I really enjoyed reading your post Max!

I wrote our first assignment about the redevelopment of Times Square so it was really interesting to see another’s point of view on the subject. I completely agree that the new image that was created for Forty-second Street left lasting impacts, which can be seen today.

I do, however, think it was not simply the “Disneyfication” image that aided in decreasing the crime in the area and helped jumpstart the economy. In the redevelopment process there were a lot of other changes that were made, in addition, to the visible commercial changes we can see as we walk down the street. For example, mayor Rudy Giuliani passed a law that prohibited “sex businesses from operating within 500 feet of homes, places of worship, schools – or critically for Times Square- each other” (NY Daily News). The commercial aspect and all the new stores really helped create a completely new image and encourage a safer environment, but throughout the years policy makers and government officials passed laws like this which helped make sure that it would be very hard to go back to things the way they were before. The stage was set for a completely different economy through such implementations. Another way that Times Square became such a central location for tourism, as Reichl describes, was because the mass transit system was being created in the decades to follow (47); it became a hotspot by having stops on Forty second Street through several train lines, both above and below ground, and terminal of a ferry.

I agree that choosing Disney as the theme to guide the redevelopment was a financially intelligent idea, but I also think there was a lot of factors that contributed to choosing this. When I read the source that you added to your blog I noticed that Robert Stern, who was a major architect that took part in the development, had ties to Disney so that was probably a reason that added to the economic benefits.

I really enjoyed reading the New York Times article you also added to your blog because it talked about how the rebirth of Times Square was heavily impacted by government intervention. As we have often discussed in classed the use of eminent domain was largely used to justify the government taking over all the buildings to allow for the plan to become reality. Many did try to resist this and, in fact, there were 47 lawsuits against this project. These are things that are not often highlighted. Indeed, many of the things going on at Times Square would not make everyone comfortable, but there were people and businesses there before and a project like this displaced them.

I do find you to make a very valid point that there are many remains of the old Times Square left today. As Reichl states, “commercialized sex has proved to be a lasting and stubborn feature of the area ever since (49). Some people point to the topless women that you find taking pictures with tourists as an example of this lasting commercialization of sex. Reichl uses the shows that go on in the theaters to demonstrate that this sexual culture still pervades the area. The history of any place is hard to simply erase, and sometimes it shouldn’t be erased; it is what brought it to its current place and we cannot deny it.

Thank you for all your insights Max!

– Eleni