Portland Public Library

Naked city, the death and life of authentic urban places, Sharon Zukin

eng

Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-280) and index

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

Naked city

bibliography

320193350

Sharon Zukin

the death and life of authentic urban places

As cities have gentrified, educated urbanites have come to prize what they regard as "authentic" urban life: aging buildings, art galleries, small boutiques, upscale food markets, neighborhood old-timers, funky ethnic restaurants, and old, family-owned shops. These signify a place's authenticity, in contrast to the bland standardization of the suburbs and exurbs. But as Sharon Zukin shows in Naked City , the rapid and pervasive demand for authenticity--evident in escalating real estate prices, expensive stores, and closely monitored urban streetscapes--has helped drive out the very people who first lent a neighborhood its authentic aura: immigrants, the working class, and artists. Zukin traces this economic and social evolution in six archetypal New York areas--Williamsburg, Harlem, the East Village, Union Square, Red Hook, and the city's community gardens--and travels to both the city's first IKEA store and the World Trade Center site. She shows that for followers of Jane Jacobs, this transformation is a perversion of what was supposed to happen. Indeed, Naked City is a sobering update of Jacobs' legendary 1962 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Origins and new beginnings -- How Brooklyn became cool -- Why Harlem is not a ghetto -- Living local in the East Village -- Union square and the paradox of public space -- A tale of two globals: pupusas and Ikea in Red Hook -- The billboard and the garden: a struggle for roots -- Destination culture and the crisis of authenticity