"Newsflash - Neighborhoods change! Did you know that Harlem (Striver's Row, etc.) used to be summer homes for wealthy downtown residents? Point is, zoning is just a tool available to urban planners. It is not a magic wand that instantly transforms neighborhoods. Quick timeline in Williamsburg - forest, then farms, then lots of manufacturing (like several breweries, etc.), then manufacturing started leaving, then artists occupied these underutilized, affordable spaces, then adventurous groups started living there (mostly illegally), then demand for living there grew and grew, then the area was rezoned. Also, you can replace Williamsburg for Soho in that timeline and it's the same story. It's the same story in Chicago and other major cities. Urban planners and city governments can guide development, using zoning, infrastructure, tax incentives, etc., but neighborhoods have always changed and they will continue to change." [Is the City's Tilt Toward Developers Screwing Industry?]
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