Before they were the “outer boroughs,” the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island developed as cities, towns, and villages in their own right, independent of New York City. Though these so-called outer boroughs comprise most of today’s New York and are part of its architectural identity, the bulk of existing scholarship in architecture is persistently Manhattan-centric.  However, there remains much to be said about New York City’s outer boroughs and their neighborhoods. The different pace of growth and initial political independence of these parts of the city have yielded architecturally varied urban landscapes well worth examining.

This symposium seeks to highlight the study of New York City’s architecture and urban development outside of Manhattan.  We invite papers that expand beyond the existing field of scholarship on the city’s built environment.  We aim to discuss the variety of building types, styles, and urban patterns evident in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island and to consider their roles in shaping the city.  We welcome interdisciplinary papers that address architecture within the context of other fields.  Papers might examine topics that include but are not limited to the following:

  • Early colonial settlements
  • Urban archeological sites
  • Industrial architecture and infrastructure
  • Civic, cultural, and religious centers past and present   
  • Housing typologies across the outer boroughs
  • Gentrification and architectural style
  • Intersections of the natural and built environments
  • The skyscraper outside of Manhattan
  • Adaptive reuse of buildings and sites
  • Preservation in the face of real estate development
  • Building with “The Other”: voices of immigrants, women, and architects of color

In recent years, native and new residents alike have “discovered” the richness of life outside Manhattan, leading to a wave of fast-paced development and neighborhood transformations.  The time is right for a closer scholarly examination of the places and spaces of New York City’s outer boroughs.

Please send a 500-word paper proposal and an academic CV to:  outerborougharchitecture[at]gmail.com

Contact Info:  msimon[at]brooklyn.cuny.edu