Neighborhoods

The Blueway project site represents an interesting cross section of New York City’s exceedingly diverse and dynamic population. The East River Blueway traverses many different neighborhoods, including the Lower East Side, East Village, Stuyvesant Town, Kips Bay, and Murray Hill. It also affects some other nearby neighborhoods, specifically the Financial District and Chinatown. There are no clear boundaries to these neighborhoods. As the population and demographics of an area changes with shifting trends and development, what is traditionally the Lower East Side can eventually resemble more Chinatown decades later. Nonetheless, every place has its particular history. Being aware of this history as well as the current context helps one understand and compare different areas that might differ socially, economically, politically, and physically.

The map above identifies the destinations along the Blueway that are within the different neighborhoods. It also shows the locations for entertainment, retail, and institutional destinations throughout the site and beyond. You can see on the map that the area along South Street lacks any significant entertainment and retail concentration. Even so, there are nearby streets, like East 14th Street and Avenue D, that are more active.