ANALYSIS OF DEMOGRAPHICS:

As it can be seen from the demographic data of SoHo through the decades, the region has witnessed several periods of sweeping changes. One of the most obvious changes that can be seen from the data is the significant increase in the number of households in the area. This can be attributed to the changes in loft zoning laws that the artists were supposedly violating by living in abandoned industrial buildings. When the matter of zoning laws and artists' residences became caught up in the political limelight, SoHo's artists were thankful to have Mayor Lindsay fighting for their cause. In the end, the artists' cause prevailed and they were able to continue living in their spacious lofts.

The gradual changes in the minority groups are also of interest to demographers because of contributing influences of surrounding areas such as Chinatown. It can be seen from the data that throughout the past few decades, both the White and Black populations have decreased in number, and the Asian population has been the only one on the rise. One of the reasons for the increasingly Asian residents can be paralleled to the movement of Asian individuals from Chinatown. Gentrification would also account for the decrease in the Black population and Native Americans.

RETURN TO SOHO'S SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY