Don't hate the 'poor door'

It's just a cosmetic symptom of a much deeper problem

Separate Door Entrance
(Image credit: (iStock))

New Yorkers living in 55 new affordable apartments built as part of a luxury development in Manhattan will have to enter their homes through the so-called "poor door," a different entrance from the one richer tenants will use. The homes are being erected under inclusive zoning laws which let developers construct affordable units in exchange for tax breaks and an exemption that allows them to build 33 percent more square feet than otherwise permitted.

Understandably, the "poor door" has raised a fair bit of fury. Lucy Westcott of Newsweek calls it "Dickensian." Stephen L. Carter of Bloomberg View calls it "a little outrageous."

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John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.