The Microneighborhood

The article describes the gentrification of a small side street in Manhattan, admittedly an atypical situation but nonetheless interesting as a case study of the good and bad factors that can play into the rejuvenation of a small neighborhood commercial area.

"...[A] 'microneighborhood,' and it is now the defining trend of New York real estate. In the world of Manhattan business, the idea of a big, overarching district like Soho or Chelsea or the West Village has lost distinction. When retailers want to create a zone of hipness these days, they synthesize it from much, much smaller atoms: a couple of blocks. Hell, maybe only a single block. Examine almost any area of Manhattan these days and you’ll find it balkanized into a set of breakaway microneighborhoods, each one proclaiming its unique character."

Thanks to chris