Welcome to Greenwich Village. Well, particularly the area around New York University, the university more commonly referred to as NYU. Greenwich Village is a New York City neighborhood with a rich history, specifically, as the home for the bohemian and other social revolution movements; however, the word that it is most associated with Greenwich Village today is gentrification. On today’s tour, we will explore the conflict between preservationists and gentrifiers and examine the transformation of Greenwich Village and its role as a college town. Preservationists strive to keep the original architecture and buildings of New York City, arguing that they are an important part of the city’s history and authenticity. Gentrification is a more organic process that is happening throughout the city as its neighborhoods begin to cater to consumption and tourist culture. As prices of residences and in stores rise, a combination of commercial and residential gentrification has forced many of the city’s original residents to relocate to more affordable areas.
In the NYU-Greenwich Village neighborhood, primarily around Washington Square Park, preservationists face a whole different challenge. As NYU expands, it further gentrifies Greenwich Village, destroying places with historic significance in order to further develop the education institution’s facilities. Additionally, the student dormitories saturate the neighborhood and restaurants, stores, and nightlife, cater to the student clientele, and even Washington Square Park is often overrun by students. However, NYU does provide certain benefits such as memberships for residents of the neighborhood at their gym and library, and maintenance of a few public plaza areas. There is a fine balance between the benefit of NYU and the importance of the institution to education and contributing toward a better future, and preserving New York’s past so that the sacrifices of those who came before are not forgotten.
