The illustration above shows the changes in zoning in Greenpoint and Williamsburg between 2002 and 2012. The fundamental trend that was seen in the last couple of decades regarding areas like Greenpoint and Williamsburg revolved around the idea that the city had too much land zoned for industrial use, much more than necessary. This idea combined with the fact that manufacturing activity has been on the decline in NYC together led to major rezoning that transformed these former manufacturing and industrial districts into residential developments. It is also important to note that there were other external pressures pushing for this kind of rezoning to take effect, like lobbyists that represent large scale developers who were looking to profit. The consequences of this are the reality of our present day. By 2008, NYC was losing industrial employers, which has an extremely negative effect on the local residents of those districts. Manufacturing jobs have greater opportunities for advancement compared to other entry level jobs that do not require a college degree/the English language. Furthermore, industrial jobs pay better than retail and employment, which are analogous to the types of jobs individuals without a college degree/the English language could potentially sustain. In other words, the people that were really suffering from this loss of industrial businesses in our city were immigrants. This is extremely important because it demonstrates exactly how gentrification truly harms the poor and the detrimental effects it specifically had on the Polish community in Greenpoint. At this point the city began to change its course of action and “mixed use zones” were created.
According to Mayor Bloomberg, establishing mixed use zones where housing and industries can coexist allows “the rezoning to protect the fabric of inland neighborhoods, preserving their mixed use character, preventing noxious, heavy industrial uses and further out of scale development”. However, the problem is accountability, something that we encountered in our original discussion with Robert Moses. The way the city’s mixed use zones are set up is that individual landowners have the power to decide what tenants they want – residential or industrial. Thinking from the perspective of these landowners, would you rather charge multiple tenants higher rents or charge one business and profit less? Essentially, these mixed use zones are not creating a balanced neighborhood or protecting industry. Therefore, the establishment of these zones is not enough to stop the decline of industrial jobs in areas like Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
Zoning Instead of Planning in Greenpoint
Does Gentrification Harm the Poor
The Right to Stay Put Revisited
New Build Gentrification and the Everyday Displacement of Polish Immigrant Tenants in Greenpoint
