Gentrification

Arriving into New York has been a bit of, not really a shock, more a jolt back into the familiarity of the western world.  No longer do I have to look round for the bin to dispose of the toilet paper, or lie there in morning with a parched mouth wishing I'd remembered to buy water on the late night wander back to the hostel.  For the first few days I probably also held the unofficial title of the Slowest Man in New York as I put into practice my well developed Caribbean lollop.

High Line

New York has seen a significant upgrade in accommodation as for the first time since I started my trip I’m staying with friends in an apartment on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brookyln, effectively wedged between hipster central and Poland, an interesting combination, walk one way and it’s kielbasa and borscht city, cross the street and it’s hidden bars, obscure providores, startling beards and cute little restaurants where you find yourself sat across from the dorky guy from Friends.

Being here I’ve refocused on seeking out interesting sustainability examples. One of the most well known on the west side of Manhattan, is the High Line, a former freight rail line that’s been converted to a 16 block stretch of urban parkway floating above the streets below, combining numerous plantings within the in situ rail, green spaces, public art and viewing platforms.  It is wildly popular as I evidenced visiting one sunny afternoon and then a second time much later in the evening following a show. To me it’s a great example of reuse of an underutilized existing asset for wider community benefit. The success of the High Line has lead to the development of the Low Line concept, using an abandoned underground rail terminal as the proposed location for a new park.

High Line

Another evident trend is urban farming and one sunny afternoon I paid a visit to Brooklyn Grange, a significant urban farm based on the roof of a factory in Queens that grows a diverse range of produce.  When I visited there was everything from tomatoes to lettuces and eggplants. The Queens based farm is one of many planned and is part of a broader movement that’s prevalent in many cities around urban farming. This has been taken a step further in New York through the handy development of the 596 acres website that identifies….596 acres of disused public land available for farming purposes. 

Brooklyn Grange

I also was able to have lunch with one of the chief drivers behind the ‘+ Pool’ concept. The idea behind this innovative project is to have a plus shaped pool that utilizes the river water floating off the banks of the Hudson River, with just south of the Brooklyn Bridge as the preferred location.  Like the High Line the project is being driven by those with the creative idea and as appears to be common in America, private, as opposed to public financing is sought to further develop the concept.

Williamsburg

To me these are all practical examples of the integration of sustainability thinking, however it is apparent this view is not shared by all, as per this article last week on the High Line and a recently released book on the death of bohemia in Brooklyn, and in particular around the Williamsburg area.

Put plainly the authors see the insidious tendrils of gentrification changing their city from how they like it.  It made me think that many of the aspects looked for in a successful sustainability project, i.e. bike lanes, mixed use development, urban agriculture, integrated transport, densification etc, are often also hallmarks of gentrification and can be indicators of what locals feel they've lost.

5Pointz

To a degree I can understand this perspective and a visit to 5Pointz in Long Island City, a freight forwarding factory adjoining rail yards that’s become a hub for street artists for several decades highlights these concerns.  5Pointz appears to be something of an institution for street artists both in New York and internationally, however with the continued expansion of apartment living into Queens it's now slated for residential development. Obviously once it's developed a significant proportion of what's makes the current site will be lost. 

I feel however there is a danger in criticising gentrification of overly romanticising how these areas were, and feel the trick, if possible, is to try and integrate the former features, or feeling into the area, as per the redevelopment of 5Pointz which is seeking to incorporate existing and provide spaces for new street art.