“Say that you and your neighbors have been living a quiet, peaceful life on your tree-lined city block for years and years. Suddenly, you see construction workers digging in that vacant lot next to your condo or co-op building. So you go down to the city offices—or these days, go online—and find out that someone has bought the lot and filed plans to construct a new, taller building. Even if you’re not upset about having your vistas blocked by new development, what about the work itself? What can you do if there’s excessive noise or dust—or worse, problems like a broken water pipe or phone line?” Continue reading for some basic answers.–The Cooperator