Author Archives: Roxanne Torres
Blog Post #1: Amanda Burden Article Response
I like the way the writer began with Amanda Burden’s physical appearance. The details that the writer focused on such as the 60s style hair and her sheath dress immediately puts a picture to mind to what Burden might be like upon first impression.
It’s interesting how the writer focused a bit on Burden’s past of being a socialite and a fashionable “it girl.” These images of her are quite surprising given her job description. It also helps define her image of New York City and her goal to rebuild and update its neighborhoods to better suit the modern times.
Burden’s take on gentrification as “improvement of neighborhoods” rather than as a burden (no pun intended) sheds light on its positive aspects, such as making the city more livable and breathable despite the many buildings that seem to be sprouting up everywhere.
The last statement of hers really struck me since she mentioned maintaining the identities of the neighborhoods. I think despite the development and gentrification that’s being done, it’s important to keep their distinctive characteristics (i.e. small businesses). Those identities really depend on the residents themselves that have lived and built their lives in these neighborhoods.
Protected: Neighborhood Faces Query: Patricia Eggers (Updated)
Protected: Neighborhood Faces Query: Woodhaven (to be updated)
Woodhaven: Neighborhood of Choice
Woodhaven, Queens is the neighborhood I’m choosing for this assignment. Although it’s not as hectic and overcrowded as other neighborhoods in New York City, Woodhaven holds a small melting pot of about 30, 000 people. The demographic is mainly made up of Latin Americans and Caucasians; as time goes by, other ethnicities slowly trickle in.
I chose Woodhaven because despite it not being a place you hear a lot in local news, it’s a small neighborhood bursting with small businesses and locals striving to get by. While the men in suits make their way to Wall Street, the local 99 cents store owners make their way to open up their shops in the mornings. These small business owners are not only striving for earning, but for space as well.
Woodhaven residents have been dealing with many issues such as noise pollution and illegal conversions. These issues are very prominent along the street near where I live: Jamaica Ave. Small businesses and apartment buildings are crowding up the area under the noisy railroad station. 99 cents stores and salons are slowly taking over, forcing other small, private owned businesses to shut down and overcrowding apartment buildings even further. It’s a silent battle over space for a business to thrive and space for families to rent.
I chose Woodhaven because it is such a far cry from posh areas of New York City. The small businesses that exist in the neighborhood weren’t all built and started by the owners from an original, creative idea such as a clothing store or a vegetarian restaurant. They were built and created through desperation to pay rent and feed a family day by day.