Gowanus Reflection

Joseph Alexiou provided details on the historical development and environmental issues of the Gowanus Canal. He also expressed doubt that the Gowanus will ever be cleaned. Joseph mentioned in the article “In 1999, the city finally began to repair the Flushing Tunnel just as Carroll Gardens and Park Slope were coming truly desirable to big real estate and expensive places to live. It was the “if you build it, they will come,” mentality of cleaning up toxic waste sites.” This brings me to the question of what is the definition of clean? The definition of clean is to be free from dirt or pollution and free from contamination or disease as defined by Merriam-Webster. Repairing a flushing tunnel does not solve the issue of the contamination in the water. NYC rezoning practices are mainly concerned about money making rather than the health of individuals. Everyone deserves to live in a clean and safe place. Without clean air and water people are at a higher risk of becoming sick and unwell. The idea of cleaning up the Gowanus Canal has been as ongoing issue and I can say that not much has been done. What is going to happen 50 years down the road? Will the city be repeating the same old mistakes? Will the Gowanus ever be cleaned? I believe that before the city continues with the rezoning they need to seriously clean up the canal. People living by the water will pay lots of money to live in the area, not fully understanding the big issues of the Gowanus. They cannot continue down the same path, something needs to be done now.