The Urbanization Project at the New York Public Library

Dr. Shlomo Angel, Senior Research Scholar at the Urbanization Project, and Research Scholar Patrick Lamson-Hall in conjunction with the New York Public Library's Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division and the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management will present The Rise and Fall of Manhattan Densities: 1790 - 2010 on October 14th.

The presentation will introduce a new perspective on Manhattan's colorful history based on their rigorous measurement of the city's changing residential densities as neighborhoods were built and expanded over the last two centuries. Angel and Lamson-Hall used rare and newly digitized materials from NYPL's Map Division and the Library's collection of historical population data to study changes in Manhattan's built-up area and ward boundaries alongside census data for the city. 

In this multimedia presentation, they will discuss the history of Manhattan's densities together with the parallel histories of immigration, economic growth, transportation, and suburbanization. The presentation will illustrate how the built-up area of the island expanded northward from the time of the first U.S. census in 1790 filling up the island completely only in the early 1950s. Angel and Lamson-Hall will also show how the population densities of Manhattan's built-up neighborhoods increased significantly during the 19th century and then decreased dramatically throughout the 20th century, recovering only marginally in the last two decades.

Their presentation will be followed by a question and answer session, and reception. RSVP here.

Event Details:

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, South Court Auditorium

Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, Manhattan, NY 10018-2788

Tuesday, October 14, 2014  |   5 - 7:30pm