Brutal New York - 1965/95

[Winterthurer]

this pictures are stunning, if you are visiting new york city, also harlem and the south bronx today, it looks so much better and its almost unimaginable that it still looked like this 15 years ago.
after the wave of arson which destoryed many buildings in the south bronx, the area has been totally cleaned up and new homes have been built, so today it looks quite nice. and new york has now one of the lowest crime rates of all american cities!

[swivel]

yea gentrification!

[Joey313]

Originally Posted by AirJay78

no its not... are u refering to what I said in the other tread about why I love NY?

yes i am

[Xusein]

Wow...very crazy pictures, it shows how much NY has changed for the better since then...

[lkm370]

not being a new york expert but what caused the generification and crime rates to go down...most people would say roudolph guilliani

[AirJay78]

a combination of pro police, pro "family friendly" developements... like the times square redevelopement and others like it. Greater emphasis on tourism. The stricter police response to looting, especially at night. And overall, I think wealthier people from the suburbs flocked to NY in the late 90s to the present to enjoy the urban/cosmo life.... Then with real estate outpricing the poorer folks, you get a lot less crime in the city.

[centreoftheuniverse]

If they are no longer in the city, have you guys ever wonder where all the crime causing former NY residents went?

Have crime gone up in those places they went to?

[Martin S]

Originally Posted by AirJay78

a combination of pro police, pro "family friendly" developements... like the times square redevelopement and others like it. Greater emphasis on tourism. The stricter police response to looting, especially at night. And overall, I think wealthier people from the suburbs flocked to NY in the late 90s to the present to enjoy the urban/cosmo life.... Then with real estate outpricing the poorer folks, you get a lot less crime in the city.

If you have read the book Freakonomics by Steven Levitt there is an interesting and controversial theory about this reduction in crime. He links it to the decision some twenty years before to legalise abortion in the USA. The outcome of that was that many young women were not burdened with babies they didn't want and, consequently, had little or no time for. It was these unwanted babies who were rejected by their mothers who had a high chance of ending up as criminals.

[AirJay78]

Originally Posted by Martin S

If you have read the book Freakonomics by Steven Levitt there is an interesting and controversial theory about this reduction in crime. He links it to the decision some twenty years before to legalise abortion in the USA. The outcome of that was that many young women were not burdened with babies they didn't want and, consequently, had little or no time for. It was these unwanted babies who were rejected by their mothers who had a high chance of ending up as criminals.

I'm sure that might have some place as well. However, abortion is a political debate that I don't even want to try to open on here...

[sussucre]

first time i went to nyc, manhattan was "dangerous" after midnight. now it's great to walk all night long in the streets... cool !

[GrigorisSokratis]

If you want to check the situation in Harlem nowadays just chek these two wonderful threads out and see the difference.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=404013

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=405109

Of course before the 65 the city was a wonderful place to live just imagine that most of the Harlem historic buildings have been built in the period 1830-1890 and was considered an expensive area where rich people used to live in. Anyway in the 20's it became a beautiful neighborhood of mainly African-american and Italian comunities, full of Jazz and Blues (ah...the good ol' days)

Anyway the 60's and 70's just screwed the whole thing up and government was more interested on Russians, Vietnam, communists, etc than its own people living in ghettoes like these ones in backwater areas of NYC, Chicago or Washington DC.

Fortunately things are starting to change (NYC is changed in a 98%) but there are still some areas in Detroit that need some renewal (but nothing nowadays can be compared to the situation of the 70's and 80's in NYC, that was sheer hell).

[kulani]

Wow, that really moved me. Especially because for me, this is exactly what Johannesburg, South Africa is dealing with today. I hope we too can rise above this and have a happy ending like NYC. Rudi Giuliana came to Joburg this year to try and help our Mayor and his team device strategies to regain downtown Joburg. Crime,Drugs, prostitution, grime and all those things have literally taken over sections like Hillbrow. We have probably reached the bottom end of it and now things are starting to improve. Wish us luck.

[EFRACO]

Depressing photos but it is the reality of a city that has changed and changes racially for evil.

[a.s.p.]

Originally Posted by rotten777

Wow...very crazy pictures, it shows how much NY has changed for the better since then...

well, it shows how it's become a safer and more desirable home for law abiding citizens, definitely.

the city itself has gotten substantially worse in a WHOLE lot of other ways, unfortunately.

[BigMac]

Originally Posted by a.s.p.

the city itself has gotten substantially worse in a WHOLE lot of other ways, unfortunately.

How, just curious?

[Citydweller]

OMG.

This thread was brutal. Thank you.

I've never considered the ESB as a giant hypodermic needle BTW.

For years, this was the image of NYC for most Americans.

Seeing the abandoned car nearby the prosperity of the WTC was a shock also.

Thank you again for the most eye-opening thread in the NYC section.

It makes me cry for what the people who had to live in those places experienced on a daily basis.....

[a.s.p.]

Originally Posted by BigMac

How, just curious?

the type of people that are moving in (especially the amount of hipsters and trust fund kids), cost of living/rent (disproportionate to income increases), and a decline in quality of arts and music that originate here are the three biggest things that affect my enjoyment and daily life the most.

[AMS guy]

Originally Posted by GrigorisSokratis

If you want to check the situation in Harlem nowadays just chek these two wonderful threads out and see the difference.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=404013

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=405109

Thanx for posting the links. I'm glad to see how Harlem looks today, 'cause I got really depressed looking at those old photo's.
Been to NYC in mid 90's but back then it looked like bad times were over. As for graffiti art covering subway trains - the only thing I'd miss in NYC from those gloomy times, we still have it in Amsterdam nowadays.

for NYC, one of my favourite cities in the world.


PS Has the situation improved in South Bronx as well?

[krull]

Originally Posted by AMS guy

PS Has the situation improved in South Bronx as well?

Improvement is happening in the South Bronx aswell. I give it another five years and you will see alot of new developement on all of those vacant lots plus new parks.

[swivel]

thought i'd bump this.. i had no idea it had gotten so many hits..