Sunday, November 3, 2013

The High Price Of Bedford Stuyvesant Rentals

By Allyson Burke


It may seem a contradiction in terms to want to find a rental in Bedford Stuyvesant or to be doing anything but buying up properties and getting rid of rentals, but Bedford Stuyvesant rentals raise some of the most interesting questions about the direction of the neighborhood. There was a time when to rent there meant nearly assuring yourself of becoming the victim of crime. Even now with many new properties fixed up or old ones torn down the crime rate is too high for most. Two gentrification efforts have taken place in the twenty-first century, one in 2000 and one in 2010. The neighborhood is changing in good and bad ways.

Bed-Stuy has long been, since 1930 when it joined the Brooklyn political community, a place for African-Americans, mostly lower income and many spilling over to Brooklyn from Harlem. Several public schools near by including a high school named after the entertainer and political activist Paul Robeson, are near by. Located in the northwest part of Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy is also known for lovely brownstone buildings which are fun to renovate. Social problems have long kept gentrification out.

Now, Bed-Stuy is becoming home to young professionals and their needs, as well as to middle income black families. Cafes, bars, restaurants, clubs, galleries, and offices are the new skin of this neighborhood which is changing rapidly in its economic base and type of resident as a result. Long-term residents are feeling the strain on their properties and rents. They do not recognize themselves in the place and move. Sometimes they are offered cash to leave. The good transportation nearby brings in commuters and makes it a desirable place for people to live.

Notable African-American entertainers and figures grew up there or have lived in the area. Some are Shirley Chisholm, Lena Horne, Richie Havens and Vanessa Williams. Numerous well known rappers have come from this politically charged neighborhood, and the most famous white person is probably Jackie Gleason who was born nearby in 1916.

the gentrifying class finds this neighborhood a hidden gem because of the excellent transport options, proximity to Manhattan, cheaper prices in property and rent, and architectural detail. Pratt institute is very near by as well. This is a school of note which caters to designers. Such neighborhoods are frequently considered new frontiers for those seeking opportunity and so they move in and prices go up as banks get the idea to invest.

The issue with gentrifying any neighborhood is that it tends to drive rents up, units off the market, reduce the number of rental properties available, thus making impossible, lower income people to remain there or go there. It almost always forces out long term residents which is does not sustain community, but causes displacement.

the history of immigration in Bed-Stuy is one of African and Caribbean influx. Many new families there are also black, but upwardly mobile and middle income. Landmarks such as Pratt make for a positive and educated community, one which will also invest in lowering crime and developing.

generally, some change in poor neighborhoods can produce effective changes in crime and poverty. New opportunities can become open to the children of older residents. But generally, gentrification waves in Bedford Stuyvesant rentals make for precarious relations between the new people and those who built an effective community for years.




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