Author: alisonderevensky57

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“Gentrification and the Nature of Work”

While looking for articles related to gentrification in Williamsburg, I found an article from a former MHC seminar syllabus in my results, and I knew I had to check it out. I also noticed that some of the readings for this week were by the same author, Winnifred Curran. Curran’s article, “Gentrification and the nature of work: exploring the links in Williamsburg, Brooklyn,” is about how gentrification in Williamsburg was/ is causing obsolescence of blue-collar workers and small businesses. She argues that manufacturing is still an important part of Brooklyn’s economy, and that by replacing small businesses/industrial spaces with new residential areas, we are “encouraging industrial displacement” which leads to the break-down of blue-collar work (Curran, Environment and Planning A 2004, volume 36, 1243).

Much like Curran’s article that we read for class, “In Defense of Old Industrial Spaces: Manufacturing, Creativity and Innovation in Williamsburg, Brooklyn,” the article about the “nature of work” highlights the importance of industrial spaces for Williamsburg locals and workers. However, I find that her article about the “nature of work” fits into a more scientific mindset, which fascinates me. At first glance, her paper looks like a science research paper with figures and a methods section. But, as you read the details, you begin to analyze the social issue of gentrification with a scientific mindset as well (which is why I think sociology is super cool). Curran helps to separate the emotional ties to gentrification that some mainstream media outlets have (either pro or against gentrification) from the facts derived from her collected data. By analyzing gentrification in Williamsburg with a sociological and scientific point of view, Curran is able to tell us that gentrification is hurting blue-collar workers and that industrial spaces are still needed in Brooklyn, whether we like it or not.

Curran, Winnifred. “Gentrification and the nature of work: exploring the links in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.” Environment and Planning A 2004, volume 36, pages 1243 – 1258. Click here for the article

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Was the Creation of Central Park a Form of Gentrification?

I was just scrolling on Facebook when I noticed a good friend of mine posted a video about how an entire village was destroyed in the making of Central Park. I remember talking in class about the idea that sometimes we live in an area long enough that we don’t really know how it used to be before we lived there, or before people occupied the space in general. Since Central Park has been around my whole life and most of the history I learned in school included the park’s existence, I never really thought about what was there before the park. Even when I was learning about how the park was built, I never was exposed to the information presented in this video, and I presume it was because this is a part of history textbook writers and education leaders do not want us to know (but that’s another story for another post).

The video and article titled, “An Entire Manhattan Village Owned by Black People Was Destroyed to Build Central Park” posted on Timeline by Heather Gilligan are about Seneca Village, which was a village that spanned from 82nd to 89th street along what is the present western edge of the park. It is sad to me that we are too familiar with the housing regulations and racism in the housing market that was present in the 1800s because we still see it in today’s market (a lot more subtly, but it’s there). In the mid-1800s, white landowners did not sell property to black people, no matter their social standing. Therefore, black people who could afford to travel and settle down went to places like Seneca Village- refuge spaces for black people to live. Gilligan mentions that Seneca Village was a stop on the Underground Railroad, which gives Seneca Village an even more important purpose that stems even further back than the 1800s. If you were able to purchase land in Seneca Village, this meant that you had the power to vote (men only, of course, but for black people this was a very important step towards climbing up the social ladder). Abolitionist Albro Lyons and Mary Joseph Lyons were residents of Seneca Village (Gilligan, NY Public Library). Black people living in the village built schools for their children. Seneca Village was home for lots of black people living in New York at the time, and it was all destroyed in 1857 to make way for Central Park, a “public place” mainly for white elitists to show off and enjoy their leisure time (This sounds a lot like the Hudson Yards project that we discussed in class!).

Finding this information really made me think about all of the neighborhoods that were destroyed under Moses’ construction projects, as well as all the communities that we still don’t know about that were destroyed in the gentrification process. A memorial sign was put up in 2001 where Seneca Village used to be in Central Park, and you can still go there to read about this village today.

Gilligan, Heather. “An Entire Manhattan Village Owned by Black People Was Destroyed to Build Central Park.” Timeline. Timeline, 23 Feb. 2017. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.