-what event influenced you to start doing street graffiti?
-Were you ever caught?
-What was it like growing up in queens during that time period? Was street culture a shaping factor in your identity today?
-Have you noticed any significant changes in the art?
– how did you feel when 5-points was white-washed “secretively” In the night?
I’ve been thinking long and hard about what questions I’d like to ask the person I interview within the Williamsburg area. These are the questions I’ve decided on:
1. How long have you been established in Williamsburg
2. Has the gentrification of Williamsburg done more good or bad for you; rent, friends, local shops closing
3. Where is the rest of your family?
4. Did the change within the neighborhood ever make you want to leave? Do you plan on leaving?
5. What is your favorite part about your neighborhood, and has that changed?
Questions for Michaela S.
1) What specific demographic changes have you noticed over time? How have they affected you personally?
2) What kind of drawbacks, or downsides, do you think come along with this kind of gentrification?
3) What was the neighborhood like when you first lived here? What has changed that you wish hadn’t?
4) Do you know many people that have lived in Bensonhurst their entire lives? How have neighborhood changes impacted their growth/experience?
5) What kind of future do you foresee for Bensonhurst? Why?
Additional Possible Questions
1) Are more people moving into Bensonhurst than out? For what reasons do you think?
2) With the following information in mind:
Median Household Income Owner Occupied: $73,660
Median Housing Cost: $664,000 (To buy)
Median Household Income Renter Occupied: $42,071
Average Housing Cost: $1,700 (To rent)
Do you think these living standards are affordable? How do you think they’ve impacted the neighborhood and it’s demographic?
[Aside: With a $664,000 cost, at approximately 10% down, with 5% interest and a 15-year mortgage plan, the average cost per month should be $3,500.]
1. What changes have you noticed in the kinds of businesses opening here in Ridgewood?
2. What happens more often than not to local bars here? Do they simply close down, or are they purchased and renovated?
3. Regarding your hobby of taking pictures, does it help you better understand the overall change that has taken place in your neighborhood?
4. Would you call Ridgewood a melting pot of demographics, or have you seen one particular one dominate in the last few years?
5. What similarities and differences do you see between Ridgewood and its bordering neighborhoods?
See NYT story, “Gap Between Manhattan’s Rich and Poor is Greatest in the U.S. Census Finds”:
NYT: September 18, 2014 New York Section
1. What made you want to open your business in Williamsburg?
2. What do you think will be your biggest challenge for next year as opposed to this year?
3. Did you notice the demographics of your customers change over the years?
4. Did you notice an increase or decrease in people needing veterinary care for their pets or has it been steady?
5. Do you believe that there is still a need for a Spanish-owned Veterinary clinic in this area?
1. What is it about that neighborhood that has made you stay here for so many years? And what are the things about the neighborhood that bug you and have tempted you to leave?
2. What are the clear differences you see that distinguish the newer/upcoming generations in the neighborhood from the older generations? Are there any similarities between the two?
3. Are you satisfied with the types of businesses that serve the community? If not, what do you think is missing?
4. What are the changes you have seen in the neighborhood from the early 20th century including in demographics, businesses, rent prices, churches, community groups, etc, to now?
5. How have you become accustomed to the increasing population of Eastern Europeans and other nationalities to the neighborhood? If not, why so?
6. Where do you see the community in the next 5, 10, or 20 years?
1.) What are some significant changes you have witnessed take place from when you moved into the neighborhood to the present moment?
2.) Can you elaborate on the history of Washington Heights? If you can, speak broadly to this issue then get more specific. What purpose does this history serves today?
3.) How would you describe the neighborhood’s ethnic make up and cultural lifestyle?
4.) What are key issues facing the community?
5.) Does Washington Heights have a huge gentrification problem? Please elaborate.