From initial research prior to any field visits, I learned that with there had been a rezoning plan started in the year 2004 which called for an introduction of newer commercial establishments to bring with it more economic activity to the area and the development of more residential houses (Kinney). But in terms of what was the outcome and how the plan actually turned out, I had no clue. So when I actually came to Downtown Brooklyn, I was amazed with such shiny new buildings that reach upwards into the sky, of the new and modern big chain businesses and stores lining up on Fulton Mall, and of the unique logo of “DWNTWN BRKYLN” that gives the whole neighborhood a sense of superiority and modernization that self brand logos seemed to achieve. While I was walking around the streets of Downtown Brooklyn I was awed at how much the government was able to execute their plans in changing the neighborhood into the new hub of commercial and economic activity that is seemed to be. I felt that with the incorporation of the the major subway train lines all converging into one location of close proximity of each other, and of the determinism of the government to carry through with the rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn, that the area must have been thriving and that the businesses must have been booming with such new initiatives present to bring in people (tourists mostly) into Downtown Brooklyn in order to improve the community. But what I actually saw as I went to the neighborhood was that it was anything but “booming” and “thriving”.
After more trips to the neighborhood, I had noticed that the shiny and vast Fulton Mall area was almost always empty; the space itself seemed to be populated with only a few stragglers here and there that seemed to just be passing by and were not actually looking into the stores to buy something. The stores themselves were empty and vacant with an absence of customers. There were a lot of empty spaces and closed storefronts all around the area that gave the neighborhood a ghost town atmosphere to it (regardless of if there were people around, the feeling did not dissipate). This heavily contrasted with what I had initially thought of the neighborhood and what I was seeing was certainly not reflecting on what the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership had portrayed within their website and documents.
After conducting a few interviews, I had an inkling at what was perhaps the problem, or the underlying issue at hand. From what I have heard, the overall inhabitants from Brooklyn do not seem to think of Downtown Brooklyn has a “destination” as it was initially hoped to become. The majority of the Brooklynites that I have talked to (who do not live in Downtown) always tend to gravitate towards Manhattan whenever they go out. So that could account as to why there did not seem to be a lot of people visiting Downtown. Another reason as to why the neighborhood did not seem to be that popular was because of the dissent or dislike that some of the actual residents have towards the new aspects of the neighborhood. During the rezoning, tenants raised rent prices and the government forcefully moved and displaced many of the residents and long time small business owners, most of whom had laid their roots in Downtown, in order to make room for the incoming stores and developers (“My Brooklyn” 28:46-29:06). This created an outrage among the people living in Downtown due to the fact that there were major changes going on that greatly affected the lives of the residents but which were of no concern to the government officials who were the heads of the project management (“My Brooklyn” 28:46- 31:10). Gentrification had started to take place and many of the small businesses and residents that have been in the community for a long time were unmercifully removed from their roots without any proper warning or prior notice ahead of time (“My Brooklyn” 51:55- 52:39). Even though some residents might say that the changes throughout the neighborhood are good things, one cannot easily forget how many people were forced to move their livelihoods and lives because someone had the money to buy the land from which they had planted their roots.
Sure, there have been some positive changes in the neighborhood. One cannot deny that there has been an increase in visitors to the neighborhood that helps with the economy of the area, crime rates have gone down and the neighborhood has somewhat changed its image with the self brand (Kinney), bringing in new entrepreneurs, businesses, and people from Manhattan (Bonislawski). Multiple residential buildings have gone up alongside with parking garages and storage units in the area and there has been an increase in the amount of young people who move into the neighborhood; but what are the costs of these changes taking place?
For one, many people had to move from the area due to the raise in rent. And the construction of these new buildings, although they bring in new people, they do not create sufficient permanent and stable jobs for the community (“My Brooklyn” 40:00-40:22). Additionally, these changes do not really benefit those who were already in Downtown Brooklyn since the housing rent prices were way above their price range and the they did not qualify for the “affordable” housing residential buildings that were constructed (“My Brooklyn” 01:02:03-01:02:14). Additionally, the new stores that were popping up did not specifically cater to the needs or interests of the residents but of the new people who were coming into the neighborhood. Making it rather clear and obvious who the targeted group was when the project planners were thinking about the rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn. So we have had people unfairly removed from their homes because the price of rent was too high, businesses had to move to other locations because someone else with more money bought the land, and of a removing of big groups of people who have had their roots in the neighborhood for years before gentrification came to their doorsteps (“My Brooklyn 01:02:30- 01:03:02).
So now as I walk along the streets of Downtown Brooklyn and look up towards the high rise buildings with their new glass and metal finishes, the first thing that comes into my mind is not of “progress” but of oppression and inequality. We might all have an idea that gentrification is a good thing because it recreates the area around it into a more modern and refined area fit for the middle class- upper class society citizens that are coming into the neighborhood, but we often fail to consider those who are on the bottom of the social class ladder who has more to lose than to gain with the effect of “improvement” for the sakes of those belonging in the upper classes. Downtown Brooklyn used to be a vibrant place filled with an array of people who self-identified with their community because they had made it their own but now it is a hollow and superficial area filled with the typical cookie-cutter ideals and image of a city that lacks in both idiosyncratic culture and identity but of the history that one gets when they have been there long enough to plant their roots.
