Friday Links

Anon 5:17-there are several things about Chinatown you obviously don’t know. Not that I expect you too- you’re not a native New Yorker or someone who has been here long enough to know NYC that well. And coming from the south, the white south, I imagine (my own bias here I’m sure) that NYC is a bit of a culture shock to you.

Chinese immigrants were able to buy in areas that were cheap enough- Chinatown was one of the poorest areas in lower Manhattan historically. Like many of the immigrant neighborhoods of NYC, it was flooded with people looking for others of similar backgrounds. The fact that so many still live in Chinatown is historical- immigrants coming from Asia today still go there- many Asian societies are built on their extended family ties and unlike our present day society where money is the only tie, most immigrant groups take their family responsibiities seriously, extending to aunts, uncles, cousins, relative by marriage. So they feel a responsibility to help one another, find housing, food, schools, navigate the system- its a very stong community.they also pool their resources, which allows them to do community specific outreach in ways a City can’t.

The character of Chinatown is very old and despite what you think, it’s changing rapidly. Just like every other neighborhood in a “desirable” location, other people are moving in, building expensive condos, putting in expensive “upscale” stores- I’ve seen the drastice changes over the years. In another 10-15, Chinatown will be a remnant of itself – a theme park for the ever-hungry upper income bracket who wants location location location.

This is white girl from midwest who likes racial and class diversity again:

I don’t understand why a posting about anti-gentrification gets everyone so riled up and defensive.

I don’t think it’s just ‘people who buy brownstones and renovate them’ that the conference was about. If your neighborhood were lacking services and if you were forced to leave your property so that a developer could create condos or some business like CostCo, I can’t imagine you wouldn’t be upset or try to do something about it. It’s only human.

I wonder why when a neighborhood gets popular it’s only a choice between totally derilect businesses and buildings, and Starbucks and other useless boutiques (a la 5th ave in slope) and Commerce Bank?

What difference does it make to well off people who have no financial trouble if a family gets to stay in their rental unit down the block?

I am white. And I make a lot of money. And I’m female. And I also am not from NYC (the Midwest actually).

I ran away, like many, from the Midwest to get away from people like you, and now you are all moving here….

Chinatown is smack in the middle of expensive ass Manhattan and there are still loads of chinese people. What did they do? They bought alot of property back in the day and now chinatown is still filled with chinese, along with other asians, while being surrounded by a city which is much different.

Being a white male who moved here from outside of NYC (north carolina) I find myself in an interesting situation with being looked upon as a threat in many of the places I can afford to live in. Tuff shit, everyones an immigrant.

Re: Gentification Issues and Conference (I couldn’t be bothered to read the previous posts arguing etc…so I’m not posting in response to any of the above except for one of those ‘get a job’ type of responses early on).

I think racial and CLASS DIVERSITY within the same neighborhoods is vital to having a city.

I don’t think people who don’t like people of different classes and races living near them should be allowed to live here.

I’d bet 1/2 of new brownstone owners will leave the city before they are 60. So Brooklyn is a nifty transition for them, until they ‘grow up’ and make enough $$ from selling their brownstone to move to Connecticut. Some of us plan to stay here longer.

And what will happen to those that just barely make enough with daddy’s downpayment to buy a brownstone — and then the Slope gets too expensive for them? What goes around comes around. I bet before your time is done in Brooklyn, you become the victim of people richer than you moving into your neighborhood and you will have to sell.

Perhaps you’ll make a killing and it will all be fine financially, but that’s not the point. You will resent being ‘removed’ from ‘your’ neighborhood because it won’t be your choice.