By Anna Liang and Hayoung Ryu
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/nyregion/a-plan-to-turn-brooklyns-unused-acres-green.html?ref=nyregion
596 Acres is an organization led by Paula Z. Segal that raises awareness of the acres of underused land in Brooklyn. Through 596 Acres – also available as a website at 596acres.org – Segal tags tracts of land that can be considered for community, research, and or recreational purposes. During one of her bike trips around the borough, Segal would hang signs on vacant lots, which said, “This lot is public land. It’s very likely that they would let you and your neighbors do something nice here – maybe a farm or an outdoor movie theater.” Such advertisements have caught the attention of several interested individuals, for instance Mr. Tom Hallaran, a bioinformatician at Washington University Genome Sequencing Center. He organized Feedback Farm, a modest garden that demonstrates the concept of “movable urban garden[s]” as a more mobile and economical alternative to rooftop gardening. Most importantly, Hallaran received the temporary lot through Segal’s program – after all, the city or private owner holds the right to reclaim the space within a short notice. At the end of the day, Segal and her team have generated opportunities through their efforts, which would have otherwise went unnoticed.
#1 by Tova Medetsky on May 2, 2012 - 2:15 pm
This seems like a great initiative that Segal has taken upon herself. There is sure to be plenty of unused land that could potentially be used in so many productive ways. The fact that she is going around and making others more aware of it is commendable. The question then becomes what to do with the unused land. I personally think that, as was mentioned, more housing could be a great option. We’ve discussed the issue of housing, and it seems like one of the challenges surrounding it is where to put the new housing complexes. These unused lots of land could be the perfect answer!
#2 by Oleksandr Dudnyk on May 2, 2012 - 9:42 pm
Ms.Segal is certainly doing the right thing by raising awareness about unused land in NYC. The city can almost always benefit from new developments in unused space. I believe that new constructions in unused spaces can enhance a city’s infrastructure and open new opportunities for business and housing. I think there must be a balance between green spaces and public housing to ensure that the city’s infrastructure is diverse and effective. I think it depends on location. Some empty spaces are best used for housing, while others are best used as green spaces. In any case, there are many possibilities for use of unused space.
#3 by seelamyeung on May 3, 2012 - 1:41 am
There are very few people like Ms. Segal today that still care about taking initiative to transform unused land to green spaces. New York City still have many land spaces that have potential to become affordable housing for the poor and homeless or turn into green spaces for local artists to express their designs. Sadly, living in New York every thing equals to money. Developers want the guarantee that these projects could make them the most money in the fastest time.
#4 by Farnia Naeem on May 3, 2012 - 10:51 am
Needless to say, the 596 Acres efforts and accomplishments are impressive for a new and solely volunteer-based group. While the interest in community gardens seems to be on the rise and is greatly emphasized in the article, these empty plots of land can become anything the neighborhood wants. Uses for the plots can range from an outdoor theater to an art space to a playground. Since the possible renovations for these plots are limitless, it is a bit surprising that people living around these areas are not more eager to get involved.
Of course, Anna brings up an important point that people may be involved with other commitments, such as their careers. However, getting involved in one’s community is essential to creating at safe and lively neighborhood. After all, without people willing to get involved, a neighborhood cannot truly become a welcoming place. Perhaps the lesson to learn from the accomplishments of 596 Acres is that we should all try to play an active role in our neighborhood and begin our volunteer work in our own communities.
#5 by Rahima Nayeem on May 3, 2012 - 11:36 am
It’s unbelievable how much unused land there is in Brooklyn. I think people in the neighborhoods should start using this space, even if it is given to them for a short period of time. Even if housing is built on these unused lots, it’s not being built at the moment. It may take up to several years to actually start building at the site. While the lots aren’t being used, I think people in the neighborhoods should use that space to do some community activities. It will really help bring the community together.
When planning what to use the plot of land for, people should keep in mind that they may only be able to use the land for a short period of time. People should create projects similar to Mr. Hallaran’s: “And to get the land, Ms. Johnson stressed that the garden was temporary, and the city or a private owner could reclaim it at any time. So Mr. Hallaran, working with other volunteers, designed a vegetable garden that could be moved on short notice, using forklift pallets.” If people plan projects that the community isn’t completely dependent on or projects that could be stopped on short notice, then it is more likely that Department of Housing Preservation and Development will offer more of its unused land for temporary usage.
#6 by Michael Squitieri on May 9, 2012 - 11:20 pm
Great article, and really relevant for my group’s final presentation. I find the theme of public versus private in this article to be fascinating. We see that the government is sitting on this land, and people come in and see this abandoned land and see a community garden or an outdoor movie theater. In the article, someone is quoted as saying the government moves at a glacial pace, and in this respect it is true. It’s great to see private citizens taking the helm in urban renewal, a field where government has inhabited (somewhat unsuccessfully) for a while.
Another thing that goes with the public vs. private theme is the appropriation of funds through websites like Kickstarter and In Our Back Yard. Here, private citizens can back programs that they believe in with their own money and provide a vehicle for change, in some ways incredibly more efficient than the government could ever do.
P.S. I was happy to see a shout-out to Brooklyn College in the article!
#7 by Vanessa Rene on May 10, 2012 - 11:35 am
It’s tough, trying to find a balance between the public and the private, between making sure that a public good remains accessible for everyone, especially one of such high quality, and selling out to big corporations, just for the sake of holding a steady income.
I agree with Farnia in that, community development is definitely important in assuring that a neighborhood stays safe, however, I can /definitely/ see and identify with the other side. People need to make investments in their personal lives as well. They need to make money, and be assured of a steady job in order to function successfully in this country.
#8 by Helen Yee on May 10, 2012 - 2:23 pm
I think it’s really great that the organization, 596 Acres, really cares about the amount of unused land in Brooklyn and is trying to convert it into green spaces. Although, I love the idea of having more green spaces, I understand that the housing issue is very critical as well. Thus, I think that experts should examine the land and see if it’s suitable for building housing complexes and if not than it can be given to the community to be put to good use. As for contributing to community projects, I think as residents of a community, we have some responsibility to try to maintain a nice and safe community and work together to make it better; after all, if we’re all living in a community wouldn’t we all want it to be a better place for ourselves and others we care about. So, I think if everyone contribute a few others hours even if you’re very busy to community projects, it’ll be really beneficial, as not only will expenses of the project probably be lower, but it’ll foster a sense of belonging to a community as well as giving individuals some time to interact with fellow neighbors that they might otherwise will not because of their busy schedules.