Silicon Alley: The Rise and Fall of a New Media District (Cultural Spaces) [Paperback]

Michael Indergaard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415935717 | ISBN-13: 978-0415935715 | Publication Date: January 9, 2004 | Edition: 1

The 1990s dawned with a belief that the digital revolution would radically transform our traditional notion of cities as places of commerce and industry. Many predicted that digital technology would render cities, or at least their economies, obsolete. Instead, precisely the opposite happened. The IT-intensive firms of the 'new economy' needed to be plugged into a sizeable network of talent, something that established cities like New York and San Francisco provided in abundance. In addition to creating new types of jobs and luring thousands of workers back into the city, new media districts created a new techno-bohemian urban culture. With vignettes of the high-rollers in New York's new media economy and stories of wild parties in downtown lofts, Michael Indergaard introduces us to the players in this new economy, and explores this intersection of commerce and culture in 1992 New York. He also reveals how the dot-com crash laid bare the hidden connections between the so called new economy of new media and the ages old engines of New York wealth: real estate speculators and Wall Street. Chronicling the go-go years and ultimate crash of the new media district, Silicon Alley is a brilliant account of how hype forged a marriage of technology and finance, which in turn generated a new urban culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Highly recommended..
–Library Journal, February 2004

Mr. Indergaard has some useful things to say about what can be rescued from the glory days of Silicon Alley. He points out that real estate innovations during that period, particularly in the Flatiron District, could be appropriated for the rebuilding of lower Manhattan, specifically in regards to office space and the open flow of capital. But his strongest argument is that the most important change during the period was in the culture of young people..
–The New York Sun, March 2004

Mr. Indergaard has some useful things to say about what can be rescued from the glory days of Silicon Alley. He points out that real estate innovations during the period, particularly in the Flatiron District, could be appropriated for the rebuildings of lower Manhattan, specifically in regards to office space and the open flow of capital. But his strongest argument is that the most important change during the period was in the culture of young people..
–New york Sun, March 2004

Editorial Abstract
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–Reference and research Book News, May 2004

About the Author

Michael Indergaard is Associate Professor of Sociology at St. John's University in Jamaica, NY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415935717
• ISBN-13: 978-0415935715
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,358,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Raw, well researched and captures the Silicon Alley roller coaster., August 29, 2009

By 

Bradley Szollose "author of Liquid Leadership" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silicon Alley: The Rise and Fall of a New Media District (Cultural Spaces) (Paperback)

As the co-founder of the very first dot com company to go public in Silicon Alley during the Dot Com Boom - K2 Design, Inc. (mentioned briefly in the book) - I can assure you, Michael Indergaard has delivered almost a blow-by-blow account of one of the craziest moments in New York City and American history.

1995 - 1999 made no sense as venture capitalists handed out money as if they had Pez Dispensers of cash all because someone scribbled their business plan on a cocktail napkin. After reading Michael's book, I now understand the reason for all the craziness in NYC called Silicon Alley. Raw and truthful, it is a cold hard history lesson for anyone that can't understand WHY modern economics does NOT work.

Excellent and I highly recommend it.