The Mosaic of Distinctive Neighborhoods

The "magic" of cities lies in its marshaling of a wide diversity of experiences. Every city represents a compendium of places and the pleasure of a city lies in both the special qualities of each neighborhood and in the circulation between their differences.

The mosaic of New York has long been dynamic and varied with a large array of distinctive places—Harlem, Little Italy, Greenwich, Village, The Lower East Side, etc. Its charm and energy is derived from the self-organizing aspects of each of these localities and their unique cultural differences. If suburbanization (or globalization) threatens the city, its danger comes from the devolving uniformity of content—infesting the streetscape with the same commercial retailer's and designer boutiques that can be found anywhere else on the planet ...

What does the future hold for the legendary metropolis, gateway to immigrants and strivers, magnet for builders and dealers, muse for artists and dreamers? Will the current political, economic, and social influences dull its once-famous creative edge and culture of opposition? What will become of the special allure of New York?

Based on the writings of Michael Sorkin in the book “The Suburbaniztion of New York”
editors: Jerilou Hammett and Kingsley Hammett
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