BEYOND THE SLOPE

THE BASICS: Kensington and Windsor Terrace, with more (and cheaper) one-bedrooms than Park Slope, are filling up with young singles and couples. For others, loft living beckons. Families with cars go farther afield, to historic districts on the far side of the park. Turn-of-the-century houses with porches and lawns make Ditmas Park one of the city’s most beautiful and stable bargain neighborhoods.

WHAT'S NEW: Two loft-style Pacific Street developments are the main event: Newswalk, the converted Daily News plant, has been partly occupied for six months; the smaller Atlantic Art building is almost finished and 85 percent sold. A new, fully occupied five-story rental complex with penthouses overlooks the Prospect Expressway in Windsor Terrace.

BARGAIN HUNTING: Faded architectural gems in Ditmas Park and Lefferts Manor are still bargains at around $500,000. The laid-back co-ops on Ocean Parkway in Kensington may not show up in Architectural Digest, but for a little more than $100,000 for a one-bedroom, they’re yours.

HOT SPOTS: Try Tavern on Dean, a New American brunch place in Prospect Heights. Out in Ditmas Park, a much-anticipated pub (no name yet) will open on Saint Patrick’s Day at Cortelyou and Marlborough Roads. There’s still no trendy coffee shop, though (entrepreneurs take note).

PREDICTION: Yes, prices rose in these areas, but here on the fringes of the fringes, the living is still (mostly) affordable. Landmarked neighborhoods and parts adjoining the Slope should hold up better than the outlying F-train colonies. If the economy really goes south, “areas like Kensington are particularly vulnerable,” says William B. May’s Chris Thomas, “because the people who were being driven there five years ago can find what they were looking for near Park Slope.”