The Transition of Greenpoint

Filip Strabrowski discusses the major redevelopment of the area of Greenpoint in his paper, “New-Build Gentrification and the Everyday Displacement of Polish Immigrant Tenants in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.” He speaks on the multiple different layers of gentrification that have been added to this quaint area in Brooklyn.

A special 2 million Tenant Legal Services Fund was given to the city of Greenpoint prior to the waterfront rezoning that was intended to aid the displacement that many residents would experience as a result of the gentrification. ¹ However, one cannot help but analyze the multiple faults that surround the policy. For one, the policy took place three years after the actual rezoning, which already caused many residents to displace and move to other areas that would provide cheaper residential areas, such as Maspeth, Queens. The long gap between the rezoning and the effort to mitigate the displacement shows that the council did not truly intend to keep the resident’s best interests at heart. Another fault of the funding was that it only lasted about two years, as the council believed this would be adequate time for the displaced residents to get back on their feet. This could not possibly be true for the copious amounts of residents that did not often want to leave the city of Greenpoint. To many, especially Polish residents, Greenpoint served as a close-knit community that allowed them to feel comfortable and at peace with people from the same background and native tongue, an important factor that allowed many Polish citizens to immigrate to the United States after the collapse of the communist government. As Vigdor explains in, “Does Gentrification Harm the Poor?” many people choose to continue to live in a gentrified area, however, greatly have to decrease their quality of living in order to make ends meet with the adjustment of the increased values of property and rents. ² Both authors attempt to show readers that gentrification can have many different effects than just the concise explanation of “displacing lower income residents in place for upper-middle class new residents.” There is a whole system of displacement that occurs beyond the scope of the property, and the loss of social relations, comfort, and safety prelude among many of the residents in these residing areas.

Let us take Greenpoint’s original Polish citizens for example. With the water front rezoning process, they have experienced an ongoing displacement throughout their community. They have lost the freedom to feel safe and welcome in an environment they once adapted to entirely. Gentrification displaced many Polish immigrants, with only 20% of the original immigrants residing in the area. ³ However, in addition with replacing homeowners, these displaced residents also dealt with a displacement from their conceived and perceived areas. The conceived area is more of an abstract concept, which focuses around a dominant space. The perceived space is more concrete, where it allows the residents to mingle with one another. The connection between the conceived and perceived space allowed Polish residents to comfortably create kinships in their community, and thrive off owning homes, and becoming landlords to multiple residents of both their own Polish backgrounds, and other American residents.

For the residents that decided not to relocate, they still experienced a displacement in many aspects. Their needs and wants were suddenly diminished by new residents of higher wages, who were able to request many new features to revitalize a once thriving Polish neighborhood. The video I have chosen focuses on this aspect. It allows Americans of non-Polish backgrounds to understand and appreciate the Polish culture, and also how thriving the community can be when the residents feel safe and friendly with one another due to  a shared cultural background. This once Polish immigrant enclave now produces many residents on non-Polish backgrounds, with vamped buildings, and an urban renewal platform. Many residents in the video reminisce about the old times where they were able to feel opportunistic and worthy, as many were homeowners, and felt welcome in their community of residence. We must understand that gentrification may displace many lower income neighborhoods, but can also provide for a sense of emotional and cultural displacement of the vast amount of cultures incorporated in the United States. We may be diminishing the very foundation we have built the country on — allowing people of all nationalities and backgrounds to be able to celebrate their culture and be free to express their backgrounds in a safe environment among others. Gentrification is allowing for the complete termination of this cultural thrive, and instead, focusing on the financial and business aspects of city planning. We may be  erasing years of history from our country through this, and it should be noted and addressed to a greater level.

Video found on Youtube, (x).