Gentrification in Williamsburg

Today, I'll be talking about gentrification in Williamsburg.

First, Williamsburg is a neighborhood located in northern Brooklyn.  It is surrounded by Greenpoint in the North, Bedford-Stuyvesant in the South and it is nearby Manhattan on his West and Queens on his East.

Nowadays, Williamsburg is known for its hipster culture, the importance of contemporary art and its vibrant nightlife.

So, how did Williamsburg become gentrified?

Until the end of the 90s, Williamsburg was an industrial site. It was composed of many manufacturing plants, many factories and warehouses. At the same time, the rents were low and consumer prices were reasonable consequently the quality of life was pretty good and cheap, ultimately it has attracted a lot of artists and hipsters seeking for affordable places to live. At this moment, the neighborhood’s industrial functions began to wane, artists and creatives began to settle more and more in Williamsburg because they appreciated the spacious lofts and the gritty atmosphere. Then a little by little prices starts to skyrocket and deindustrialization take over.

• Warehouses became trendy apartments, and factories turned into upscale living spaces.
• This transformation led to skyrocketing property prices and the gradual displacement of the existing population

• Williamsburg’s identity became a battleground. On one side were independent businesses, coffee shops, and local initiatives that resisted corporate encroachment.
• On the other side, chain stores like Duane Reade symbolized the commercialization and standardization that threatened the neighborhood’s unique character.

But the transformation truly starts from 2005 when The New York City Council passed a major rezoning plan for Williamsburg. Therefore, industrial plants and warehouses were converted into residential buildings and expensive high-rise condominiums. Plus, the water front district was rezoned to accommodate mixed-use high density residential buildings and public waterfront parks.

These changes had directly impact street activities like business and transportation which have improved the quality of life and lead to a rise of costs.

All these aspects followed suit by appealing to the new demographic. In fact, neighborhood that was once primarily inhabited by Latin Americans and Hasidic Jews is now bustling with artists, hipsters, and young college-degree adults.

The Latin American and Hasidic population has stayed in the neighborhood, especially the Hasidic population, but now find themselves on the bottom of the totem pole, in terms of economic and social status in Williamsburg. The impact of gentrification is omnipresent throughout Williamsburg.

Williamsburg was once home to a large Dominican and Puerto Rican population. The south end of the neighborhood was and still is predominantly populated by Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and other Latin American groups. The first area that we walked by in Williamsburg was populated by Latin Americans and had shops and buildings written in both English and Spanish. Even though the Puerto Rican and Dominican population still exists, it is not what it once was back in the 1960s. When these immigrants arrived in the neighborhood, they found easy ways to obtain jobs, as there were many factories in the surrounding area, such as the Domino Sugar Factory and Refinery. The Puerto Rican community even has a street named for them located at the south end of the block, called Graham Avenue or “Avenue of Puerto Rico”. The southern portion of Williamsburg became a flourishing Puerto Rican neighborhood, with many working class citizens living there and jobs revolving around the existing factories. However, in the early 2000s, things began to take a turn for the Puerto Rican and Hispanic community. The effects of gentrification were noticeable, as people noticed the cheap prices and proximity to Manhattan and began moving in. Additionally, a major art scene was taking over the neighborhood. Soon, those artists, their budgets and their preferences began to override Puerto Rican and Hispanic presence. Prices and rent increased, and the Puerto Rican community decreased as a result

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