Atlantic Metropolis: An Economic History of New York City PDF
Preview Atlantic Metropolis: An Economic History of New York City
PALGRAVE STUDIES IN AMERICAN ECONOMIC HISTORY Atlantic Metropolis An Economic History of New York City Aaron Gurwitz Palgrave Studies in American Economic History Series Editor Barbara Alexander Department of Economics Babson College Babson Park, MA, USA Since the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s and the free-market resurgence of the 1980s, American society has been enmeshed in a continuing process of profound change. Economic change has been oriented around the regulation of business, the information and tel- ecommunication revolutions, and widening roles played by women and minority groups. Authors in the innovation area will assess how America arrived at its current position of technological dominance that is nonetheless under pressure from institutions that arguably are not well-configured for the future. Regulatory and legal historians will eval- uate the reasons for concurrent regulatory breakdown and overreach in industries ranging from finance and health care to energy and land use. Finally, researchers working at the intersection of society and eco- nomic history will explore continuing struggles around issues of gender, ethnicity, and family structure, and the distribution of income, wealth, and political power. The series will address topics of interest to schol- ars, undergraduate and graduate students, and general readers drawn to the interplay of economics and cultural issues. Series contributors will be economics and business historians, or economists working with historians. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14650 Aaron Gurwitz Atlantic Metropolis An Economic History of New York City Aaron Gurwitz New York, NY, USA Palgrave Studies in American Economic History ISBN 978-3-030-13351-1 ISBN 978-3-030-13352-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13352-8 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland This book is dedicated to My Grandparents, Harry Gurwitz Ida Gurwitz, Samuel Shapanka, and Sarah Forman Shapanka And my Parents, Reuben Gurwitz and Beatrice Shapanka Gurwitz, who all chose New York. Acknowledgements Numerous friends, relatives, and colleagues have, over many years and mostly unknowingly, helped make Atlantic Metropolis possible by add- ing to my understanding how and why New York City came to be the place in which I love to live and in which my family has prospered. Three individuals, in particular, are entitled to a large share of any credit that accrues to this book. First, I want to thank Barbara Alexander, the series editor of the Palgrave Studies in American Economic History, for recognizing the potential in my initial proposal and, especially, for her astute recom- mendations as to how that overly ambitious and somewhat unfocused concept could be reshaped into a realistic and more interesting pro- ject plan. Dr. Alexander’s suggestions for changes to draft manuscripts improved the final product, especially by directing my attention toward the human beings who populate economic categories. Two members of my immediate family also helped make this book better than it might have been. My wife, Dr. Susan Abramowitz, deserves a great deal of credit for tolerating my obsession with this pro- ject over the course of many years of what was supposed to be a fun and relaxing retirement. That the obsession did not become compulsive is vii viii Acknowledgements largely due to her emotional guidance. She also applied her own schol- arly skills to draft chapters, much to the benefit of this final product. Our Daughter, Dr. Beatrice Gurwitz, a real historian, also read, com- mented on, and improved early drafts. She was particularly helpful in making sure readers would be able to follow clear paths through some particularly convoluted lines of analysis. The remaining errors and infelicities are my own. Contents Part I Introduction 1600–1815: From Pre-Contact to the Treaty of Vienna 1 Beverstad 5 2 An Island in the Center of Its Hinterland 63 3 Port and Entrepôt 93 Part II Introduction 1815–1924: The Displaced Nineteenth Century 4 Catastrophic Agglomeration 135 5 A Port in Time 149 6 Manufacturing Employment at Mid-Century 189 7 Huddled Masses of Rational Optimizers 233 ix x Contents 8 The Attractions of the Slums 247 9 Money Central 275 10 Global City, Mark 1 301 11 Perfectly Matched and Perfectly Timed 323 Part III Introduction 1924–~1979: The Short Twentieth Century 12 A Global City in a Less and Less Integrated World 369 13 New York’s Great Depression: The Delayed Fade 401 14 Social Democracy and Suburbanization 449 15 All That Is Solid Melts into Air 501 16 The Perfect Storm and the Turning Point 537 Part IV ~1979–~2008: The Post Crisis Recovery 17 Resurgent Cities 573 18 America’s “Global” City 603 19 A City of Niches and Enclaves 625 Epilogue 673 Bibliography 677 Index 713
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