A groundbreaking look at the transformation of SoHo. American cities entered a new phase when, beginning in the 1950s, artists and developers looked upon a decaying industrial zone in Lower Manhattan and saw, not blight, but opportunity: cheap rents, lax regulation, and wide open spaces. Thus, SoHo was born. From 1960 to 1980, residents transformed the industrial neighborhood into an artist district, creating the conditions under which it evolved into an upper-income, gentrified area. Introducing the idea—still potent in city planning today—that art could be harnessed to drive municipal prosperity, SoHo was the forerunner of gentrified districts in cities nationwide, spawning the notion of the creative class. In The Lofts of SoHo, Aaron Shkuda studies the transition of the district from industrial space to artists’ enclave to affluent residential area, focusing on the legacy of urban renewal in and around SoHo and the growth of artist-led redevelopment. Shkuda explores conflicts between residents and property owners and analyzes the city’s embrace of the once-illegal loft conversion as an urban development strategy. As Shkuda explains, artists eventually lost control of SoHo’s development, but over several decades they nonetheless forced scholars, policymakers, and the general public to take them seriously as critical actors in the twentieth-century American city.

This publication also features some of Australia's top photographers, including Max Dupain and John Gollings, and showcases some brilliant designs by architects such as Form Follows Function, Neometro and Stanic Harding Architecture + Interiors. This book visits a number of extraordinary homes, from the apartment to the townhouse. Those settled in the suburban house on the quarter acre block will be intrigued by the smaller spaces emerging in our cities. From lofts nestled into warehouse spaces to the townhouses hidden in lane-ways, the localities as intriguing as the spaces themselves. With a move to smaller and more flexible spaces, architects and designers are pushing the parameters of available space. Stephen Crafti is a well-known author and journalist and this is his third book for the Images Publishing Group. This publication also features some of Australia's top photographers, including Max Dupain and John Gollings, and showcases some brilliant designs by architects such as Form Follows Function, Neometro and Stanic Harding Architecture + Interiors. SELLING POINTS: - Written by an expert in the field - Features exceptional photographs by some of Australia's top photographers - Showcases designs by the leading architects in Australia - Glorious colour reproductions 330 col., 75 b/w

Lofts, by definition, are former commercial spaces that have been converted for residential use and living/work environments. But lofts, by design, are vast silent expanses, soaring arches, stalwart steel girders, massive beams, and all the powerful drama of a curtain-time stage set. Lofts are a designer's dream. The importance of urban loft design for the architectural and design world is highlighted in this collection of the finest, most dramatic of these transformed spaces. Lofts: New Designs for Urban Living takes you on an intimate tour of residential lofts in the major cities of the world including New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, London, Toronto, Paris, and Tokyo. Projects include work from cutting-edge designers: Roto, Fred Fisher, Peter Anders, Neil Frankel, Briggs/Iacucci, Peter Tow, Kar Ho, Moneo/Brock, Belmont Freeman, Lotek, Brayton & Hughes and more. Complete with informative text, Lofts features full-color photographs, plans, and a valuable resource guide for anyone who has every dreamed of converting a commercial building into a residential loft.