SoHo ("south of Houston") is frequently presented as the progenitor of a new form of twentieth-century urban development.

The Lofts of Soho examines how, from 1960-1980, residents transformed the New York industrial neighborhood of SoHo into an artists’ district, and created the conditions under which it evolved into an upper-income, gentrified area. The author argues that the methods of arts-driven urban development that took root in Soho (residential lofts, the adaptive reuse of industrial space, gallery-driven commercial districts, the idea of the artist as a central urban actor, and public policies designed to create vibrant neighborhoods through the arts) would catch on nationally and globally in the ensuing decades.

Read the book online by clicking here and signing in with your library card. If you have trouble accessing the material or have any questions about the discussion, please email andrewfairweather@nypl.org

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