In the article entitled “Diagnosis: Battered but Vibrant,” from The New York Times, Benedict Carey discusses how neighborhoods are defined by their residents and how that can ward off economic hardships. He mentions a theory that states that a neighborhood’s character shapes its economic future. In my opinion, that doesn’t really make sense at all. It’s quite obvious that the reputation of a neighborhood stems from the characteristics of its residents, but I don’t understand how those characteristics could mold an economic future.
Carey mentions in the article that Chatham has managed for decades to be unaffected by the financial troubles of surrounding areas because of its strong identity. This puzzled me, for I don’t really see how that’s possible. I know that I too live in a city that has extraordinarily different neighborhoods right next to each other, but this statement in the article made me question just how that works. Of course neighborhoods consisting of wealthier residents would be less hindered by the recession, but how can a strong sense of community save an area from the economic downturn that is sweeping the nation?
Based on the article, I can’t tell if this outcome applies to any other places, so I can only conclude that perhaps the case in Chatham is an anomaly. The story regarding Officer Wortham’s death and the effect it had on the economy of the neighborhood sounds like a miracle of sorts. It’s almost cliché how a beloved resident passes away and the neighborhood falls apart, but then everyone comes together as a community and things suddenly pick back up. I’m not trying to say that the story isn’t credible; I’m just having a hard time believing that it proves the theory about a neighborhood’s character shaping its economic future.
On the other hand, maybe I’m having a hard time grasping this concept because I’m from New York City. Sure it’s a city, just like Chicago, but its neighborhoods are filled with people who originated from other places and/or don’t plan on staying long. Chatham sounds like a place where everyone in the neighborhood has known each other since birth, and I’ve never heard of a place like that in New York City. It’s practically impossible to have that strong a sense of identity and community here because everything is constantly changing.
Were we to assume that the Chatham example is legitimate proof and could reoccur, however, I wonder if other neighborhoods across the United States could employ the same tactic and eventually beat out the recession. I’m sure there are plenty of close-knit neighborhoods out there that can put the aforementioned theory to the test once and for all. If the theory proves true, perhaps we can eliminate a slight portion of our economic troubles.
