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Just got back from Stuyvesant Ave near the Utica station. I've seen a noticeable amount of the yuppy/hipster presence in that particular surrounding. It is what it is... That's knee deep in the Bed-Stuy.
I'd say Stuyvesant Ave would qualify at least chest deep if not neck deep.
I'd say Stuyvesant Ave would qualify at least chest deep if not neck deep.
I totally agree. Chest to neck deep seems more accurate. That's 1 stop away from Ralph Ave, 2 stops to Rockaway Ave. Not only along the A/C line but up north on the J/Z line also, Halsey and Chauncey.
Ah, the hipster debate goes on. I don't think it would be such a big deal if it weren't for the fact that hipsters are the forerunners of gentrification. Once they start moving in, it's usually not long before other, wealthier folks who don't give a damn about a neighbourhood's heritage or older residents start snapping up apartments, lofts, brownstones, whatever, and then the prices start rising, realtors start salivating and pretty soon the New York Times is calling East New York E-Nu or something stupid like that. The end result is that the neighbourhood improves in many ways, but it also loses diversity as older residents are pushed out by rising prices.
Looking at it this way, the hipsters aren't really the problem. Actually, they bring diversity to neighbourhoods that for a long time have been racially homogenous and economically depressed. So if hipsters aren't the problem, it must be the ravenous New York real estate market, and the soaring rents in Manhattan and other "desirable" neighbourhoods. The problem is really the nature of the Capitalist system, and the laws of supply and demand. These laws don't yield because folks are being priced out of their own neighbourhoods - all that matters is that there is a shortage of affordable housing in New York City, and at the same time an insatiable demand for it. As formerly depressed areas become thoroughly gentrified, realtors begin their search for the next new "hot" neighbourhood that they can cash in off. For them, hipsters make formerly unattractive areas saleable. As more and more people flood into New York looking for affordable housing near Manhattan, these realtors are able to pitch these neighbourhoods to them as "up and coming" areas that offer much of what they're looking for. As the cycle continues, businesses move in to cater to these new, wealthier residents, making the area even more desirable, and on and on and on until you have something like the Lower East Side or Hell's Kitchen (or should I say, Clinton), or Alphabet City, which not long ago were undesirable areas that are now some of the hottest patches of real estate in the country.
So really, it doesn't matter all that much if hipsters are popping up around Broadway Junction or in the wilds of Brownsville and East New York. They are being pushed there by much greater forces - the Market. Hipsters are not ruining neighbourhoods. Often, they are improving them. Infusing cash and diversity into New York's poorest, most segregated hoods is a good thing. Gentrification is completely different, and IMO, unstoppable.
Here in Toronto, hipsters are a little more upwardly mobile than in New York, and they have planted their flag in every desirable neighbourhood this city has to offer. Right now Toronto has more high rises and residential developments under construction than any other city in the Western Hemisphere - it's freaky. But the reason for this is because housing prices have soared over the last decade as young, upwardly mobile people have moved into formerly unassuming residential neighbourhoods in the city's core and seen what was there all along if you cared to look - great urban areas with lots of charm and a gritty, inner-city aesthetic that they liked. Pretty soon most of Toronto's neighbourhoods weren't affordable to average people anymore, and seeing an opportunity to cash in off an overheated housing market, developers started building condo towers downtown in any available space, even if they had to tear down old historic buildings. Now, the neighbourhood I lived in when I first moved downtown (a working class neighbourhood filled mostly with old well-built semis and rowhouses packed tightly on narrow tree-lined streets) is totally unaffordable, and anyone who makes less than $40,000 has to move to our equivalent of the outer boroughs. So this is a phenomenon that is not unique to NYC. It exists in any city where desirable neighbourhoods close to the city's core are overpriced, and average people are forced to look elsewhere. Once they find a new neighbourhood and it becomes known as a good alternative to the established areas that are simply too expensive, renters and buyers start streaming in and realtors start cashing in. Next thing you know, that area is now off-limit to average people and the search for a new affordable spot begins.
So don't blame the hipster, though he may be annoying. Blame market forces beyond our control, the laws of supply and demand, and greedy realtors looking to take advantage of these forces.
Ah, the hipster debate goes on. I don't think it would be such a big deal if it weren't for the fact that hipsters are the forerunners of gentrification. Once they start moving in, it's usually not long before other, wealthier folks who don't give a damn about a neighbourhood's heritage or older residents start snapping up apartments, lofts, brownstones, whatever, and then the prices start rising, realtors start salivating and pretty soon the New York Times is calling East New York E-Nu or something stupid like that. The end result is that the neighbourhood improves in many ways, but it also loses diversity as older residents are pushed out by rising prices.
Looking at it this way, the hipsters aren't really the problem. Actually, they bring diversity to neighbourhoods that for a long time have been racially homogenous and economically depressed. So if hipsters aren't the problem, it must be the ravenous New York real estate market, and the soaring rents in Manhattan and other "desirable" neighbourhoods. The problem is really the nature of the Capitalist system, and the laws of supply and demand. These laws don't yield because folks are being priced out of their own neighbourhoods - all that matters is that there is a shortage of affordable housing in New York City, and at the same time an insatiable demand for it. As formerly depressed areas become thoroughly gentrified, realtors begin their search for the next new "hot" neighbourhood that they can cash in off. For them, hipsters make formerly unattractive areas saleable. As more and more people flood into New York looking for affordable housing near Manhattan, these realtors are able to pitch these neighbourhoods to them as "up and coming" areas that offer much of what they're looking for. As the cycle continues, businesses move in to cater to these new, wealthier residents, making the area even more desirable, and on and on and on until you have something like the Lower East Side or Hell's Kitchen (or should I say, Clinton), or Alphabet City, which not long ago were undesirable areas that are now some of the hottest patches of real estate in the country.
So really, it doesn't matter all that much if hipsters are popping up around Broadway Junction or in the wilds of Brownsville and East New York. They are being pushed there by much greater forces - the Market. Hipsters are not ruining neighbourhoods. Often, they are improving them. Infusing cash and diversity into New York's poorest, most segregated hoods is a good thing. Gentrification is completely different, and IMO, unstoppable.
Here in Toronto, hipsters are a little more upwardly mobile than in New York, and they have planted their flag in every desirable neighbourhood this city has to offer. Right now Toronto has more high rises and residential developments under construction than any other city in the Western Hemisphere - it's freaky. But the reason for this is because housing prices have soared over the last decade as young, upwardly mobile people have moved into formerly unassuming residential neighbourhoods in the city's core and seen what was there all along if you cared to look - great urban areas with lots of charm and a gritty, inner-city aesthetic that they liked. Pretty soon most of Toronto's neighbourhoods weren't affordable to average people anymore, and seeing an opportunity to cash in off an overheated housing market, developers started building condo towers downtown in any available space, even if they had to tear down old historic buildings. Now, the neighbourhood I lived in when I first moved downtown (a working class neighbourhood filled mostly with old well-built semis and rowhouses packed tightly on narrow tree-lined streets) is totally unaffordable, and anyone who makes less than $40,000 has to move to our equivalent of the outer boroughs. So this is a phenomenon that is not unique to NYC. It exists in any city where desirable neighbourhoods close to the city's core are overpriced, and average people are forced to look elsewhere. Once they find a new neighbourhood and it becomes known as a good alternative to the established areas that are simply too expensive, renters and buyers start streaming in and realtors start cashing in. Next thing you know, that area is now off-limit to average people and the search for a new affordable spot begins.
So don't blame the hipster, though he may be annoying. Blame market forces beyond our control, the laws of supply and demand, and greedy realtors looking to take advantage of these forces.
The thing is this, Hipsters may move into certain neighborhoods and plant their flag as an urban adventurer and pioneer! But are Hipsters and other folks like Yuppies from picket white fenced suburbia are going to stay in the city when they or their girlfriends become pregnant especially when you factor in public schools in inner cities are horrible and will be for sometime? Unless Bloomy and friends build more 20-40k a year private schools for the masses of out of towners who want to settle in NYC, sadly most can't even afford it because Hipster/Yuppies are paying off for college tuition. Lets not forget childcare costs, expensive rents, pay for daycare services. YOu see here in NYC locals have huge family support system, a single mom from Brooklyn or Bronx does not need her boyfriend to help her raise her kid, she can depend on her mother, sister or brother to fulfill those roles. A Hipster/Yuppie who move to NYC don't have that type of physical support system like locals do besides trust fund to live in NYC in the long run.
Hipster may improve neighborhoods however they can't improve cities as a whole, especially a city where large segment of its population are low wage earners and spend most of their money on rent, monthly metro card and cellphone. Hipster business only serve Hipsters, Yuppies and others with money and not people who make ten bucks an hour at Duane Reade.
The thing is this, Hipsters may move into certain neighborhoods and plant their flag as an urban adventurer and pioneer! But are Hipsters and other folks like Yuppies from picket white fenced suburbia are going to stay in the city when they or their girlfriends become pregnant especially when you factor in public schools in inner cities are horrible and will be for sometime? Unless Bloomy and friends build more 20-40k a year private schools for the masses of out of towners who want to settle in NYC, sadly most can't even afford it because Hipster/Yuppies are paying off for college tuition. Lets not forget childcare costs, expensive rents, pay for daycare services. YOu see here in NYC locals have huge family support system, a single mom from Brooklyn or Bronx does not need her boyfriend to help her raise her kid, she can depend on her mother, sister or brother to fulfill those roles. A Hipster/Yuppie who move to NYC don't have that type of physical support system like locals do besides trust fund to live in NYC in the long run.
Hipster may improve neighborhoods however they can't improve cities as a whole, especially a city where large segment of its population are low wage earners and spend most of their money on rent, monthly metro card and cellphone. Hipster business only serve Hipsters, Yuppies and others with money and not people who make ten bucks an hour at Duane Reade.
I see plenty of baby carriages in neighborhoods like Chelsea, Williamsburg, etc and plenty of new day care centers. So the answer is yes.
Businesses like Trader Joes, popular among well to do, actually often have cheaper groceries than the pre existing grocery stores. Whole Foods can be expensive, but they have a better selection. Anyone can go into Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Fresh Direct serves all of Manhattan, and the Bronx, and huge parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Anyone can order from them, and they have a great selection of food.
As a part of the city wide gentrification, bodegas are being replaced by CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aides. They have better service and greater selections than corner bodegas, and all people use them. You have city wide changes because of gentrification.
Basically, in the 70s you had white flight, so there was urban disinvestment in places like NYC, Chicago, and LA. Now that a number of white professions and wealthy people would rather live close to the business center, you have massive investment in inner cities. At this point, its effecting all 5 boroughs in NYC in various ways. Don't kid yourself and say its not effecting everywhere (some places far more than others)
I see plenty of baby carriages in neighborhoods like Chelsea, Williamsburg, etc and plenty of new day care centers. So the answer is yes.
Businesses like Trader Joes, popular among well to do, actually often have cheaper groceries than the pre existing grocery stores. Whole Foods can be expensive, but they have a better selection. Anyone can go into Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Fresh Direct serves all of Manhattan, and the Bronx, and huge parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Anyone can order from them, and they have a great selection of food.
As a part of the city wide gentrification, bodegas are being replaced by CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aides. They have better service and greater selections than corner bodegas, and all people use them. You have city wide changes because of gentrification.
Basically, in the 70s you had white flight, so there was urban disinvestment in places like NYC, Chicago, and LA. Now that a number of white professions and wealthy people would rather live close to the business center, you have massive investment in inner cities. At this point, its effecting all 5 boroughs in NYC in various ways. Don't kid yourself and say its not effecting everywhere (some places far more than others)
It only improves the inner core and near inner core areas, but not the whole entire city. Lets see if Brownsville, Ozone Park, or East Tremont can be uplifited?
It only improves the inner core and near inner core areas, but not the whole entire city. Lets see if Brownsville, Ozone Park, or East Tremont can be uplifited?
Well all three of those neighborhoods have seen tremendous improvement. (Ozone Park is not comparable to the other two either). An influx of working people with significantly higher incomes then their neighbors. Brownsville and East Tremont still have their problems but they are nothing like they were in the second half of the 20th century.
These neighborhood won't see a heavy influx of young people anytime soon, but it could happen eventually if the prices closer ton the core get any more outrageous. More likely those neighborhoods will only become more heavily moderate income, family oriented areas with that may of singles, empty nesters, single parents, and seniors. Think 1920s, but more pricey.
The Hipsters will push very far I think, Instead of the Walking dead we have the walking hipsters! I wish they would all go away with their PBR cheap hooch, Organic coffee's, Raising bees on the roof and "Urban" farms and smugness how cool and original they are.
^I welcome the hipsters. Keep on coming. Revitalize some more neighborhoods. Draw in more amenities, events, beatification. Continue to embrace the culture in NYC.
It's the close-minded, backwards types who complain about everything who need to go... Just go to your suburb already. What are you waiting for?
^I welcome the hipsters. Keep on coming. Revitalize some more neighborhoods. Draw in more amenities, events, beatification. Continue to embrace the culture in NYC.
It's the close-minded, backwards types who complain about everything who need to go... Just go to your suburb already. What are you waiting for?
You read too much Richard Florida.
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Lets see if Brownsville, Ozone Park, or East Tremont can be uplifited?
