Where are the Great Public Projects?

Personally, I am for limited government and limited government involvement in commercial matters. Obviously, I don't condone "public" private ventures like the those coming out of the ESDC, which become nothing more than boondoggles.

But if there has been one type of project that has been successful in the past it is the public park. Central Park , Prospect Park, Fort Greene, Riverside Park...could you imagine the city without them?

The only thing that has come close is Brooklyn Bridge Park, but as it turns out that is simply a vehicle to build luxury condos on public land, with the excuse that it is needed to fund the park (funny, I don't recall any luxury condos necessitated for Prospect or Central Park).

So in this sea of wealth and extra revenue, why have there been no great civic projects? Is it land? Well there's plenty of that at Atlantic Yards? Money? There's no shortage of wealthy people nor extra revenue, but it seems, there is a shortage of true public spirit.

And that's the big difference between the old guard of the 400 days and the current "elite" the old guard might complain about the government interfering in its affairs or of income tax but voluntarily put their influence and money behind projects of true philanthropy like Metropolitan Museum of Art or Central Park. The new elite seeks to profit from and mine revenue from the government at the expense of tax payers, and use public resources for private gain. In doing so they give the projects the 'veneer' of public good (affordable housing, publicly accessible space)but the primary beneficiaries are themselves. Bruce Ratner is perhaps the best example of this new 'public spirit'. Considering their extremely poor taste in art, architecture, and well, everything, I would just as soon have it they did nothing at all. Unfortunately they are transforming the city to degrees not seen since the days of Robert Moses. God help us.