activity 6 Danielle Nicolosi

1. I never really realized that there were no evening clinics or day cares in my neighborhood until Hayden brought it to my attention, "A 'good' neighborhood is usually defined in terms of conventional shopping, schools, and perhaps public transit, rather than additional social services for the working parent such as day care or evening clinics." I live in Pleasant Plains in Staten Island and my neighborhood is considered a 'good' one.  It has boutiques, deli's, grocery stores, liquor stores, florists, dry cleaning, fast food, restaurants, buses and trains.  The lack of resources useful to the working parent is unacceptable.  There are 2  pre-schools a couple of blocks away from my house in both directions, however, this isn't enough.  Your child must be potty-trained, and it is expensive, therefore we need more options.


2.Walking through my neighborhood there's a barbershop directly next to a hair salon.  Passing up the hair salon you get the 'hello,' 'I like your outfit,' smiling, comfortable, vibe.  As you approach the barbershop, you get the guys who are yelling, laughing, than slowly get quiet as you walk by because they're checking you out (uncomfortable for a girl).  For me I feel awkward where I work.  I work in a bagel store, in which I'm the only girl. Its very awkward for me behind the counter cause i feel they always pick on me, and to hear them speak about all the woman that come in, also uncomfortable.  I wouldn't say the bagel store is gendered to be male, but definitely behind the counter is.  the nail salons in my neighborhood are female gendered.  Whenever I'm getting my manicure and pedicure and i see the once-in-a-while guy come in asking to get his eyebrows done, you could see the uncomfortable feeling written all over his face.  This is something i think about all the time, actually: either how uncomfortable i feel under gendered circumstances, or how i could tell other people feel, so it was interesting for me to actually walk around my neighborhood paying on attention to just that.


3. When i think of a gay space or place in the city i think of The Village.  Whenever I'm there i see gay couples openly holding hands and being affectionate towards one another.  Gay people are everywhere they just feel comfortable being themselves in the Village.  Its where they gather and where they're accepted.  There are also a lot more places that accommodate to them, for example gay bars.


4. When i googled gay map of new york 2 things came up: http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/maps/gay-village-map.jpg and http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IqeDgxYz0-M/S1JFVcdVczI/AAAAAAAABNU/szBvmBFBPSQ/s400/Next_Map.jpg

a map of the village and a map of where gay bars are around new york.



5.There's a park in my neighborhood called Bloomingdale Park.  As I walked around, I noticed cute teenage couples sitting on a park bench, every so often being 'kissy' or maybe a little too ''touchy-feely.''  That's actions to be made in the privacy of your home not in the middle of a park where everyone could see you.  Since they were young and still living with their parents they probably did this in public because they don't want to get caught at home (I've been there) so i understand, however being older looking at it now they should really be in a more private space. It's funny how in urban life they don't care if others could see them, they just do as if they are in their own private space.

Repost: brewsta brewsta book review of there goes the 'hood

The theme of Lance Freeman’s “there goes the ‘hood ” (a book based on gentrification in both Clinton Hill and Harlem) tries to capture and successfully explain how people feel when gentrification comes to their neighborhood, the impact of it and how these residents perceive the changes in their neighborhood. In addition, he argues that the indigenous people of these neighborhoods done t always react to gentrification according to some of the preconceived notions generally attributed to residents of in the area (pg3). In other words, gentrification can often times be viewed as a “knight in shining armor or an evil villain ready to destroy” (pg60).

Freeman noted in his observations that “A positive reaction to gentrification was a clear theme that emerged during my conversation with residents of Clinton Hill and Harlem” (pg60). “Some of the positive reactions were based on narrow economic self-interest”. This was mainly due to the fact that “in Clinton Hill, where many of the respondents were homeowners or cooperative owners, the escalating housing prices increased the return on the housing investment substantially” (pg60.)
Yet on the other hand he explains that
“the economic benefits of gentrification are unlikely to occur to many Harlem residents. In contrast, in Clinton Hill, where there is a substantial presence of black homeowners, the economic benefits are meaningful.. in recent years much has been made of the vast inequalities in wealth between blacks and whites. It has been pointed out that the disparity in wealth is much larger the income disparity and much of the difference has been laid at foot of unequal housing value” (pg61). This quote being about inequality in housing value based due to the dominant race of the neighborhood, made it easier for me to understand why gentrification would be welcomed in a predominantly black neighborhood, mainly because the housing value that is greatly needed by these residents increases in value due to the influx of middle class residents. But for those who can no longer afford to live in the area and are either one being forced to relocate due to displacement or two are simply being bought out by the people who are looking to move into the area, the benefits of the increase in housing value might not be an experience that they would have the fortune of having.
“Many residents appreciated the improvement in amenities and services .. the changes taking place in Clinton Hill and Harlem in some ways might be perceived as the normalization of commercial activities in these neighborhoods after decades of disinvestment”(pg.61-62).
Something that stood out to me was the overall acceptance of gentrifications in these neighborhoods. Apparently, ignoring the fact that both Harlem and Clinton Hill residents went through “urban renewal programs, the heroin plagues, the crack epidemic, and disinvestment” it’s no wonder people are acceptant to gentrification coming into their neighborhoods. Even though a strong numbers of people are opposing the movement, and are making statements like “If we keep sleepin’ in a few years won’t none of us livin’ in Harlem”(pg12).
The connection between this book
and the class reminds me of the discussion we had about gentrification in bush wick, when we spoke about white middle class people moving into the area and displacing the neighborhoods original residents. In addition this book also spoke about the commercial stores, better schools and the increasing amount of investment after all the years of disinvestment and being ignored by the government.

introduction to group 6

Welcome to Group 6's blog for Hunter Colleges Urban Studies class. Brewster Brewster, Benji , and I went on activities that showed different patterens in Urban life. Although we've been New Yorkers our whole lives, we haven't been to many common places in New York, mainly because we take it for granted. This class was a great opportunity to be tourists in our own home and check these places out. We learned about many theories from the greats such as Jane Jacobs and applied them to observing the streets of New York. We have great pictures, videos, and stories so - ENJOY !

brewster brewster's activity 10

last Wednesday i attended the fresh kills soon to be park in Staten island as a class assignment...fresh kills meaning fresh water in Dutch was once marshy flat lands on the western shore of Staten island... over the years fresh kills was once known as the cities largest dumping ground, accumulating trash from all five boroughs (site tour guide)...

prior to attending the trip i read the New York Times "Wall-E park" article and found out that that area was covered in high mounds of trash, and later found out on the trip that instead of one mound there were four of them.... fortunately for us and future generations, James Corner, the landscape architect best known in New York as the designer of the High Line (nytimes).. has yet since taken over fresh kills after garbage was banned from the area and has since been in the process of turning the 2,315 acres of open space, in to a multipurpose, park one said to be larger than the widely known central park.. 
on this tour not only did i learn about how they covered the already decomposing garbage and that the government recycles and reuses its gases.. and uses it as fuel.. in addition to the extensive measures they have to go through in order to cover the waste and the gas wells used to collect gas released through vacuum system in order to be purified(site tour guide).

i thought this trip held great significance mainly because i was getting to see fresh kills in the making of what it is to become.. and in the future when hearing about it in the news or reading about it in the years to come .. i can always think back to the time when i was able to see it all before it became a reality..

book review Danielle Nicolosi

The book I read was There Goes the Hood by Lance Freeman. This books' main theme was gentrification. The definition of Gentrification is the restoration and upgrading of deteriorated urban property by middle-class or well off people, often resulting in displacement of lower-income people. Lance Freeman is and is assistant professor in Colombia University. He actually took it upon himself to go into two gentrified neighborhoods in New York City: Harlem in Manhattan and Clinton Hill in Brooklyn.

There are many pros and cons to Gentrification. I realize at first glance this comes across as a negative to most, I know it does to me, however, it has its benefits. Gentrification brings awareness to the neighborhood. As a result, there are less abandoned buildings, more stores, and less disinvestment. For example you may not have to jump on a train or a bus to get to a supermarket or pharmacy. With Gentrification, now you might be able to have the convenience to just walk around the corner to fulfill whatever needs you may have.

A con to Gentrification is displacement. Displacement can be a threat to the original members of the community. Also, members first coming into the gentrifying community, may not like to see original members are congregating on the street corner. This act may come across as disorder, even though, this is how the neighborhood always acted and nothing was every wrong with it prior to gentrification. Another con is that the people who live in this gentrified neighborhood are indirectly being pushed out because they obviously wont be able to afford this new, up and coming neighborhood anymore. It is a strategic, sneaky, method of changing a neighborhood and is definitely unfair.

What was shocking to me, is that people of the communities actually welcomed this when interviewed. Lance Freeman said, “…nuanced reaction towards gentrification…welcomed by some and feared and loathed by others, and even dreaded and welcomed at the same time by the same people.” The only explanation I could derive from these mixed reactions is that the people who live in Harlem and Clinton Hill may not fully understand gentrification. In the beginning stages where they are getting attention and new stores, this may seem like a positive, however maybe the raised prices didn’t kick in yet.

What reminded me about our Urban Studies class in Hunter College from There Goes the Hood by Lance Freeman, was the debate we had in class. One of the groups in the class actually debated the pros and cons to Gentrification in Harlem. A lot of the points brought up in the debate i saw in come across in the book, like dispacement and disinvestment.

It is not acceptable that Lance Freeman is the first and only person to actually go in there and see how the people who are being affected by this gentrification feel. There should be more focus on this issue. It is unfair that people who call a neighborhood their home, are being pushed out just because certain people think it needs to be changed. Who is it that actually decides a neighborhood isn’t ‘good enough’ anymore? This book definitely brought this issue to my attention. I hope others woke up as well.

activity 10 Danielle Nicolosi

As a Staten Islander, i found this trip very interesting. I've grown up on Staten Island all my life, and no of Fresh Kills as "the dump." Its not fun being known as the borough with the dump either, so hearing about all the cool things this area is going to turn into was awesome!


From what is understood, Fresh Kills used to be beautiful; Completely flat, wetlands containing wildlife and lakes. Currently, you could tell how flat it used to be, however now there are 4 HUGE mounds in which contain NYC garbage, 150 tons a day from 1948 to 2001: pretty gross to stand on those mounds knowing that information.

The way they covered up the garbage is pretty interesting. First they put a soil barrier layer, then a gas vent layer, then a drainage layer, then a barrier protection material, followed by soil and then the grass and trees. You definitely cant tell that its garbage mounds. And the view from up there is pretty amazing as well. Some things that are visible are : the Outerbridge crossing, the Verrazanno Bridge, the Bayonne bridge, the Goethals Bridge, the NYC skyline, and the parachute drop in Coney Island.

The water that is in Freshkills Park was surprisingly clean, clear, and blue. The water looked gorgeous, actually. Not that i was thinking garbage would be everywhere but i thought it was at least going to look dirty. i was pleasantly surprised about that.

This park is going to be the 2ND largest in NY, 2200 acres ! ( which is 3 times the size of central park!) Its going to have kayaking, canoeing, sporting fields, bike tracks, horse trails, ski slopes, bird watching towers, and so much more. This is definitely going to give Staten Island a better reputation, which is just what this borough needs.


The park plans to open a section of soccer fields by next year. and the rest of the park will be opening up little by little within the next 30 years.

brewster brewster's book review: there goes the 'hood

The theme of Lance Freeman’s “there goes the ‘hood ” (a book based on gentrification in both Clinton Hill and Harlem) tries to capture and successfully explain how people feel when gentrification comes to their neighborhood, the impact of it and how these residents perceive the changes in their neighborhood. In addition, he argues that the indigenous people of these neighborhoods done t always react to gentrification according to some of the preconceived notions generally attributed to residents of in the area (pg3). In other words, gentrification can often times be viewed as a “knight in shining armor or an evil villain ready to destroy” (pg60).

Freeman noted in his observations that “A positive reaction to gentrification was a clear theme that emerged during my conversation with residents of Clinton Hill and Harlem” (pg60). “Some of the positive reactions were based on narrow economic self-interest”. This was mainly due to the fact that “in Clinton Hill, where many of the respondents were homeowners or cooperative owners, the escalating housing prices increased the return on the housing investment substantially” (pg60.)

Yet on the other hand he explains that

“the economic benefits of gentrification are unlikely to occur to many Harlem residents. In contrast, in Clinton Hill, where there is a substantial presence of black homeowners, the economic benefits are meaningful.. in recent years much has been made of the vast inequalities in wealth between blacks and whites. It has been pointed out that the disparity in wealth is much larger the income disparity and much of the difference has been laid at foot of unequal housing value” (pg61). This quote being about inequality in housing value based due to the dominant race of the neighborhood, made it easier for me to understand why gentrification would be welcomed in a predominantly black neighborhood, mainly because the housing value that is greatly needed by these residents increases in value due to the influx of middle class residents. But for those who can no longer afford to live in the area and are either one being forced to relocate due to displacement or two are simply being bought out by the people who are looking to move into the area, the benefits of the increase in housing value might not be an experience that they would have the fortune of having.

“Many residents appreciated the improvement in amenities and services .. the changes taking place in Clinton Hill and Harlem in some ways might be perceived as the normalization of commercial activities in these neighborhoods after decades of disinvestment”(pg.61-62).

Something that stood out to me was the overall acceptance of gentrifications in these neighborhoods. Apparently, ignoring the fact that both Harlem and Clinton Hill residents went through “urban renewal programs, the heroin plagues, the crack epidemic, and disinvestment” it’s no wonder people are acceptant to gentrification coming into their neighborhoods. Even though a strong numbers of people are opposing the movement, and are making statements like “If we keep sleepin’ in a few years won’t none of us livin’ in Harlem”(pg12).

The connection between this book

and the class reminds me of the discussion we had about gentrification in bush wick, when we spoke about white middle class people moving into the area and displacing the neighborhoods original residents. In addition this book also spoke about the commercial stores, better schools and the increasing amount of investment after all the years of disinvestment and being ignored by the government.