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Draft:Gentrification of New York City

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Williamsburg has been cited as a gentrified neighborhood in New York City.[1]


The gentrification of New York City is the influx of more affluent residents and investments into low-middle class and/or under-developed neighborhoods of NYC, resulting in rising rents and low-income residents moving out.

As a result of gentrification, some middle- and low-income residents of New York City, the largest city in the United States, have been alienated and forced to adjust to a complicated and changing urban environment, either directly or indirectly.[2][3]

History

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New York City view, c. 1894

The history of New York City provides context for understanding gentrification in New York City. From the settlement of Manhattan Island, a Lenape settlement brought to Peter Minuit in 1624 during the Dutch colonization of the Americas in what would later become New Amsterdam, to the British taking New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664 and renaming it New York City, the history of New York City informs how it has experienced gentrification.[4]

History of New York City (prehistory–1664)

Land of the Blacks (Manhattan)

Conquest of New Netherland

Slavery in the colonial history of the United States

History of New York City (1665–1783)

History of New York City (1784–1854)

Seneca Village

History of New York City (1855–1897)

New York City in the American Civil War

History of New York City (1898–1945)

History of New York City (1946–1977)

History of New York City (1978–present)

In one of the first instances of the term “gentrification” being applied to a U.S. city, a 1979 article states "A renaissance in New York City? The rich moving in and the poor moving out? ... Hard as it is to believe, however, New York and other cities in the American Northeast are beginning to enjoy a revival as they undergo a gradual process known by the curious name of 'gentrification' term coined by the displaced English poor and subsequently adopted by urban experts to describe the movements of social classes in and around London."[5]

Causes and effects

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A 3 story house stands next to a newly built 7 story apartment building on Church Ave in Brooklyn

Causes

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Gentrification increases property values and changes the social and physical makeup of neighborhoods that were previously thought to be unappealing to newcomers.[6]

Since the 2000s, rezonings motivated by both State and private investments, has created exciting areas of historic importance, entertainment opportunities and high quality residentials which cause the areas targeted for new development are disproportionately low-income communities of color, while areas protected by zoning are disproportionately white and middle- and upper-income residents.[7][8]

A combination of neoliberal policies, complex geographic location, socio-economic disparities and inefficient strategies, have influenced the ongoing process of gentrification in the city.[citation needed] Multiple megaprojects combined with inadequate city-planning practices have resulted in circulation, community allocation, and equal access to resources being disrupted.[citation needed]

Political policies

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The displacement of people in New York City started in the 1970s and 1980s with a significant increase in middle-income housing in the form of rehabilitated single-family dwellings, mostly in historic districts, driven by affluent, educated young professionals with "an increasing desire for the kinds of cultural and intellectual pursuits that are generally found only in the central cities—performing arts, museums, libraries, seminars, and etc."[9] Normal succession appears to be accountable for changes in gentrifying districts in New York City, at least during the 1990s.[9][10] The final section of the essay discusses the consequences of these findings for planning.[ambiguous]

Housing regulation
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In the wave of new policies in the 1990s the state stopped promoting public housing and allowed private institutions to lead the housing production.[11]

Upzoning
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Neighborhoods in New York City have been upzoned based on the city's fabricated since in the early 2000s, if there's not outright dishonest, promises of increased diversity, affordable housing, little displacement, and other good goals. None of the predictions came true, yet that fact is never mentioned. Worse, the upzoning resulted in the polar opposite: less diversity, fewer affordable apartments, and whiter, wealthier communities.[12]

Effects

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Gentrification is viewed by some as a source of contention between renters and working people who live in New York City and real estate interests. Additionally, some view a subset of this opposition to be an antagonism between longtime working-class residents of the city and the influx of new residents.[13]

The process of low-income displacement in New York City begins with an increase in rent; rent rises to the point that tenants can no longer afford to live in their apartments. Residents are forced to leave their homes in search of a more inexpensive location, yet this is a problem that affects many locations. Many persons who have been displaced face a serious dilemma: displacement can lead to homelessness.[14] The constantly trends with increasing household income, which is compatible with gentrification hypotheses. When income growth is broken down by race, Blacks and Latinos either have no effect on gentrification or slow it down by 2010. These findings back up widespread claims that as gentrification spreads across the city, even middle-class Blacks and Latinos are finding it increasingly difficult to stay in gentrifying areas.[15][16][17] For example, Long Island City and Downtown Brooklyn, the two neighborhoods, are now whiter, affluent, and more crowded. "The predicted increase in commercial development never happened," according to the report. Instead, a barrage of high-end, high-rise residential building has altered these areas." At the same time, the public schools in the area are overcrowded.[18]

Another large consequence of gentrification in New York City has been the increase of peripheral and metropolitan development of illegal housing, often at risk zones such as seismic areas, flood zones and dangerous slopes.[19] In 2003, Michael Bloomberg had chosen the "right people" from the business, governmental, and nonprofit sectors. He has created clear criteria and measurement tools to enable performance review. Bloomberg and his former private sector colleagues were leveraging their corporate management skills and extensive knowledge of the private sector to build the organizational capacity required to achieve achievements. Agencies were reformed, key missions redefined, and strategic plans[20]

Positive impact of gentrification

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Gentrifying neighborhoods in New York City witness an increase in commercial activity.[21]

Existing and proposed solutions

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Sustainability

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In 2022, New York City was considered the most polluted city of the United States according to the World Health Organization, mainly due to transport pollutants, affecting gentrification in terms of urban quality of life. Since then, however, the city has invested in a diversity of projects including solar energy, smart constructions, better public transport and spaces and separate collection of waste linked to recycling/incinerating systems.[22] [23]

The implementation of green spaces into urban projects like public parks, roof gardens, protected areas, vegetation in public infrastructure or even private gardens help clean the air, improve human wellbeing, reduce noise, increase the attractiveness of crammed communities and foster interaction across social groups. Compact developments with an emphasized verticality are another approach to creating active spaces with efficient energy use, less driving distances, reduced emergency response time, mixture of homes, services and jobs.[24]

By borough

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Brooklyn

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Brooklyn experiences or has experienced extensive gentrification for over 20 years. The gentrification of Brooklyn includes, but is not limited to, the neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Bushwick, Sunset Park, Park Slope, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, and Flatbush.[25]

Bronx

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The Bronx experiences or has experienced gentrification in many neighborhoods including the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood.[26]

Manhattan

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Manhattan experiences or has experienced gentrification in many neighborhoods including Chinatown[27], Harlem[28], Meatpacking District[29], Lower East Side[30], Chelsea[31], Hell's Kitchen[32], and Times Square[33].

Queens

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As of 2023, Queens experiences gentrification in the Ridgewood neighborhood.[34] Additionally, experts predict new or continued gentrification in Queens impacting Long Island City, Astoria, Jackson Heights, the Rockaways, and Jamaica.[35]

Staten Island

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On Staten Island there has been focused development in the northeastern corner of Staten Island, including the waterside neighborhoods of Stapleton, St. George, Tompkinsville and Clifton.[36]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Harris, Paul (December 12, 2010). "Brooklyn's Williamsburg becomes new front line of the gentrification battle". the Guardian. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Kathe Newman; Elvin K. Wyly (January 2006). "The Right to Stay Put, Revisited: Gentrification and Resistance to Displacement in New York City". Urban Studies. 43 (1): 23–57. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1010.9471. doi:10.1080/00420980500388710. S2CID 153428928. Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2022.
  3. ^ Glaeser, Edward L. (2005). "Urban Colossus: Why Is New York America's Largest City?" (PDF). p. 1.
  4. ^ "Document: The Purchase of Manhattan Island, 1626". Dutch New York. 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  5. ^ Fleetwood, Blake (14 January 1979). "The New Elite and an Urban Renaissance". New York Times.
  6. ^ Nevárez, Julia (2008). "LOCATING THE GLOBAL IN HARLEM, NYC: URBAN DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES, PUBLIC SPACE, AND GENTRIFICATION". In Moser, Gabriel (ed.). On Global Grounds: Urban Change and Globalization. Nova Science Publishers. pp. 1–15. ISBN 978-1-60692-000-8.
  7. ^ Baker, Kevin (2019). The fall of a great American city. James Howard Kunstler (First ed.). Westport, CT. ISBN 978-1-947951-14-3. OCLC 1123170575.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ Angotti, Tom (January–March 2017). "Zoned Out in the City: New York City's Tale of Race and Displacement" (PDF). Poverty & Race Research Council Action. pp. 1–12.
  9. ^ a b Thomson, Steven (2014-11-05). "Tracing the History of an Idea as 'Gentrification' Turns 50". Curbed NY. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  10. ^ Freeman, Lance; Braconi, Frank (2004-03-31). "Gentrification and Displacement New York City in the 1990s". Journal of the American Planning Association. 70 (1): 39–52. doi:10.1080/01944360408976337. ISSN 0194-4363. S2CID 154008236.
  11. ^ Goering, John M.; Stebbins, Helene; Siewert, Michael (1995). Promoting Housing Choice in HUD's Rental Assistance Programs. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. ISBN 9780788130953.
  12. ^ Davis, Jenna (2021-07-15). "The double-edged sword of upzoning". Brookings. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  13. ^ Buntin 2015.
  14. ^ Derby, Dora. "NYC's diverse culture seemingly fading: The real consequences of gentrification". The iNews Network. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  15. ^ Sutton, Stacey (January 2020). "Gentrification and the Increasing Significance of Racial Transition in New York City 1970–2010". Urban Affairs Review. 56 (1): 65–95. doi:10.1177/1078087418771224. ISSN 1078-0874. S2CID 158668946.
  16. ^ NCRC (2019-03-18). "Shifting Neighborhoods: Gentrification and Cultural Displacement in American Cities » NCRC". Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  17. ^ "The Harmful Effects of Gentrification on NYC's Low-Income Black and Latino Populations". Fordham Law. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  18. ^ Gratz, Roberta Brandes. "New York City Promises Affordability Through Rezoning But Delivers Gentrification". Common Edge. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  19. ^ Jha, Abhas Kumar; Miner, Todd W.; Stanton-Geddes, Zuzana, eds. (2013). Building urban resilience: principles, tools, and practice. Directions in development Environment and sustainable development. Washington, DC: World Bank. ISBN 978-0-8213-9826-5.
  20. ^ Brash, Julian (January 15, 2011). Bloomberg's New York: Class and Governance in the Luxury City. University of Georgia Press. pp. 100–129. ISBN 9780820337548.
  21. ^ "Does gentrification increase employment opportunities in low-income neighborhoods?" (PDF).
  22. ^ "Report Places New York City in Top 10 Most Polluted US Cities". CBS News. March 23, 2022.
  23. ^ Culliton, Kathleen (January 27, 2020). "New York Among Most Polluted Cities In the U.S." Patch.
  24. ^ Gould, Kenneth A.; Lewis, Tammy L. (2016-07-15). Green Gentrification: Urban sustainability and the struggle for environmental justice. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-41780-4.
  25. ^ "In the Shadow of Gentrification | The Brooklyn Rail". brooklynrail.org. 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  26. ^ Botello, Camille; Rodriguez, E. T. (2023-12-12). "Northwest Bronx business owners protest eviction, gentrification ahead of Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment – Bronx Times". www.bxtimes.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  27. ^ Zhou-Lee, Rohan (2024-10-03). "City Project to "Beautify" New York's Chinatown Draws Criticism From Community". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  28. ^ "Gentrification and Displacement in Harlem: How the Harlem Community Lost Its Voice en Route to Progress". Humanity in Action. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  29. ^ "Gentrification in the Meatpacking District of New York City | Free Essay Example". StudyCorgi. 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  30. ^ Velasquez, Tamara (2022-05-31). "A Few Notes on the Gentrification of The Lower-East Side". Medium. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  31. ^ Places, Build Healthy (2016-06-01). "Whose City Is it? The Promise and Peril of Gentrification". Crosswalk Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  32. ^ "Hell's Kitchen, Once the 'Wild West,' Now Undergoing Rapid Gentrification | 6sqft". 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  33. ^ "Since the Gentrification of Times Square, Where Have All of NYC's Peep Shows Gone? | The New York Historical". www.nyhistory.org. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  34. ^ "The Hipsters Take Ridgewood | Bushwick Daily". 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  35. ^ "Queens residents struggle with gentrification, rising rents, and displacement". Yahoo News. 2024-11-08. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  36. ^ "Sandy Ground and the Continued Gentrification of Staten Island's Communities of Color". Plea for the Fifth. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2024-11-09.

Category:Gentrification of New York City Category:Economy of New York City Category:Gentrification in the United States

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