Taking a look at Greenpoint-Williamsburg over 30 years after Norman Street: Poverty and Politics in an Urban Class Neighborhood was first envisioned, one might notice that the dynamics of the neighborhood have changed immensely. While in the late 70’s, following the fiscal crisis of 1975, the region was known as a relatively low-income working class neighborhood, it has undergone a cultural and economic evolution that has altered its very essence. The updated introduction of Norman Street takes a look at some of the changes that have occurred in Greenpoint-Williamsburg over the past 30 years, what precipitated these changes and the gentrification that has occurred as a result.
Prior to the fiscal crisis of 1975, it should be noted, “neither home ownership nor homelessness was common in the city” (Susser 4). Following the implementation of housing policy in the late 70’s and early 80’s, however, there was a boom in homelessness, not only in Greenpoint-Williamsburg, but also in the city as a whole. In Greenpoint-Williamsburg, particularly, rising rents as well as popular displacement resulted in an increase in the homeless population.
Perhaps the largest contributions to homelessness in the area were the various policies that precipitated the gentrification that has occurred within the region’s confines. The radical shift in the dynamic of the community began with the renovation of apartments and the improvement of public parks by those who lived in the area, namely artists. As it became more of a vivacious, modernized, and artsy community, it became a more attractive venue for real estate developers and politicians to invest their time and resources in. A series of housing policies ensued which changed the area’s primary demographic. Eventually, Bloomberg’s rezoning strategy put the nail in the coffin.
Yet even far prior to such a deathblow to the working class members of this community, measures were taken to set the tempo for its modification. Robert Moses was, in the earlier half of the century, a major player in altering the landscape of the five boroughs, in that he laid the groundwork for middle class Americans to live further and further outside of Manhattan, without much consequence to them. Another major early player in the modernist reconstruction of New York was Jane Jacobs, who believed strongly in the refurbishing of buildings and the preservation of street social life.
While Greenpoint-Williamsburg has undergone a major overhaul over the past 30 years, some things remain the same. Despite the emergence of so-called “hipsters” and the newfound youth of the neighborhood, a large part of the area’s demographic breakdown still consists of lower income families and homeless individuals. While on the surface Greenpoint-Williamsburg appears to be a gentrified hipster mecca, it still at heart, belongs to the people.
