Neighborhood Sampler
During the summer of 2021, I lived in six different neighborhoods in the short span of three months. While it is not an experience I recommend, it turned out to be a unique opportunity to test out neighborhoods—like when you go to Costco and try out snacks that you didn’t know you needed. Like that experience, I did not have much control over which neighborhood I was staying in because I was house sitting, couch surfing, and picking from a small batch of short-term rental options. That meant I had to step out of my comfort zone and live in a random assortment of neighborhoods.
So, I conducted a review of my NYC neighborhood sampler to see how my (un-branded) experiences lined up with (branded) portrayals. I use five common criteria that I personally think are important in making a good neighborhood:
Safety
Accessibility
“Green-ness”
Food options
Sense of place
To classify the online/branded portrayals of various neighborhoods, I analyzed Streeteasy and Compass’ neighborhood descriptions against the five criteria. (If the descriptions didn’t mention a criteria, I left it blank.) And for my experiences I asked these questions:
Safety
Are there “eyes on the street”? (Incorporating a Jane Jacobsian way to measure whether I felt safe walking around the neighborhood)Accessibility
Is it easy to get to via public transportation? Is it pedestrian-friendly?“Green-ness”
How much tree coverage is there? (This proved an important point during a record hot summer.) Are there parks within walking distance?Food options
Are there grocery stores readily accessible? Are there restaurant and cafe options?Sense of place
Does the neighborhood have an identifiable character?
Results from the neighborhood sampler. Table by author.
The most aligned neighborhood between branded descriptions and my experiences goes to Lincoln Square. I agree with Streeteasy’s description that the neighborhoods has a “great subway access at Columbus Circle.” [1] In my opinion, it also has pedestrian friendly streets. The greatest perk is that it “sits close to the green expanses of Central Park and Riverside Park” [1] and has great tree-lined streets. Marketing language emphasized high-end eateries in the summary of food options and while I did not take advantage of them, I still gave the neighborhood a five in terms of food because of the accessibility to a variety of large grocery stores and affordable takeout options. The only thing I didn’t agree with was the sense of place (and rightfully so, since this tends to be a highly subjective criteria). The description put forth cultural institutions as the neighborhood’s defining character but I felt that Lincoln Center had its own sense of place, separate from where I stayed–a brownstone walkup. Additionally, I found the stores in the neighborhood to be mainstream rather than mom and pop shops, which also took away from having a unique sense of place.
Another neighborhood that matched well in experience and brand was the Rockaways. I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting the neighborhood is during non-summer months and how accessible it is (with a $2.75 metro fare you are connected to pretty much any place in the city). The downside for me was that there are not many options for food or cultural activities. But on the flipside, this meant conversations with bartenders and bookstore owners were more personable and provided a strong sense of community. There was also more space compared to inner city neighborhoods and, of course, the beach. Considering a prolonged pandemic and continued remote work, I found the Rockaways to be an urban coastal alternative to the suburbs.
New York Times’ quiz lets you find where you should live based on metrics that people say that are important when choosing a neighborhood. [2]
What made the Rockaways’ experience attractive to me would not have appealed to me before life where a crowded downtown was a public health hazard. Before the pandemic, I valued proximity to the workplace, nightlife, and cultural events more than places where I can stroll and sprawl out. Another important criteria I discovered is how many trees are lined up on the streets. In continuously record-breaking heat during the summer, streets without shade were unbearable to walk on especially with a mask on. (This is why I gave Prospect Leffert Gardens a 3/5 in green-ness.)
As expectations and behaviors change, neighborhoods react and emphasize different characteristics. I think that the gaps between branded portrayals and my experiences come from the mismatch between what is marketed and the changing (or late to changing) built environment. For example, Downtown Brooklyn is branded as a hub for public transportation but because I chose to walk more to avoid crowds, I felt that the neighborhood’s walking experience was not a five—sidewalks in the neighborhood are commonly by 8 lane roads with lots of construction.
And as revealed in the comparisons above, branded descriptions do not always match up with my personal experiences. Perhaps review websites such as Yelp or Walk Score can provide more nuanced perspectives on neighborhoods even if it wouldn’t be the same as taste testing at the sample stations. Through this experience I learned greatly about these different neighborhoods, but what I mainly took away was a better idea of what is important to me and what I can and cannot compromise when choosing my next, less temporary neighborhood.
A tangential takeaway: I consider “Safety” as a critical factor in evaluating neighborhoods, but rental websites do not mention it. I do understand the omission—safety is a very subjective perception. The visible built environment can measure the other four factors, whereas safety is an abstract amenity that means something different to everyone. That will inevitably result in a gap between branded portrayals and actual experiences. However, if I had conducted this evaluation with a data-based approach, crime rates or 311 reports could have been used as a proxy to measure and compare among neighborhoods.