SoHo, Manhattan

SoHo has changed drastically over the last 30 years - it used to be full of empty warehouse space. Then, the artists came into parts of the neighborhood and rented the warehouses as work spaces. After that, the entire area was on the upswing and practically became trendy overnight. Now, buildings in SoHo are home to famous designers' stores and wealthy New Yorkers (the area has some of the highest rents in the city). And yet, people rarely discuss how much graffiti is in the area.

Upon first glance, these images hardly look like graffiti - they fit with the trendy atmosphere of the neighborhood.

However, these other images look like classic graffiti tags (like the ones that were scrubbed off subway cars day after day in the 1990s when the NYPD was practicing "broken windows" policing strategy). And yet, here they are - in SoHo, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Manhattan.



What is even more interesting is how people who shop and work in the area have embraced the graffiti culture. Not only are there no signs of anyone scrubbing it off, there are people all over the street selling t-shirts and hats with graffiti art sprayed on them. These shirts below sell for $20 each!


Graffiti in this area is not only accepted as part of the character of SoHo. It helps bring tourism and more shoppers to the area, and allows these street entrepreneurs to make a lot of profit. Could this, perhaps, be replicated in other areas?