"While Wall Street boomed and a new wave of artists colonized downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn was being pulled in two vastly different directions: prospering creativity and urban decay. To put it simply, 1980s Brooklyn was a place in transition. Though the borough struggled with crime and economic issues, it was also a time of cultural booms and vibrant celebrations. And as the pictures below show, it was one of the most dynamic, challenging, and energetic places to be."
"Urban Decay, The Crack Epidemic, And The Fallout From The 1970s The dawn of a new decade doesn't erase the years that came before it, and although we might now think of the 1980s as louder, brighter, and more glamorous than the 1970s, the scars of those previous years were still visible. New York was in crisis in the 1970s. Economic and political troubles caused unprecedented levels of stress."
"Nostalgia for the 1980s has been widespread in recent years. Perhaps those who grew up during that decade are looking back fondly on their childhood, or maybe there really was something magical about that time. Regardless, it's hard not to think of things like big hair, neon leg warmers, and shoulder pads when the 1980s are brought up."
Brooklyn during the 1980s combined creative energy with stark urban decline. Wall Street prosperity and downtown artistic growth contrasted with neighborhood decay, crime, and economic hardship. The city still bore the scars of the 1970s: near-bankruptcy, industry decline, middle-class flight, social-service cuts, arson, and rising crime. Neighborhoods such as Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant suffered extensive damage. The 1977 blackout riots accelerated decline in some areas, producing rubble-strewn lots and hollowed-out buildings. Despite these challenges, cultural booms and vibrant celebrations persisted, making the borough energetic and complex during that decade.
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