The Sociology Book

129

See also: Georg Simmel 104–05 ■ Henri Lefebvre 106–07 ■ Jane Jacobs 108–09 ■ Alan Bryman 126–27 ■
Saskia Sassen 164–65

industries and the growing impacts
of globalization. A new generation
of scholars began to investigate
inner-city decline, the processes of
urban regeneration, and what gives
somewhere its distinctive sense of
place. Prominent among them has
been Sharon Zukin, author of the
influential 1982 work, Loft Living.

The meanings of space
Zukin moved into a loft—a former
garment factory and artist’s
studio—in Greenwich Village,
New York, in 1975. She became
interested in what these new
residential spaces meant to their
occupiers, and was particularly
concerned by the impact that

their use as dwellings was having

on long-established communities

in New York.

Zukin reiterated the ideas

of thinkers such as French

philosopher Gaston Bachelard, who

argued, in The Poetics of Space

(1958), that a home was more than

a space for living; it represented the

“psychic state” of the inhabitants.

For example, in Victorian times,

houses were divided into rooms

with specific functions (drawing

room, dressing room, and so on),

providing a series of intimate

spatial encounters.

The psychic state of a loft-

dweller, argued Zukin, was that of a

search for authenticity—an attempt

to replace the mass production

of modernism and the uniformity

of suburban living with the

individualization of a space once

used for mass production (since

many loft spaces had once been

workshops or factories). In a loft, the

privacy of the detached suburban

house was replaced by a non-

hierarchical layout that opens up

“every area... to all comers.” This

space and openness creates an

impression of informality and

equality, transforming the loft into a

“tourist attraction” or a showcase—

a place that demands to be seen.

Urban regeneration

Zukin also closely examined the

costs of urban regeneration and

loft living. On the surface, the

movement of people back into

virtually abandoned districts

appears to be a positive process,

breathing new life into old

buildings and places. However,

Zukin questions this assumption,

arguing that regeneration ❯❯

MODERN LIVING

A former industrial area of a city becomes de-industrialized

and run down.

Artists are attracted to the area because of low rents

and generous spaces in which to be creative.

Young urban professionals are then attracted to the “cool”

that artists create.

Property developers see an opportunity to make money

and buy up property.

Rents increase and the artists and poor people move out;

the area in turn loses its diversity and vibrancy.

Bare walls, exposed beams, and

unexpected architectural details

provide the authenticity sought by

buyers of urban loft apartments.