Wall Street: I went to Wall Street for a school trip a few years ago. I visited Battery Park, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, and other popular landmarks in the area. None of them intrigued me more than the Charging Bull sculpture and the American Museum of Finance. The Charging Bull sculpture has a great amount of history associated with it. Further, it symbolizes what makes New York City one of the most prominent finance centers of the world. Similarly, the American Museum of Finance is imperative because it showcases the evolution of American economy. It carries primary sources from 1700s, which demonstrate the political and social frame of the society back then. However, it keeps up with current economic state through different sources, one of them being the national debt clock. Overall, the rich history and importance of Wall Street sparks my interest and I would be very interested in exploring that further.
Morningside Heights: There is something intriguing about the structure of Morningside Heights. It is dominated by many educational institutions, most importantly, Columbia University. There have been many controversies surrounding the area because of those institutions of late. Demographically speaking, the area has greatest immigrant population from Dominican Republic, China, Korea, India, United Kingdom etc. This broad range makes the area particularly appealing. Furthermore, the two parks surrounding the area add to the neighborhood’s richness. The parks can serve as a tourist destination and have a great influence on the development of the neighborhood in general.
For my neighborhood project, I have narrowed down my ideas to two neighborhoods.
The first neighborhood I am considering is Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Originally farmland, I think it would be interesting to see how Greenpoint developed and how the Polish cultivated the area.
The second neighborhood I am interested in researching is Morningside Heights, Manhattan. Morningside Heights is home to many institutions such as colleges and churches. I think it would be interesting to see why these institutions set up in this neighborhood and how their presence have shaped the area.
Wall Street is interesting because it isn’t a residential area, but a commercial one. I want to look into the history of income inequality at Wall St. In 2011, Occupy Wall St. caught the eye of the media for a couple of months. This demonstration is very likely to have affected the businesses and firms in the area. I hope I will be able to talk to the people who work in the area and interview them on the aspects of income inequality and their views on Wall St.
For my project I am thinking of doing Chinatown. I mainly want to focus on the migration of the Chinese into the neighborhood. It was started in 1840, when a man named Ah Ken, the first credited Chinese resident, moved in. I might want to look into the effects of immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act on the population. I also might want to look into the gentrification. Asian Americans as a whole are associated with higher income, so I might want to examine the history of the income in Chinatown.
One of the neighborhoods that I might focus on for the neighborhood project is Jackson Heights. Prior to the 20th century developement, Jackson Heights was mostly farms so I am interested in how their development came to be and the movement of people in that area.
Another neighborhood that I might focus on is Forest Hills. Many of the upper-middle class live in that area. However, the most wealthy live in the Forest Hills Gardens section. I want to discover how that area came to be.
For my Neighborhood Project I’d like to focus on Chinatown and more specifically, the changes in and interrelatedness of gentrification, real estate, city planning, and community development.
So for my project I want to explore to Sephardic Jewish Community of Brooklyn New York. Specifically those that have migrated from Syria, and that live in the same general area (between ave I and ave w going from E 23rd to W 5th). This community is considered to be one of the most cohesive Jewish communities in the world. The community has sought to bring all of its culture and maintain its tradition since arriving in America. I’m not sure what I want to focus on more specifically, I am thinking about two things: exploring what defines a “member” of this community, or the acculturation that the community has gone through since coming to America and how it has reacted and evolved to protect the communal cohesion.
For my neighborhood presentation, I have decided that I will either study my neighborhood, Sheepshead Bay/Emmons Ave, or Coney Island.
1) Sheepshead Bay/Emmons Ave: After living here and growing up in Sheepshead Bay for 18 years, I’ve been able to see how to neighborhood grew and changed. I’ve seen local shops turn into commercial stores, houses turn into new offices, and neighbors come and into the houses next door. I’d love to study how all the different ways Sheepshead Bay has transformed into what it is today.
2) Coney Island: Coney Island is a classic landmark that definitely has a large, unknown history to it.
I have narrowed my ideas of neighborhoods to make a presentation about with the following:
1. Bensonhurst, Brooklyn: I am hoping to focus on the demographic changes in the neighborhood, the surge of immigration into the area, and tensions between ethnic and or racial groups.
2. Upper West Side, Manhattan: I am considering researching and discussing the following: the impact of the construction of Lincoln Center; the disparities in wealth and resources in the neighborhood; and how the neighborhood shaped up the way it is now structurally.
3. Coney Island, Brooklyn: Coney Island has changed a lot since its rise in popularity in the early 1900s. Topics I may want to explore are the rise of commercialism and development in Coney Island (which gets rid of older businesses), the reasons why housing projects are widespread in the area, and the impact of Hurricane Sandy on businesses and residents.
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