The redevelopment of the “Iron Triangle” can be understood in the context of a powerful economic force that is driving enormous changes in the economies of nations and municipalities everywhere: globalization. Unfortunately, industrial places like Willets Point don’t really have a place in today’s globalized economy – other sectors in the service economy like technology, financial, real estate and online retail firms hold the greatest economic potential. New York City is a global city that needs to compete with other global cities like London and Tokyo to attract twenty-first-century businesses in order to secure stable economic growth and improve future economic prospects. A huge part of ensuring that success is developing desirable neighborhoods that attract highly skilled workers. Unfortunately, these redevelopment projects often do much harm to poorer, immigrant-based communities, like Willets Point.
Governments should do as much as possible to address the concerns of these communities by providing financial recourse, space for relocation and retraining/retooling, but this is often not enough to protect working-class immigrants who depend on these enclaves for their economic livelihoods. Here in New York City, for instance, there is a scarcity of heavy manufacturing zones where Willets Point’s auto repair shops can be relocated – thus, it is unlikely that all of the businesses displaced by the current redevelopment project can be relocated elsewhere. Moreover, the nature of these small businesses makes it so that they are very prone to violating a plethora of environmental, health and safety regulations. However, these are no valid excuses for the City to come down so hard on these small businesses. The City did not provide basic municipal services to this neighborhood for decades – it never paved the roads, installed street lighting or even built a sewer system. Now the City has condemned Willets Point as a “blight” and wants to redevelop it? The purposeful neglect of the City is part of the reason why the neighborhood is as troubled as it is, and now the NYC Economic Development Corporation is able to make the case that it is redeeming a hazardous industrial wasteland.
The City has approached the redevelopment of Willets Point the wrong way. It should not have neglected the neighborhood to the point of being able to condemn it, it should be providing more financial support for displaced business owners and it should do more to listen to the concerns of workers in the area. However, the redevelopment project itself is a necessary part of a larger transformation of New York City. If we want to compete with the rest of the world, we are going to have to redevelop more Willis Points into twenty-first century neighborhoods. We just have to make sure to pressure our governments to support displaced residents and workers to the greatest possible extent.
