Search Results for: gentrification

The Urban Lens: Travel back to the gritty Meatpacking District of the ’80s and ’90s
May 12, 2017

The Urban Lens: Travel back to the gritty Meatpacking District of the ’80s and ’90s

By
6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation shares archival images of the gritty Meatpacking District from the 1980s to early 2000s. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. "Few parts of New York City have transformed as dramatically in the last decade or so as the Meatpacking District. Changes in the area are physical as well as spiritual. What was once a deserted ghost town by day, nightlife, sex club, and prostitution hub by night, and bustling workaday center of the Meatpacking industry from early morning to noon is now a glitzy, glamorized center of shopping, dining, tourism, strolling, and arts consumption," says Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. The organization recently released a collection of archival photos of the neighborhood's post-industrial grit, "before the Whitney, before the High Line, before Apple and Diane von Furstenberg, even before Sex and the City discovered the neighborhood." Ahead, 6sqft shares these images, from the 1980s to the mid-2000s, which document the major transformation that's taken place in just the past decade.
See all the photos here
New food hall may arrive at an empty railway station in the South Bronx

Conceptual rendering courtesy of Raft Architects

May 8, 2017

New food hall may arrive at an empty railway station in the South Bronx

By
While many residential and commercial projects are underway in the South Bronx, the neighborhood continues to lack diverse food choices for its residents. Hoping to bring more variety to the Hunts Point community, Majora Carter--a revitalization adviser and developer who's also behind the nearby transformation of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center into a $300 million mixed-use affordable housing complex--is partnering with Slayton Ventures to create a hip new dining spot in an empty railway station. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the $2 million project will restore the former Amtrak-owned building, which was designed by Cass Gilbert, beginning this summer and is expected to be completed in the fall.
Find out more
The Urban Lens: ‘Zombie City’ exposes distracted New Yorkers in a gentrifying city
May 5, 2017

The Urban Lens: ‘Zombie City’ exposes distracted New Yorkers in a gentrifying city

By
6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, fine art and portrait photographer James Maher exposes the changing face of NYC post 9/11. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. It all started at the University of Madison in Wisconsin with a surprisingly successful fake ID "business," which was James Maher's first introduction to portraiture and Photoshop. After moving back to his hometown of New York post-graduation, Maher studied at the International Center for Photography, assisted commercial photographers, and became a certified tour guide, exploring the architecture and streetscapes of the city. In 2006, he opened his own photography business, combining his varied interests, which also come through in his black-and-white series "Luxury for Lease," where New Yorkers are captured candidly against the background of New York. In it, Maher exposes how quickly things changed in the years after 9/11; instead of coming for "acceptance and freedom" and "a culture of creativity," wealthy persons from the suburbs and elsewhere began to move back "with an insatiable appetite." By snapping photos of distracted New Yorkers, many of whom are zombie-fied staring at their phones, Maher examines the "disconnection, hyper-gentrification, conformity, and consumerism" that's infiltrated our streets.
See the series here
VIDEO: Robert Moses talks about roads, parks and city traffic in 1953
May 3, 2017

VIDEO: Robert Moses talks about roads, parks and city traffic in 1953

By
Robert Moses, the "master builder," was arguably the most influential individual in the development of New York City's politics and physical structure. He's widely known for his hand in creating New York State's massive parkway network (he built 13 expressways through NYC) and erecting large public housing complexes in low-scale neighborhoods (many of which were segregated), and has therefore been named as the source of many of the city's gentrification and urban decline issues still present today. Regardless of this criticism, his breath of knowledge and experience was unparalleled (we can also thank him for Lincoln Center, Jones Beach, and countless public swimming pools) and is the subject of this 15-minute television program called Longines Chronoscope that aired in 1953, at the height of his heyday.
Watch the video here
Score an affordable apartment near Yankee Stadium from $963/month
April 25, 2017

Score an affordable apartment near Yankee Stadium from $963/month

By
Located just a few blocks from Yankee Stadium, this affordable housing project with a beautiful shared courtyard is truly unique, as it was developed on one of the last vacant city-owned lots. Applications are now being accepted for one- and two-bedroom rentals at 12 East Clarke Place and 27 East 169 Street in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, including $963/month one-bedrooms and $1,166/month two-bedrooms. 
Find out if you qualify
This bold corner loft will remind you of Williamsburg’s early artist outpost days
April 19, 2017

This bold corner loft will remind you of Williamsburg’s early artist outpost days

By
The 1,800-square-foot pre-war loft in the Northside Arts Industries Condominium is as classic as it gets, with impossibly high ceilings, exposed brick, wood beams and pipes and a flexible layout. The New York Times tells us that the building was developed back in 1983, when the neighborhood's north side was a burned-out jumble of factories, ethnic enclaves and a smattering of artists. The latter had come to escape Soho rents, taking over abandoned factories and warehouses and paying rents that averaged around $550 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. In 1986, a loft space in the building could be rented for $5 a square foot. Today, a sprawling home at 119 North 11th Street asks $8,500 a month ($57 a foot) and the trendy and amenity-packed neighborhood's artists have (mostly) escaped eastward once again.
Find out more about this totally 21st century loft
April 12, 2017

Astoria, Morningside Heights and Bay Ridge have highest turnover of rent-stabilized apartments

By
Scoring a rent-stabilized apartment is a big win in New York City, as these regulated pads usually offer rent at below-market rates and provide tenants more protections against landlords. While more than 925,000 rent-stabilized apartments still exist in the city, these units turn over at a faster rate in certain neighborhoods than others, and their availability continues to dwindle (h/t WYNC). According to a new report by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO), the neighborhoods of Astoria, Morningside Heights and Bay Ridge all have high concentrations of rent-regulated housing built prior to 1974 and therefore, higher rates of turnover compared to other parts of the city.
Find out more
The 10 best neighborhoods for New York City artists
April 4, 2017

The 10 best neighborhoods for New York City artists

By
Like most things in New York, creative communities come and ago as new development and rising rents force artists to move on to the next best, or cheaper neighborhood. While 6sqft found 'hoods like the Upper East Side, Harlem and Long Island City to be the best places for artists a few years back, we've updated our top-10 list to reflect the changing times. Ahead you'll find some areas you may expect--Sunset Park and Bushwick, for example, along with more up-and-coming artsy enclaves like Newark, Washington Heights, and the South Bronx.
The full list right this way
Outer borough creatives earn significantly less than their Manhattan counterparts
March 29, 2017

Outer borough creatives earn significantly less than their Manhattan counterparts

By
Data shows the borough in which you work could decide what income you bring home. CityLab looked at the city’s divided class structure in three main classes of employment--creative, service, and working--and in which borough these workers reside. The data shows that the creative class, made up of tech workers, artists, designers, and educational professionals, cluster in Manhattan, which employs nearly 70 percent of the city’s entire creative class. On top of that, clear income discrepancies exist among boroughs with the average salary for a creative class worker iat $96, 970 in Manhattan, $79,248 in Queens, $77,875 in the Bronx, and $76,565 in Staten Island. Surpisingly, Brooklyn's creative class earns the least, with an average of $74,963.
Find out more here
Senior musicians may lose affordable housing at Bronx Commons

Bronx Commons via Danois

March 20, 2017

Senior musicians may lose affordable housing at Bronx Commons

By
The $160 million Bronx Commons mixed-use development, located in the borough's Melrose neighborhood, broke ground in January. When complete, it will combine affordable housing, retail, landscaped public space, and a 300-seat music and arts venue known as Bronx Music Hall. As 6sqft previously reported, the Hall was envisioned as a way to celebrate and revitalize "the deeply rooted history of cutting edge Bronx music," which nonprofit developers WHEDco and BFC Partners also hoped to address by setting aside 15 percent of the 305 below-market rate apartments for older musicians. But as the Times explains, despite the South Bronx's past as a hub for jazz and doo-wop music venues and sidemen, the city says this may be in violation of fair housing laws that prohibit preferences based on age or race.
Find out more
Mapping America’s affordable housing shortage
March 8, 2017

Mapping America’s affordable housing shortage

By
Extremely low-income renters face a shortage of affordable housing in every single state and major metropolitan area in the United States, a deficiency of 3.9 million units, according to a report (h/t CityLab) by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). Nationwide, only about 35 affordable housing units exist per 100 extremely low-income homes, labeled as ELI households, and in the New York metro area (as defined by New York-Newark-Jersey City) the results are just as grim with only 32 units available per 100 households at or above the ELI threshold.
find out more here
New rendering emerges for Keith Rubenstein’s ambitious South Bronx development
March 7, 2017

New rendering emerges for Keith Rubenstein’s ambitious South Bronx development

By
The massive South Bronx waterfront development planned by Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group is coming together--at least visually. CityRealty revealed a rendering of the second parcel of a two-parcel master plan that will eventually hold six residential towers and park space. Construction on the first three buildings within the first parcel at 2401 Third Avenue was approved last summer. This second parcel at 101 Lincoln Avenue will hold three more towers, 25 stories each, with a grand total of 826 apartments. The developers have long heralded this development as a game-changer for the South Bronx, but faced pushback after Somerset developer Keith Rubenstein attempted to rebrand the area as the “Piano District” and held a party that capitalized on the struggles of the Bronx in the 1970s, featuring burning trash cans and a bullet-ridden car.
See more images of the development site
In black neighborhoods, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white
March 1, 2017

In black neighborhoods, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white

By
Watchdog group Inside Airbnb released a new report, which shows that across 72 predominantly African-American neighborhoods in New York City, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white--a startling figure considering only 14 percent of the total population in these areas is white. As outlined in the Daily News, these white hosts earned $160 million from Airbnb rentals, compared to just $48 million for black hosts.
Which neighborhoods are most affected
South Harlem community board wants brokers to stop calling it ‘SoHa’
February 24, 2017

South Harlem community board wants brokers to stop calling it ‘SoHa’

By
Harlem's gentrification and increasing real estate prices aren't news at this point, but a local community board thinks certain real estate brokers have crossed a line. As DNAinfo reports, Keller Williams created a separate office for "SoHa," their new branding for South Harlem. Following in the footsteps of NoLo (SoHo + Nolita + Lower East Side), DoBro (Downtown Brooklyn), and Hellsea (Hell's Kitchen + Chelsea), the moniker is seen as an attempt to make buyers and renters feel like they're cashing in on the next trendy 'hood. But residents of the Central Harlem area, roughly West 110th to 125th Streets, feel the marketing tactic is "arrogant" and "disrespectful," and so Community Board 10 has introduced a resolution that would prevent brokers from using the nickname.
READ MORE
Richard Meier’s mixed-use Teachers Village development is revitalizing downtown Newark

Residential Building VII, via Scott Frances

February 23, 2017

Richard Meier’s mixed-use Teachers Village development is revitalizing downtown Newark

By
With Hoboken long gone and Jersey City well in the throes of gentrification, it makes sense that Newark is the next New Jersey city poised for a renaissance. Not only is it easily accessible via both NJ Transit and the PATH, but its wealth of former industrial buildings lend themselves to a DUMBO-esque revitalization. In the up-and-coming downtown area, Newark native Richard Meier is behind Teachers Village, a 23-acre, mixed-use complex that is well on its way to restoring a sense of community to the neighborhood. The $150 million project will encompass three charter schools, ground-level retail, and 204 residential units with a preference given to educators, all located in six new buildings designed in the starchitect's signature style of white materials and gridded facades.
All the renderings and details this way
New bill would calculate AMI for affordable housing based on zip code, not region
February 21, 2017

New bill would calculate AMI for affordable housing based on zip code, not region

By
To set qualification guidelines for its affordable housing lotteries, the city turns to the set area median income (AMI), basing annual household income and rents off this figure. However, as The Real Deal explains, "the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates AMI regionally, "using a formula that lumps the five boroughs together with Putnam, Westchester, and Rockland counties." For 2016, this equated to $65,200 for a single person and $90,600 for a family of four, but a new bill proposed by Democratic State Senator Michael Gianaris and Assemblymember Brian Barnwell would require developers of new 421-a projects to calculate AMI based on the specific zip code in which the building is going up.
More info ahead
Construction Update: Greenpoint’s first skyscraper tops off

Rendering: Neoscape; Construction photo: Will Femia

February 10, 2017

Construction Update: Greenpoint’s first skyscraper tops off

By
Greenpoint's new waterfront skyline is quickly taking shape, as CityRealty reports the neighborhood's first skyscraper has just topped off. The tower, measuring 400 feet, will be Greenpoint's tallest, stretching 39 stories above the characteristically low-slung neighborhood now dominated by squat residential buildings and warehouses. With a somewhat uninspired name, The Greenpoint (as it will be known) will bring 95 high-end condos and 287 rental apartments to a block-long stretch of the area.
more details here
Massive Sendero Verde project will bring 655 affordable ‘passive house’ rentals to East Harlem
February 7, 2017

Massive Sendero Verde project will bring 655 affordable ‘passive house’ rentals to East Harlem

By
A massive, mixed-use development is moving ahead in East Harlem, reports Politico, as the city has selected Jonathan Rose Companies to work with L+M Development Partners on the 751,000-square-foot project. Dubbed Sendero Verde ("green pathway"), the site is located on the block bound by East 111th and 112th Streets and Park and Madison Avenues, and it will create 655 affordable passive house apartments, as well as a YMCA, job training center, 85,000-square-foot DREAM charter school, space for the local non-profit Union Settlement, a grocery store, restaurant, and preventative health care facility run by Mount Sinai.
All the details ahead
Five chances to live in burgeoning East Harlem for $985/month
February 7, 2017

Five chances to live in burgeoning East Harlem for $985/month

By
With the Second Avenue Subway sending Upper East Side real estate prices climbing as far north as 96th Street, East Harlem's upward trajectory is sure to only heat up. The former El Barrio has been on the cusp of gentrification since a 2003, 57-block rezoning that increased density allowances along First, Second, and Third Avenues, spurring a bevy of new residential projects. One such development is 2139 Third Avenue, a modern, 21-unit rental at the corner of 117th Street, which just launched its affordable housing lottery for five $985/month one-bedroom units, available to one- or two-person households earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income.
Have a look at the interiors
Map: Here’s where you can afford to live in NYC in 2018
January 23, 2017

Map: Here’s where you can afford to live in NYC in 2018

By
For New York home buyers, a lot can change in a year. A neighborhood that was considered affordable can all of a sudden become out of reach, whether it be from new developments like a subway or good old fashioned gentrification. For this reason, Fast Forward Labs created an interactive map that predicts the price of real estate in 2018. As Google Maps Mania explains, "The map allows you to input a housing budget and see how likely it is that you will be able to afford to buy a property in different New York neighborhoods during different future time periods."
More on the map here
Whole Foods will open a lower-priced ‘365’ store in Downtown Brooklyn
January 20, 2017

Whole Foods will open a lower-priced ‘365’ store in Downtown Brooklyn

By
Downtown Brooklyn is quickly becoming one of NYC's most desirable commercial hubs. On top of hosting a lengthy roster of big name retailers and entertainment centers—which include a new Target, Trader Joe's, Century 21, Apple store, Alamo Drafthouse cinema, and Barclays Center—the neighborhood will also welcome a brand new, lower-priced Whole Foods concept store called "365." According to a press release, the store will open in early 2018 at Two Trees' 300 Ashland Place, and be set up as a no-frills version of the grocery giant.
more details this way
Gowanus Alliance reveals plans to bring Kentile Floors sign to new park

Renderings via Loci Architecture

January 10, 2017

Gowanus Alliance reveals plans to bring Kentile Floors sign to new park

By
Two summers ago, the Gowanus Alliance teamed up with Gowanus by Design on their vision to transform the land underneath the elevated subway tracks on 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues into a public park that would serve as a home for the iconic but dismantled Kentile Floors sign. Now that the MTA has completed its repairs on the tracks above, Brooklyn Paper reports that the group has tapped Loci Architecture for preliminary renderings of what this space, dubbed Under the Tracks Playground, could look like.
Find out more this way
High-income renters on the rise in the Bronx and Queens
January 5, 2017

High-income renters on the rise in the Bronx and Queens

By
In November, 6sqft shared an analysis from RentCafe that showed the number of high-income renters in NYC has tripled over the last decade, with the number of renter households earning more than $150,000 annually increasing by 217 percent between 2005 and 2015, from 551,000 to 1.75 million. Now, DNAinfo has asked the site to break the data down further by neighborhood, and what it tells us is that Eastchester and Baychester in the Bronx and East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in Queens saw the largest increase in wealthy renters.
Learn more and explore RentCafe's interactive charts
Pitch a story icon

Pitch a Story

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

Distinctive Post Form

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544
Contact us image

Get in Touch

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Send us a tip image
Delivering New York stories focused on design, lifestyle & real estate.

Send us a Tip

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Let us know what you are looking for and we’ll help you find the home of your dreams. It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo
or Call (212) 755-5544

Thinking about selling your home?

We’ll provide current market comps and connect you with a trusted expert.

CityRealty Logo

Sell a Home (Footer)

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Subscribe for NYC's Lastest Design, Lifestyle,
and Real Estate Trends!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your Passport to NYC:
Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.