To get there from city tech, you will have to have to take the R train at Jay Street- Metrotech station to Dekalb Avenue or Atlantic Avenue. Or you can take 20-25 minutes to walk straight from the Jay Street entrance to Fulton street and then walk west until you get to Flatbush Avenue where you will walk southwest for approximately 10 minutes. This is an example of Juxtaposition because some of the buildings in this area are more modern than the others. The Barclays Center is a perfect example of juxtaposition because it juxtaposes the modern shops and skyscrapers with the old and more affordable buildings.
Many neighborhoods in Brooklyn have changed a lot physically throughout recent years. This process, called gentrification is the reason why many neighborhoods look different today compared to what they looked like 10years ago. An area that has been heavily changed by gentrification is Downtown Brooklyn. The rezoning of many stores and the construction of the Barclays Center creates a strong juxtaposition with the modern shops and skyscrapers that surround the Barclays Center and the older, affordable buildings that still remain in the area. The Construction of the Barclay’s Center caused a lot of controversies, a lot of New Yorkers opposed the project. According to Business Insider, “Why Half Of Brooklyn Hates The New Barclay’s Center Stadium” by Joshua Berlinger, a Digital reporter, and producer for CNN, “The entire $4 billion project would use $1.6 billion funding.” This is one of the reasons why many residents were furious with the construction of the Barclays Center and still hold grudges against the City. Many people also argue that the project abused the power of eminent domain which gives the right to the government of the United States to expropriate private property for public use, with compensation often not being what the real value of the properties are.
One article that supports my project is “Here, Poverty and Privilege Are Neighbors; Income Gaps Are A Source Of Resentment and Guilt BY Janny Scott. In the article, Jenny Scott states “The city is etched with boundaries and borderlands that appear on no maps, areas where income groups intersect, overlap, collide, coexist– along lines drawn and redrawn by quirks on history, differences in housing stock, patterns of immigration and the economy’s perpetual rise and fall.” I agree with this statement because I feel like when people look at a city on a physical map or even digital map, they don’t see the beauty, diversity and everything else the city has to offer. Someone who does not live in New York City might look at the city on a map and they will not get the same feeling. Later on, in the same article, the author states, “ For some, the juxtaposition is a virtue, one of the city’s fascinations; for others, they are a source of resentment and guilt.” I also agree with this statement because I feel like gentrification can be viewed as a juxtaposition. For a lot of people, gentrification is a source of resentment and guilt because when new people move into a new neighborhood and gentrify it, most of the time the pricing in the area increases, making it hard for those who once lived there to pay bills and afford food. An area that has been drastically changed by gentrification is Downtown Brooklyn. Today, downtown Brooklyn looks more modern than how it looked like 10-20 years ago. Today, downtown Brooklyn looks more like lower Manhattan than the rest of Brooklyn. The construction of the Barclays Center caused a lot of rezoning. More stores relocated their business to downtown Brooklyn because the area became an attraction especially with the Brooklyn Nets basketball team moving from New Jersey to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn which caused the rent to increase in the area and caused many people to be displaced from their homes. The construction of the Barclays Center also increased the traffic in the area. Today, many new skyscrapers are being built in an area that no longer is affordable for many people. Another article that supports my project is “The Way We Live Now: 11-11-01; Lost and Found” By Colson Whitehead. In the article, Whitehead states, I started building my New York on the uptown No. 1 train. My first city memory is of looking out a subway window as the train erupted from the tunnel on the way to 125th Street and palsied up into the elevated tracks.” I could relate to the author, I feel like everyone has their own way of viewing New York. I view downtown Brooklyn different from other people because I grew up in a neighborhood that had more houses than buildings unlike city tech, where there are more movements and more diversity. Also, many people have different experiences depending on where they live. Another article that supports my project is “What If You Could Choose Between The Fastest Route and The Most beautiful?’ by Lex Berko. In the article, the author states, “Your commute to work and your walk to the shop don’t have to be so myopic and destination-driven. If you give yourself 10 extra minutes for a small detour on your journey, it can transform your experience of the city into something altogether more enjoyable.” I agree with the author, personally, I do this all the time. I enjoy taking different routes when I walk from my house to the gym and vice versa. I like taking the long routes because I feel like they put me in a good mood, especially when I’m getting ready to work out I walk by streets that have more trees and where more of nature is seen. I find it more relaxing than walking by noisy traffic; Even though sometimes like to walk where the streets have more pedestrians because It makes it feel less isolated. When I walk to city tech, I take the longer route and I get off at Lawrence street and I walk by Metro Tech Commons because it feels more like a campus and I enjoy seeing people walking their dogs and the large, green trees make the air fresher.
