Ed Koch and the rebuilding of New York City / Jonathan Soffer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Soffer, Jonathan M., 1956-

Series:

Columbia history of urban life.

The Columbia history of urban life

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Koch, Ed, 1924-2013.

Koch, Ed.

Mayors--New York (State)--New York--Biography.

Mayors.

New York (N.Y.)--Politics and government--1951-.

New York (N.Y.).

New York (N.Y.)--Social conditions--20th century.

New York (N.Y.)--Social policy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (525 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In 1978, Ed Koch assumed control of a city plagued by filth, crime, bankruptcy, and racial tensions. By the end of his mayoral run in 1989 and despite the Wall Street crash of 1987, his administration had begun rebuilding neighborhoods and infrastructure. Unlike many American cities, Koch's New York was growing, not shrinking. Gentrification brought new businesses to neglected corners and converted low-end rental housing to coops and condos. Nevertheless, not all the changes were positive AIDS, crime, homelessness, and violent racial conflict increased, marking a time of great, if somewhat uneven, transition. For better or worse, Koch's efforts convinced many New Yorkers to embrace a new political order subsidizing business, particularly finance, insurance, and real estate, and privatizing public space. Each phase of the city's recovery required a difficult choice between moneyed interests and social services, forcing Koch to be both a moderate and a pragmatist as he tried to mitigate growing economic inequality. Throughout, Koch's rough rhetoric (attacking his opponents as "crazy," "wackos," and "radicals") prompted charges of being racially divisive. The first book to recast Koch's legacy through personal and mayoral papers, authorized interviews, and oral histories, this volume plots a history of New York City through two rarely studied yet crucial decades: the bankruptcy of the 1970's and the recovery and crash of the 1980's.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. Struggling to Be Middle Class

3. It Takes a Village (1949-58)

4. "Rhymes with Notch" (1959-64)

5. The Man Who Beat Carmine De Sapio

6. A Rebel with Reason

7. Koch's Corridor (1969-76)

8. "A Liberal with Sanity"

9. New York

10. The 1977 Mayoral Election

11. The Critical First Term (1978-81)

12. The Politics of Race and Party

13. Shake-up (1979-80)

14. Controlled Fusion

15. Governor Koch? (1982-83)

16. Larger Than Life (1984-85)

17. A New Spatial Order

18. Homelessness

19. The Koch Housing Plan (1986-89)

20. AIDS

21. Crime and Police Issues (1978-84)

22. The Ward Years

23. Don't Follow County Leaders, and Watch Your Parking Meters (1986)

24. Koch's Endgame (1988-89)

25. Epilogue

Conclusion

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612872303

9781282872301

1282872303

9780231520904

0231520905

OCLC:

826476410