestors did of over four centuries ago. The electricity for the hair-dryer and heating, the energy required for the bus, subway or car. Not to mention the cost involved in the hours of work involved to buy the latest look in whatever shade of black is acceptable this season.

So we work and slave to get to the office so that we can pay for the lifestyle required to sustain the type of life required to get to work...to pay for the lifestyle to get to work ...

Still, there's pluses to this life. For example, we have concepts that the 16th century yeoman would never have dreamt about. Indeed, it would be hard for him even to envisage. The idea of airspace for example.

You own (if you do own your apartment) the air above its building. Before the advent of airplanes you owned it all the way up. Whatever that meant. Perhaps one had land rights to the closest planet directly above you. "Air-rights-for-earthlings.com - perhaps I should register that one!

But now, your airspace, or YOUR portion of the airspace (taking into account the other condo owners who share in that rectangular prism of air above the building), only extends to the lowest point of airspace likely to be used by aircraft.

You can actually sell your airspace to the owners of an adjacent building, should they want to build up. And "up" is the only way to go in the Apple.

Say that your building COULD be 10 stories higher, and the building next door has reached its limit. You can sell your "virtual" ten extra stories of space to the people next door. Or your portion of your buildings airspace, to be exact. The sky's the limit, so to speak. The mind boggles.

Perhaps this idea of airspace could be globalized. Peasants in India could sell their airspace to people in more industrialized countries. We wouldn't then need cost of living indices to measure the comparative "wealth" of different countries. We'd just look at the height of the buildings.

And when we find intelligent species on other planets (or they find us more likely) , we'll need treaties to define the borders between our worlds - so that the virtual buildings don't "collide" somewhere in outer-space. And why not stop at upward vertical space? Can't we extend this concept to the bowels of the earth? Do we own all the earth "under" our property until we hit the burning core? I count us lucky that we only have three dimensions.

I ponder such things as I try to retain my square foot of subway car space on the 6 line on my way to work. My temporary personal space.

I look around at the other commuters, being lurched around under the ground, in a graffiti-decorated container in the self-proclaimed 'capital of the world'.

Some are reading personal development oriented novels such as "Ya-Ya Sisterhood". Others read the bible or the Enquirer. The men tend to peruse spreadsheets. A few conduct conversations with strangers. Some are putting on make-up, and others are talking to themselves.

As for myself, I just try to stay upright, while marvelling at the way that New Yorkers appear to be impervious to their surroundings, and how they carry on with New York panache, whether walking down the street, travelling on the subways, or dealing with customers at the work place.

Talk about self-contained. The environment that they find themselves at any given moment, appears to be of no consequence whatsoever. Life is about ... well oneself, of course.

And as long as you bear in mind, that the time and location of a New Yorker is an irrelevant thing; something that has passed its use-by date, then you'll be able to survive here.

Whether it is when you interrupt the shop assistant from talking on the phone to her boyfriend, to ask whether they still stock sweaters over size 0, or when you are getting edgy sitting in your doctor's office while she conducts her business affairs with her attorney over the phone, you start to get the point.

It's not YOUR inner space or needs that count. It's theirs. You are merely an annoyance, a necessary, but otherwise irrelevant means of them earning enough money to do it all again. Tomorrow.

Kate Juliff
New York
February 2002

Your Say

Penelope
As always I enjoyed your article.

I too had to endure berets, gloves and strict codes at public school. We were taught to offer our seats on the bus to adults and to respect our elders both of which appear to be a dying trend.

However, I feel I should enlighten you as to why mothers let their toddlers have a seat on public transport.

Having had to wrangle small children through the NYC transit system as well as crowded sidewalks, I can tell you that very few adults give small children any respect. Little kids can't balance themselves on a bouncing bus or hold on to a pole during a sudden stop in the subway. And it's rare that an adult will think to look DOWN for small people and being full of self-absorption and the woes of the work-world will trample anyone smaller than three feet tall.

Try carrying a delicate bouquet of orchids at waist height while exiting a subway at peak hour and see if they survive!

Thanks for enlightening me. I can certainly understand! The world of children seems a world apart to me in New York. I had enough trouble raising mine in Melbourne. All power to you!