Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Bedford Stuyvesant Rentals Are Part Of Gentrification There

By Allyson Burke


Bedford Stuyvesant rentals may seem like a total contradiction in terms given the notorious history of this part of Brooklyn. There was a time when to rent in "Bed-Stuy" meant entering an uncharted and unknown ghetto with high crime rate and huge poverty level. The entire population was black and few others were comfortable there. Two waves of gentrification have occurred since the turn of the century. One was in 2000 and one was in 2010. Both waves have brought in hipsters, artists, architects, planners, club owners, restauranteurs, higher rents and greater police patrolling of the neighborhood. The fabric of the space is dramatically changing.

Predominantly an African-American neighborhood until recently, Bed-Stuy, has been, a place for mostly blacks who could not find livable units in Harlem to live and go to school. There are several public schools nearby, one named after the famous actor and singer, Paul Robeson. This unusual neighborhood is located in the northwest part of Brooklyn, and is known for elegant brownstone townhouses, a favorite to re-do by architects. However its chief population and social problems have always kept gentrification away.

As more and more young, upwardly mobile whites and blacks mingle in the surge towards neighborhood improvement through property ownership, rental opportunities and new business, Bed-Stuy is losing some of its older, disabled, ill and poor residents forced out by new pricing and few laws to protect them. The proximity of Bed-Stuy to the island of Manhattan makes it an especially good place to live and commute to work without paying Manhattan prices. However, older long time residents do not have that option.

Shirley Chisholm, Lena Horne, Richie Havens and Vanessa Williams are among the famous African-Americans to grow up in and come from Bed-Stuy. Additionally, the number of well-known rappers is quite high. Jackie Gleason who was born nearby in 1916 and grew up there as one of the few white residents.

Lower prices for property, transport, proximity to Pratt, and overall affordability make this place a gem for opportunistic thinkers. Gentrification implements new policing at the same time and so crime rates are driven down. Crime has always made Bed-Stuy cheaper to live in than other neighborhoods. It remains a frontier for those willing to invest in order to secure property and assets in New York, even if it is in Brooklyn. The whole of Brooklyn is becoming more desirable.

The issue with gentrifying any neighborhood is that it tends to drive rents up, units off the market, reduce the number of rental properties available, thus making impossible, lower income people to remain there or go there. It almost always forces out long term residents which is does not sustain community, but causes displacement.

Bed-Stuy has a history of African and Caribbean immigration. New families moving in are upwardly mobile middle income blacks and the immigration continues. Notable landmarks such as Pratt Institute, a school of higher learning in the arts and architecture also make the potential for investment and profit much higher

All in all, some change in a neighborhood can produce benefits to locals, however Bedford Stuyvesant rentals must be secured for those with the lowest-income and longest personal commitment to the community there. Otherwise, you have poor resolution of differences and sustainability is impossible.




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