Bridge 3: Bushwick General Information

1. The History of Bushwick consists of a relatively industrial neighborhood and was later populated by Puerto Rican immigrants that dominated the neighborhood during the post-war period. During the industrial times, factories for sugar, oil, and chemicals were located in Bushwick, and shortly after WWII, white white-collar workers were replaced by African American and South America immigrants, specifically Puerto Rico. In 1977, a blackout occured in the neighborhood that caused a lot of retailers to be looted, put the neighborhood in a worse condition, and delayed the development of Bushwick.
2. Census Information
   1. Total population of  8,104 residents in Bushwick.
   2. 58% of the population in Bushwick are hispanic/latino.
   3. 31.7% has a bachelor’s degree or higher and 37% are less than high school graduate.
   4. 74.1% of the population commute to work.
   5. 65.4% were built 1939 or earlier and 0.7% were built 2010 or later.
3. The main social and cultural characteristics of Bushwick includes art, and gentrification. Majority of the art in Bushwick is seen as graffiti and murals, organized by the Bushwick Collective–an organization founded in 2012 that commissions artist for murals in the neighborhood. However, this art also influences and progresses the gentrification of Bushwick by raising prices on real estate in the specific areas where commissioned graffiti has been placed.
4. The neighborhood has many potentials because of some of the elements it contains, some which include a lot of young people and artist, diversity, empty spaces, and wide roads. With just the elements mentioned, I think that the neighborhood is capable of becoming the first green-efficient neighborhood in NYC. This neighborhood can place bike lanes and sidewalk trees in their wide roads, create more public spaces that community can gather inside of, for instance a free museum that all local artist exhibit works inside of. I also think with the empty space in the neighborhood, there should be some sort of theater where film and lectures can be conducted. There is not many educational facilities in the neighborhood and if film and lectures are being held in the neighborhood it will an opportunity for locals to learn new things.
5. Questions:
   1. Why are there so many abandoned buildings?
   2. Are the abandoned building vacant?
   3. If abandoned buildings are occupied, why are they abondant?
   4. Many cheap artist studios are leased in abandoned buildings? With gentrification in progress, what will happen to these artist and their space when prices rise?
6. Main “actors” in Bushwick are real estate agents and companies, upcoming artist, Puerto Rican immigrants’ families, “hip” coffee shops, Bushwick Collective establishment, and low-income individuals.
7. I am planning to interview
   1. Occupants of the artist studios in the abandoned buildings.
   2. Businesses around those buildings.
   3. Puerto Ricans that have been part of the neighborhood for generations, located around these buildings.
   4. Real estate agents (if possible).
8. In the next few weeks I hope to go inside and tour these artist studios inside abandoned buildings and also go inside any vacant spaces. I also plan on interviewing locals as questions arise that can only be answered by locals.

 

Citations

http://www.nyc.gov/html/bkncb4/html/about/history.shtml

Ibid; http://www.nyc.gov/html/bkncb4/html/about/history.shtml

https://popfactfinder.planning.nyc.gov/profile/19686/demographic

https://www.brooklynunpluggedtours.com/bushwick-collective-guide-map