As the world becomes increasingly globalized and technology begins to easily link us to faraway places, the definition of a neighborhood isn’t what it used to be. In years past, apartment hunters prioritized being close to friends and family. But with people so often now bouncing from city to city and even from country to country, they have resigned themselves, in many cases, to keeping in touch with loved ones via social media. While neighborhoods such as the West Village and Soho used to be bastions for social interaction, they are now filled with transitory types rather than long-term residents. As a result, such places feel cold and impersonal. However, for those under the age of 30, it has become increasingly unimportant to have the traditional neighborhood feeling. The characteristics that older people define as making up an interesting neighborhood are different from those identified by younger generations. In general, millennials and Gen Zs are prioritizing space over neighborhood; none of this, however, is to say that neighborhood preferences are completely obsolete.
In my experiences representing building owners, I have found that generational differences in neighborhood preferences are heavily influenced by popular culture. New York has always been depicted more in movies and television shows than any other city. How it is depicted has an impact on the neighborhoods in which people want to live or even if they want to live in the city at all. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the HBO television show Sex and the City made an entire new generation of young women want to come to New York. Up until the premiere of this groundbreaking series, New York City had been depicted as a dangerous and gritty place to live. Sex and the City, by contrast, glamorized Manhattan, especially downtown neighborhoods such as the West Village, Soho, and Tribeca.
In a similar fashion, another HBO series, Girls, which premiered in 2012, made Brooklyn the place to be. With the show’s main character living in the borough’s Greenpoint neighborhood, Girls ratcheted up the appeal of Brooklyn in a way that we couldn’t have foreseen. Of course, whenever one makes such an observation, “the chicken or the egg” dilemma comes to mind. It’s possible that Brooklyn was already becoming popular before Girls, but neighborhood preferences do vary by generation and it’s not unreasonable to suggest that the question of where the neighborhood of the moment is can be answered, at least in part, by looking to popular culture.
Throughout my time leasing thousands of apartments, it has become clear that cultural and regional differences can also account for many preferences held by those searching for a place to live. New York attracts people from all over the world, but the question of where the neighborhood is often varies based on the individual and where he or she has lived prior to arriving in the city. In general, people from the tristate area, Europe, and South America appreciate prewar or townhouse apartments on quiet, tree-lined blocks. These residences do not typically feature many high-end services such as doormen. Not only do these simple, beautiful prewar apartments and townhouses remind many people of what they grew up around, but these elements also combine to make up what feels like the quintessential New York experience to them.
But for others the New York neighborhood couldn’t be more different. Apartment hunters from other parts of the United States, such as the West Coast and the Midwest, tend to request the ultraluxury skyscrapers with sweeping views, doormen, concierge, and a slew of other amenities and services. Buildings such as these are in line with an image of New York put forth by many American movies and television shows, which convey the idea that these luxuries define the Manhattan experience. From these opposing preferences, it becomes clear that where one came from often exerts a strong influence on where they will go next and, ultimately, where and what the neighborhood is to them.
For younger people, the neighborhood is not the whole world. They transcend city limits and national borders via social media, Skype, and relatively cheap air fares. Protecting and preserving the neighborhood, once a noble and important cause, has become increasingly less of a concern for younger generations. Cultural and regional differences in apartment preferences seem less focused on neighborhood and more directed toward building type and amenities, or lack thereof. In 2017, people are undoubtedly basing many of their apartment-hunting choices on factors other than the neighborhood. This leads many of us to question what the definition of a neighborhood will be in coming years and how much such conceptions will matter to future generations of New York residents.
Adam Frisch, Managing Principal
Sierra Residential
875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1808
New York, NY 10001
afrisch@sierranyc.com
http://www.sierraresidential.com
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