Union Square and the Collapse of the Working Class

In Sharon Zukin’s The Naked City, she discusses the development and change of Union Square and Fourteenth Street. The park originally opened in 1830 and boasted an exclusive neighborhood in which the area had excellent landscaping, elegant fountains and majestic picket fences that mimicked those of London. However, the upper class migrate out of the area with the steady northward movement of the commercial centers. Thus, Union Square transformed from an exclusive neighborhood to an entertainment center with theaters, restaurants and concert halls. This attracted many mass meetings and factory workers that were immigrants from Italy, Russia and Ireland. The migration of the working class caused Union Square to become an area of cheap shopping for poor workers from the original elegant residential and entertainment district.

The increase of poor workers in the area around the park instigated a decrease in rent prices. This allowed hipsters and rockers to take part of the downtown culture. People in the area had access to cheap goods and low rent prices which allowed for the streets to become cultural centers and accessible by all. However, Union Square also fostered the illegal drug trade which proved to be the area’s biggest problem in the 1970s. Drug dealers referred to the park as their “turf”, and residents avoided certain streets after dark. Union Square was crowded and loud during the day and empty and silent at night as a result of the dangers associated with the drug trade. The government and police were unable to stop the problem as the area was under the jurisdiction of three precincts and three community boards and one single group did not want to take responsibility of the three-acre land.

Charles Lue, chairman of the Board of Con Edison, created the public-private partnerships that supported public relations and tourism campaigns. Lue formed the Fourteenth Street Union Square Local Development Corporation in 1976 that led to the Fourteenth Street BID and in a few years Union Square became a model for the formation of BIDs. The heads of these companies worked to better the community, but in turn drove out small retailers and invited big companies to set up shop. In return, the price of the neighborhood increased drastically and the BID was able to collect large sums in taxes. Thus, Union Square once again became a center of wealth.

An article in Bloomberg Pursuits discusses the change in prices in Union Square. Republic, a beloved noodle store in Union Square, had recently closed its doors and moved into a cheaper neighborhood. The owner states that when the location was first rented in the early 1990s, the rent was about $220,000 annually and has since quadrupled. When Republic first opened, the location was a gamble as the streets were replete with drugs. However, although the location got much better as a result of the “cleaning and reform” done by the large companies, the rents have drastically increased and local shops that have been at Unions Square for years serving the locals must close and move on. The stores are being replaced by chain stores such as Starbucks. As a result, Union Square has begun to become a food desert in which access to food is limited as only big chains remain. This depicts the change in the prices in Union Square from the 1980s until now.

 

High Rents in Union Square 

 

-Rasman Rayyan