Broadway in Details

Linear Zoning as a Method of Field Work

Abstract

Broadway is the most famous street of New York City. It follows the island of Manhattan along its whole length and through many of its vernacular regions. Field research of functional, social-economic, architectural and mental differentiation of the street from Bowling Green to 142 Street in Spanish Harlem shaped the methods of linear zoning and revealed 16 unique regions in the researched segment. These regions turned out to be functional, but their borders and composition are based on the vernacular regions of Manhattan. It appears that Broadway, as a major trade and social thruway, forms the surrounding urban landscape. But the role of vernacular regions, through which street passes, remains important and sometimes even crucial.