#hipsterbreakout

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Emily's notes from some of the discussions we had on our breakout trip.

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New-Wave Colonialism

7 Reasons why Gentrification Hurts Communities of Color

"Gentrification is new-wave colonialism, and it has economic, societal, and public health repercussions for poor communities of color."

"As ashamed as I am to admit this now, I assumed that the only way neighborhoods could be bettered is by having white residents..."

Check out this incredible article on the race dynamics behind Gentrification. Provocative statements. 

Read the full article in the link above. 

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Mural art along our walk in DUMBO.

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Ellie | Post-Trip Reflection

Gentrification: The transformation of a community that occurs when people of a higher socioeconomic class come into a community of lower socioeconomic class, causing prices to rise, resulting with the displacement of residents and the bankruptcy of small-scale, local businesses.  

I have learned so much on this trip and it really sparked my interest in urban studies. This trip was so unique in that it allowed us to examine and explore gentrification on the individual level as well as in the context of the larger picture. We talked with people like Su Friedrich about their experiences with gentrification and displacement. We also got to observe gentrification in process as we saw construction on almost every street in every neighborhood as well as the presence of public and private affordable housing efforts. We then got to apply all that we saw and heard to be able to critically analyze the proposed and implemented strategies of both governmental organizations and non-profit organizations to combat the negative effects of gentrification on their citizens. Although I may not have a concrete definition of gentrification or a solid idea of what the best solution for the problems it causes, but the trip has set fire to my curiosity and I have so many more questions that I plan to explore, such as is gentrification inevitable or what is the line between the government's responsibility and the government infringing on the rights of citizens that are considered to be the "culprits" of gentrification. Lastly, when I am living on my own, I will be a much more informed citizen with the knowledge of some of the tactics and strategies that I can practice as an individual to make sure that I am not contributing to gentrification or at the very least, minimizing my impact.

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Marina | Post-Trip Reflection

Gentrification: The indefinite process of migration and property development by which an urban community is shifts with regards to its demographic dimensions (ie. class, race, educational background, income), economic dimensions (ie. cost of living, rising rents, types of businesses) as well as cultural dimensions (alienation, the value of one's cultural capital). This influx of newcomers, who usually posses more monetary wealth or cultural capital than existing residents, often results in the ultimate displacement of said residents.

      Developing a working definition of gentrification challenged us but the core themes that developed throughout the week are: the stress on housing, on the changing desirability of certain neighborhoods, CAPITALISM, and on the role of artists like Su Friederich, long-term residents like Yukie Ohta, real estate landlords, developers like Robert Ezrapour, and other stakeholders such as the Housing Preservation and Development agency (HPD), educators like Cynthia Rosario at Heketi, and grassroots organizations such as Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES).

      We learned a lot about the NYC housing crisis that exists at all income levels, according to NYC HPD. Dissatisfied with the 420-1A tax abatement policies, some elements of DeBlasio's ten year plan to build 200,000 new affordable housing units throughout the city, and the seemingly stingy 20%-30%-50% affordable housing splits of new developments, I came away wondering: How do we align private property developers' and landlords' interests with those of the people of New York? Is 20-40% the best we can do to create quality housing options for low or extremely-low income people? Should a lottery of 27,000 people for 25 spots be considered a success or a failure of the system? Overall I felt there was a scarcity of options and a limited awareness of available options with regards to schooling options for kids and housing options for individuals and families in NYC.

      One thing I wish we had more time to do was visit the Tenement Museum to grasp more of New York's unique history and relationship with immigration, as well as speak to more residents who were experiencing displacement or adverse effects of living in gentrified neighborhoods. This trip has inspired me to explore long-term residents' perceptions of ethnicity and the influx of Chinese immigration and property development in Chinatown, Manhattan and other ethnic pockets of the city for my senior thesis, and I am very excited for the chance to keep learning more about this issue. 

      Furthermore, this trip left us asking: How do we, as college graduates, mitigate the negative effects of gentrification, especially when we are at risk to become gentrifiers ourselves? I hope we can continue the conversation back on campus.

      Thank you to our community partners for taking the time to meet with us and speak candidly about their work and personal views about gentrification and housing in the city. I am also so grateful to the rest of our group for lots of charades on the subway, introducing me to ShakeShack and the deliciousness of Sriracha, and navigating this week together (even when it meant we had to turn around a few times to get where we were going). Special shout-out to our amazing leaders Simon and Marlyn, and our awesome coordinator Kemy!! This was a wonderful way to use the city as our classroom and I can't imagine having this experience with a better group!

      One of my favorite moments from the visit to Heketi Community Charter School in South Bronx:

      10 - 2 = 8 Teacher: Can you explain how you got this answer? Julianna: Well sometimes I use the number line, my head, my heart...

        This second grade class had just been learning about sociologists: "Sociologists are people who study people, places, and events." Written above is a definition of community: "A community is a place where people live, work, and have fun together."

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Views from Brooklyn Bridge Park

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Emily | Hello!

I'm a junior from the city of Boston, majoring in Visual Art. On campus I serve as co-president of the club powerlifting team, PR chairman of a sorority (Kappa Kappa Gamma), and office assistant at the LGBT Center. I'm participating on this breakout trip because I'm interested in understanding how the arts can perpetuate or problematize the process of gentrification. Hopefully, I'll learn things that can help me figure out how I can contribute to society using art.

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Apps are in!

We've received your applications and are so impressed by you all! Can't wait to meet you guys!

Love, Simon, Marlyn and Kemy

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Some illustrations and notes Emily jotted down on the trip.

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Emily's notes from the second day of the trip - Big Onion Tours and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

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Emily's post-trip reflections

I began this trip with the desire to better understand the process of gentrification, as well as the role of art in perpetuating or problematizing that process. I left the trip feeling more ambivalent about the issue -- I feel like I have a lot more knowledge and awareness about gentrification, while understanding that there is still a lot I can learn.

One thing is for sure, and that is just how complicated gentrification is (as attested to by the "debrief" illustration above, which roughly charts the flow of one of our conversations after a day of visiting community partners.) There is no one, malicious agent that is causing gentrification to happen in the neighborhoods and boroughs that we visited -- yet it is undeniable that gentrification is oftentimes a violent process that displaces the original residents by forcing them out of the areas they've lived in via rising costs of living.

I also gave a lot of thought to art on this trip. As a Visual Art major and as someone who is considering pursuing a creative career (possibly as a fine artist), it was particularly interesting to visit Louis Meisel's photorealist art collection in Soho, and then to immediately visit the JUDD House. One thing is clear to me: art is something that belongs to no one person. In my journey and process to craft an identity as an artist and to hone my own taste, I will have to be adventurous and open-minded.

Overall, I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity and look forward to post-Breakout activities.

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Emily's notes from the first day of the trip.

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Paul | Post-Trip Reflection

Gentrification: a process by which former residents of a community are displaced by newcomers of a higher social status, causing prices to rise.

This definition of gentrification is one I would have given before the trip started, but I now think about gentrification in a much more negative light.This trip also made me think about gentrification as a sort of symbol of how our national economy has been changing over our history. When we visited DUMBO and Vinegar Hill on Monday (and again in Soho on Wednesday), we looked at several apartment buildings that were originally meant for industrial use before being converted into apartment buildings or tech startup headquarters. Original proprietors included Arbuckle’s, which made coffee, or Moore brothers paints, but now include Etze or foreign financiers who do not live in their apartments but instead use them to speculate with real estate. While the United States was once in an industrial revolution that arguably lasted into the 1950s, we are now in the “Third Industrial Revolution” of tech startups and finance. Gentrification is important not only as an instrument of social and artistic change, but there are numerous economic aspects to gentrification as well.

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