1. How can you document or better understand the issue? Do you need “hard” numbers (quantitative data) and/or stories of personal experience (qualitative data) or both?

To better understand the issue, aside from attending community events, we would need both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data that we would need to collect include the average income of the people living in Flushing, as a major complaint is how the affordable housing units are in actuality unaffordable for many people, and the cost of living in the area. We can also examine how the development of Skyview Mall has increased the land values in the area or how its establishment has effected change in the area. Using this information, we can then perhaps predict the effect that the rezoning of Flushing West will have on the area. To supplement this data, it would be useful if we could gain a first hand account from people who have been directly affected by the development of Skyview Mall. In addition, so that more voices can be heard, we can perhaps hand out a survey asking what people would like to see from the rezoning project and the stance they have on the issue.

2. How are you going to give legs to your research? What action strategies could you employ to make the research and report as impactful as possible?

Our main priority is to speak for the community members of Flushing West. To do so, we will research the history of Flushing and the issues with other past rezoning projects. Then we will attempt to connect the personal stories of people we interview with the issues seen in the past projects. By doing so, we may be able to convince Councilman Peter Koo to restructure the current proposed plan because he will realize that the past rezoning consequences can very well happen again. In our report, we plan to provide a list of possible outcomes of the Flushing West rezoning. In addition to this, we will provide any possible solutions that we think community members may support. To sum up, we will use the events of the past to show that the current proposed plan must be restructured in order to remain fair to the community members.

3. Who are the stakeholders in the issue? Who has interest? Who is affected?

Local stores that are located within the rezoning area will be affected by this rezoning. However, the residents of Flushing will be mostly affected. The current rezoning will displace the current community members because they will have no way of paying for the eventual increases in rent. Apartment building owners will be heavily interested given the fact that they will be receiving larger sums of money due to increasing rent.

4. Who needs to have their voice be heard?

Our primary objective is to bring attention to what Flushing’s inhabitants have to say. Despite the efforts that Peter Koo has made to relay their concerns, the anticipated changes have not occurred because in reality, their opinions and hopes for the future of Flushing remain ignored. This is unreasonable considering the fact that their lives will be the most greatly impacted by the changes that rezoning will bring. It is imperative that the city take the knowledge of Flushing’s denizens into account and listen to what they have to say so that they may create a Flushing suitable for both the community members and the private developers.

5. Who are you trying to influence? Who has power over the issue?

We are trying to influence the community and elected officials so that they understand the potential issues with the plans to rezone Flushing West. Councilman Peter Koo seemed to think that displacement would not be an issue with the development of the waterfront because no one currently lives there. While the community members present at the Flushing Rezoning Community Alliance meeting seemed to be deeply concerned and aware about the effect of the development on affordability of living in Flushing, Peter Koo had to be told how the development would cause gentrification and displacement. We hope to educate people of displacement and gentrification and hopefully increase the number of attendees at these meetings. Councilman Peter Koo has a vote to approve or disapprove the plans to develop Flushing West so he seems to have the most power over preventing displacement and gentrification. However, community members may have just as much power as him if enough show their concern over the issue.

6. Who is your target audience (community members, elected officials, media)?

Our target audience is for community members. If we educate Flushing residents and increase awareness of the potential issues of gentrification and displacement then hopefully there would a greater pressure on elected officials to comply with their demands.

7. Who will collect your data?

Each of us will collect the different types of data that we will need to support our project. Wilian will collect data concerning workforce needs and employment, Brian will collect data concerning affordable housing, and Christine will collect data on the effects of gentrification. We will get quantitative data, and it will cover Flushing and other rezoned areas we consider relevant. Claudia will help us with data from Flushing’s history that she finds. Erica will get qualitative data from community centers that are involved in the Flushing West rezoning.

8. Where can you find the people you need to talk to get your data?

One of our strongest resources has been the MinKwon Center for Center for Community Action. At the recent Town Hall meeting in Flushing, members of the MinKwon center who organized the event had a lot of information readily available and when we approached them for some resources such as their PowerPoint presentation from the meeting, we got a quick response.

9. Where can you find existing information that is relevant to your research?

Some of the most effective information is in statistics. The best place to get this information would be from census/ demographics collections as well as just finding the exact current zoning rules. In most of our sources zoning rules have been generalized and aside from the plan to turn the vacant spaces along the waterfront into residential/retail spaces, it is a little hard to tell what else is exactly changing. Because Flushing is such a specific area in New York, book sources on the History of Flushing will be a little hard to come by, however there are plenty of credible online sources such a Thirteen and the Wall Street Journal that have written on the history and evolution of Flushing.

10. Where can you go for support and assistance (non-profits, universities, government agencies)?

Since the start of this project the MinKwon Center has been a great resource for information on the Flushing West rezoning.  MinKwon is a part of an organization, the Flushing Rezoning Community Alliance, which includes six other organizations that want a fair rezoning. These groups can help us understand the position of the Flushing community. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of City Planning can help us understand more about the ULURP process and the step of the process that we are currently in.

11. Based on your answers to the above, which of the following community-engaged” methods are most appropriate for your group’s project?
Tentatively, it seems that Community Mapping/Canvassing will be the most appropriate option for the educational deliverable that I (Claudia am considering). The plans for the project have not been thoroughly worked out as I want to see what information the group gathers and what would be the most effective way of representing it. I would like to take a unique approach with the deliverable, and instead of just giving people numbers on a flyer, I think an interactive approach would be interesting.