One of the most recent and visible problems to arise in the past few years is the use of space in Queens, specifically Flushing. Flushing in particular, has seen a giant boom in real estate: as more and more immigrants arrive and settle in Flushing, space becomes limited. Housing and rent prices increase. The need for space becomes a competition.
Some of the few spaces left in Queens that are public and free include Flushing-Meadows Park and the Waterfront. The Waterfront is visually unpleasant; it’s fenced in and surrounded by marshes as well as weeds. Multiple groups are proposing to extend and develop in that area. Retail stores and offices are also planning to move into the area, dubbed “Flushing Commons.” Meanwhile, Flushing-Meadows Park is a place with plenty of open space. Many people: residents and otherwise, report that they spend their free time there, and others report that they’ve seen people, mostly immigrants, playing ball there. The Park is also home to places like the Queens Museum of Art, Shea Stadium, and the New York Hall of Science, as well as other institutions.
This proposal-or rather, these development proposals, have received very mixed reviews. On one hand, for Flushing-Meadows Park, it allows large corporations and big businesses to have a place and a foothold in Queens. On the other hand, these proposals mean less parking and an even more crowded Flushing. Imagine these people, after having shopped or seen a game, wander into Flushing right during rush hour. As for the Waterfront, the area has already started developing. There are very large condos located right there, yet, as Queens College’s Urban Studies report found, it is a huge contrast to the government housing also located on the waterfront.
In attempting to redefine Queens by renovating and remaking two large areas, the city and large businesses are determined to make Queens visually appealing. It would ideally provide plenty of jobs and cash flow into surrounding neighborhoods. What both don’t seem to realize is that the process towards making something “nice” actually harms a lot of small businesses and residents, and the end result? It may or may not be so nice, unfortunately.
