An Homage to the Lower East Side

I spent my afternoon in the Lower East Side (LES) today, something I have rarely done since high school. Thus said, it is interesting to see how much this neighborhood, my childhood home, has changed over the past few years. To me, LES is a haven for people who are seeking opportunity, something that is becoming increasingly less evident each day.

LES is one of the oldest neighborhoods in NYC and has always been the first settlement for new immigrants. The Dutch arrived during the 17th century and populated the area with farms. It eventually became a battleground with the British, creating the heart of New York. Every new wave of immigrants came to LES. In the 1800's, the Irish settled in the neighborhood's tenement homes as they fled from the potato famine. This was followed by the Italians and Germans and it was the beginning of what America should be: an ethnically diverse community. During the early 1900's, Jewish immigrants moved in, contributing delicatessens, staples to NYC. New groups moved in rapidly during the last half of the century. Blacks and Hispanics began to inhabit the area with the rise of low-income project homes in the sixties. Chinese began moving in during the seventies because of its close proximity to Chinatown. Lastly, squatters lived in vacant buildings in the eighties, which became the root of the punk rock scene.

LES has always been a rough neighborhood. Each ethnic group that lived in LES were shunned from the societal majority in some way. Thus, they have all lived in poor conditions. Every group, from the Irish and Italians to the Hispanics and Chinese have brought large families to live in the cramped conditions of tenement homes, despite inhabiting the space a century apart. Crime rates were always up no matter what decade you were in. As a child living there in the nineties, I was always told to avoid certain parts and to take precaution while playing in the parks. It was because of all this that each wave of immigrants worked hard to move out. Despite the numerous groups mentioned before, they never lived harmoniously for it became a trend for one group to move out their predecessor to move in.

Today, people are not working hard to move out but to move in. At the turn of the century, LES has become a budding hipster scene for its ghetto aesthetics. Tenement homes have been reconstructed into upscale apartments and old factory buildings have become lofts and art galleries. It is sad because you do not get as much street cred when you say you're from LES as you did twenty years ago. Yet, LES still remains to be the home for people seeking opportunity for the young people that are beginning to move in are too seeking possibilities.

The Anatomy of China's Economy

Happy Father's Day! I had the chance to spend the whole day with my dad today and one of the things he loves to talk to me about is foreign affairs. So here is a very dad-inspired post:

Back in 2007, I was interviewed by an admissions officer from U of Chicago, a school known for its economics program and thought-provoking questions. One of the questions that I was asked was "What do you think of China's economy?" At that time, I was not so politically inclined so I simply answered, "it's so bad that it's good." Now three years have passed, where not only have I matured, but so has China's economy, allowing me to give a more detailed answer to that question.

China has become a hot topic in recent years, for its government proceedings and more notably, its rapidly growing economy. Since the 1990's, China's economy has been on the fast track much due to the string of economic reforms at that time. Its GDP was ranked third in the world in 2009, right behind the US and Japan, and many analysts predict that the RMB will match the US dollar in thirty years. However, many speculators do not see this sustaining. The rapid economic growth and flaws with Chinese products are some of the reasons that people are hesitant to recognize China as a superpower. Yet, I think these are just a few holes that can easily mended.

China is big topographically and in size, with the largest human capital in the world. What is happening in China right now is similar to the US during the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution was a springboard for technological innovations and thus economic expansion but at the same time, hazardous conditions existed in factories and laborers were overworked. Also, during this time, there was a great interest in expanding West which led to the development of the midwest. Like the US, much of China's civilization is concentrated along the shore. There are so many untouched resources and possibilities that will be beneficial in the coming years.

Much of what we know about the China, its sociability and its economics, has been through the lens of Western media. Underneath what we see includes 2000 years of history and a strong culture. All this makes the understanding of China's development both fascinating and complicated.

Buildings, Cities, and the People

On Thursday night, I went to a community meeting at a Carroll Gardens' daycare for my internship to discuss the facility's closure. Present were representatives from ACS (Administration for Children's Services) and 30+ angry parents. Now, you would be upset if your child's daycare was closing down and the nearest affordable one is 5 miles away. There are many daycares in the neighborhood but many of them are out of their price range. This is one of many results of the changing socioeconomic statuses in NYC neighborhoods and across the country. This phenomenon of gentrification has both its positive and negative effects.

Carroll Gardens, like much of North Brooklyn, is facing rapid development. New boutiques and trendy restaurants are opening everyday. The neighborhood's primary residential buildings are brownstones and project housing, leading to cultural clashes between yuppies and the ghetto. Within a block, I was able to find an upscale sushi restaurant and a Crown Fried Chicken. As you can imagine, the individuals who are the most upset about these developments are the ones losing their neighborhood. The same thing is happening to Bed-Stuy, Harlem, and somewhat in my own neighborhood of Coney Island, where I can see this firsthand. There are continuous debates in the community between the developers who want to build condos and resorts and residents who have sentimental attachments to the neighborhood. However, a new resort will bring more job opportunities to a fairly poor neighborhood and thus stimulating the economy. Are emotional values small prices to pay for opportunities that will benefit in the long run?

What upsets individuals even more is that new developments are by private entities and it feels personal that an autonomous group is taking something they believe to be accessible to the public. This is where much of the angst against private corporations are rooted. If this is viewed on a broader scale, the government does not have a lot of money and thus power compared to corporations. Thus, the possibility of have private space is greater than that of public space.

The demographics of neighborhoods have changed greatly between decades and centuries and development has always coexisted with it. Before project housings were built in Bed Stuy, there was a large Jewish community who all lived in brownstone house. There is no stopping the changes created by individuals and time, so development will always exist.