As the sociologist explains, taste is manufactured socially, through whole groups. And when a certain, latte-loving class of people begins to overtake a community, it stifles neighboring populations both culturally […]

Manhattan’s Lower East Side has a distinctive history shaped largely by a spirit of resistance. So how does this mesh with the myriad nightclubs and sushi bars now filling the […]

Though often indirect, many urban dwellers are guilty of participating in a devastating pattern of displacement that is harming both the lives of low-income families and the fabric of cities […]

The pace of gentrification began to accelerate in the 1980s and, despite economic downturns, has yet to stall. What is responsible for this rush to urban areas? Can it last?

Despite occasional, but somewhat specious, counter-culture movements, New York is rapidly becoming home to an exclusively wealthy population and endless rows of bland chain stores, both of which are destroying […]

Over the past half-century, our associations with urban culture have undergone a curious shift to the point where the cramped and “classic” city life is seen as more “authentic” than […]

“For me, a picture, since it is easel paintings that we have to paint, should be something lovable, joyful, and pretty: yes, pretty!,” Pierre-August Renoir once said in self-defense. “I […]

A conversation with the CUNY sociologist and author of “Naked City.”

N+1 editor Charles Petersen’s piece in the new New York Review of Books compares Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to legendary city planner Robert Moses. Do we agree? Can we concede […]

Being happy means you are much less likely to develop heart disease a new study has revealed after finding an independent relationship between positivity and the condition.

Food packaging and other disposable plastics could soon be biodegraded along with organic waste thanks to a new sugar-based polymer which you can pop on your compost heap.

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed he wants to shake off his all-American image and wishes to play Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in a movie biopic.

American President Barack Obama telephoned space yesterday, telling astronauts at the International Space Station that he is “deeply committed” to human space exploration.

More than 75,000 computers at nearly 2.500 firms in the U.S and worldwide have been hacked into in what a security firm is calling the biggest cyber attack discovered to date.

The British government’s Ministry of Defence has released transcripts and drawings of reports of alleged alien and UFO close encounters from across the country during the 1990s.

The simplicity that has made Twitter a huge hit is also somewhat limiting, writes the New York Times. Enter Google Buzz, a new networking site that overcomes the limitations.

It was a star-spangled day for America at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada yesterday with a trio of home-grown athletes striking gold.

The foreign secretaries of squabbling neighbours India and Pakistan have agreed to meet to discuss building a “climate of trust for future talks”, according to government sources.

Dubai has pointed the finger of blame at Israel’s national intelligence agency, Mossad, for the suspected hit-squad assassination of Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Well, the late-nite wars are finally over and talk shows are languidly retreating back to business as usual: the long introductory monologues are back; celebrities have recommenced stopping by for […]