revision of ste report #1

Carolyn Vargas  

Isaiaah Mccullon

Rosannel Cartagena

Myrka Veloz

Arlshals Troncoso

outline

CarolynArchiveReport

CopyofLearningPlacesSiteReport-2

The documentary “My Brooklyn” was a very interesting documentary about the transformation of Downtown Brooklyn. I feel angry that the government have such power over these decisions and are unfair to the original residents of Downtown Brooklyn. The people living in Downtown Brooklyn which were originally Blacks and Hispanics endured and maintained the neighborhood through times of hardship therefore is only fair that they should remain living there when the neighborhood is thriving. But instead they are being evicted with little notice for the purpose of building high rise condos for the upper middle class and rich.

Chapter 6 is describing how Jane Jacobs saw neighborhoods in NYC. What stood out to me the most about this chapter is how Jane Jacobs made the connection between long blocks and isolated neighborhoods. It made me realize that this is true. I have seen it before but never thought about it. I feel that long blocks and housing projects are alike because they both isolate people in different ways. Jane Jacobs believes that long blocks are monotonous and for neighborhoods to work they should be diversified. Unfortunately many neighborhoods in NY are becoming monotonous and the neighborhoods that are diversified are slowly dissapearing.

The article is describing how the housing projects in New York are built in areas near water and are at high risk for floods for example, what occured in Hurricane Sandy. These buildings are mostly occupied by the poor which are the most vulnerable population. This article is expressing how Robert Moses was the mastermind behind the construction of these buildings and how unsuccessful the entire operation was. What amazes me is that despite evidence that project buildings didnt work Mayor John Lindsay continued building low-income housing projects but in middle class neighborhoods instead. I feel like politicians keep repeating the same mistakes. They need to come up with ways to preserve the neighborhoods that are left in New York before we lose what New York is known for.

The movie was both inspiring and informative. I didnt know the history behind the construction of project buildings and expressways, let alone the damage created to neighborhoods throughout NYC. I wondered why people in NY are secluded despite the amount of people living in it. After watching Citizen Jane I learned that NY wasn’t always like this. NYC had community based environment where people interacted with each other much more. Is true that the living conditions weren’t optimal but people seamed more content. Amazingly Jane noticed how construction, proposed by Robert Moses could affect the communities in its early stages.