Improve ≠ Remove

I believe that the city government should always strive to enhance the profitability of an area so long as it also is in the best interests of the people inhabiting the area. However, the improvement of an area – in this case, Willets Point – does not necessarily mean that it should go from a shantytown to a space filled with luxury high-rise buildings. The economic and social development of an area does not come over night – it is a process, which must respect those who already inhabit the area while also attempting to improve their quality of life. And while Bloomberg’s plan to essentially empty Willets Point of low-skilled immigrants and their tin shacks might look like an improvement in terms of economic figures, in reality this would not help the original inhabitants. It would hurt them. Instead, the city government must come up with a new plan to improve the area – perhaps starting with the installation of a basic sewage system – without removing people from their homes and businesses.