New York University's Development Research Institute (DRI) has created this fascinating "interactive documentary" where viewers can explore four centuries of development history on one block of Greene Street in what is known today as New York City's Soho neighborhood. Here, readers will find a richly detailed multimedia presentation guiding viewers through Greene Street's incredibly varied history while incorporating video, sound, historic maps, and high-quality images. After experiencing Greene Street's journey from undeveloped forest to today's designer retail shops and luxury residences (with stops as farmland, a red-light district, a cluster of factories, a Depression-era slum, and an artists' enclave along the way), readers can also view the maps and data separately and download the working paper produced by this research. It should be noted that Greene Street is designed for a full computer screen and is not mobile-friendly. The navigation of this resource may not be immediately intuitive due to its horizontal orientation, but the site signposts its navigation tools well, and the unusual layout complements its timeline structure. This resource was created by William Easterly, Professor of Economics at NYU and Co-Director of DRI, as well as Laura Freschi and Steven Pennings at DRI.
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