Podcast Episode
Some of the
effects of gentrification on apartment buildings in "116th Street - Housing & Gentrification"
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Today, development in El Barrio has not stopped with a few private housing proposals. In fact, there are multiple proposals for the revitalization and “improvement” of this area, including the building of East River Plaza on the former site of the now-demolished Washburn Wire Factories, and Uptown NY, a private housing development and retail center to be built around 125th Street and Third Avenue. While these proposals promise to bring unmatched housing and business opportunities to El Barrio, they fail to mention some of the less seemly aspects of what amounts to gentrification. Nonetheless, these proposals and their potentially harmful effects on El Barrio are not going unnoticed by people in the neighborhood.
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| Posters from a Town Hall Meeting on the Uptown NY Development Project, March 28, 2006. Image courtesy of EastHarlemPreservation.org |
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Organized Community Response
East Harlem Preservation is a budding group that is committed to spreading awareness about happenings in El Barrio, including “large-scale development, gentrification, and other issues of public concern to residents and business owners.” The organization’s website includes a comprehensive database of news articles, reports on development in East Harlem and links providing information about the companies involved in developing the neighborhood. Awareness is, after all, the first step to encouraging change and East Harlem Preservation is clearly committed to that end.
Similar organizations include Uptown NO, a community group in vehement opposition to the proposed Uptown NY project. With the mission statement “Resisting the invasion and occupation of East Harlem/El Barrio,” Uptown NO is rallying inhabitants of the neighborhood through petitions and articles highlighting the negative aspects of the “monstrosity” called Uptown NY. Another, more seasoned organization, is the East Harlem Business Capital Corporation (EHBCC), which provides needed financial assistance to small businesses and rising entrepreneurs in El Barrio. EHBCC is seeking to revitalize already existing cultural institutions such as La Marqueta, rather than support the entrance of large chain stores and other economic symbols of gentrification.
These three organizations are by no means the only ones dedicated to preventing the gentrification of East Harlem. Several community groups are committed to preventing both large and small changes in East Harlem—some devoting themselves to the preservation of a historical building or monument, while others attempt to spearhead larger proposals such as the East River Plaza project. Either way, there are clearly a fair number of individuals in El Barrio who are taking a proactive approach to the changes occurring in their neighborhood.
Next
(Consequences)
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