We're down to the final four in the Curbed Cup, our annual award to the New York City neighborhood of the year. There will be one matchup today and tomorrow, with the polls left open for 24 hours. The final showdown for the prestigious fake trophy will begin Wednesday. Let the eliminations continue!
The second of the Final Four match-ups pits new development heavyweight Nomad against Gowanus, currently in the midst of its own mini-development surge.
Perhaps the flashiest of the relative underdogs that have made it to the Final Four, Nomad didn't have the easiest route to the semi-finals. It narrowly beat out Astoria in the first round by 42 votes, and surpassed development juggernaut Hudson Yards by 80-something votes in the second round. But it's not hard to see why the neighborhood has made it this far. A slew of starchitects like Rafael Vinoly and Morris Adjmi are bringing residential buildings to the neighborhood. Not to mention it's become one of the priciest neighborhoods in the city with median rent reaching $4,630 per month this past summer. And to pack a final punch, Nomad saw the reopening of Shake Shack's flagship store at Madison Square Park over the summer as well.
But Gowanus isn't one to take things lightly. Even though it's reached the Final Four based on extremely narrow victories, it still took down heavyweight borough opponents Dumbo in the first round and Downtown Brooklyn in the second. Gowanus might not be as flashy as Nomad, but that's exactly what might work to its advantage. The quiet pace of life is what appeals to residents there, but development is on the horizon with Lightstone bringing 700 apartments that will sit adjacent to the Gowanus Canal. And you know when a Whole Foods opens in your neighborhood, as it did not too long ago in Gowanus, larger-scale development is not far away.
Will Gowanus squeak through to the finals with yet another victory or will Nomad assert its might? You decide!
· All the Curbed Cup 2015 Coverage [Curbed]
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