« Job seekers attend a career day sponsored by the New Jersey Nets November 22, 2008 in East Rutherford, New Jersey | Main | Is AY site in Fort Greene? Flashback to an odd caption »
November 29, 2008
Brooklyn at Eye Level - new posts
Here are some more excerpts from interviews conducted by The Civilians, as background for the new play about Atlantic Yards:
“I think it’s questionable to even call the Atlantic Yards agreement a “Community Benefits Agreement.” Because if you think that one of the definite defining points is that there is a coalition of community and labor, I don’t think they have that. They made a beeline to the developer…where was the community in that community benefit agreement? There are…all of the surrounding neighborhoods have community-based organizations that were never consulted.” - Urban Planner“My initial understanding of the project was that it was just a Nets stadium, and I thought, “Well what’s so wrong with that?” I’m not a huge basketball fan but I didn’t see the huge problem. Then I realized that there were houses being torn down as a result of the project and I thought, “Okay that’s crossing the line.” Eventually the whole problem of the project dawned on me: It’s not just that the project is making housing more difficult, which it is, but it’s a complete and total blight on Brooklyn itself, and me living close to it it’s just horrendous. Traffic will go through the roof, entire blocks will be cast in shadows throughout the entire day because of the office buildings and apartment complexes, which are going to be very expensive and as if housing in New York wasn’t expensive enough already. Ratner’s plans are ultimately going to only grant him a load of money and meanwhile put a total blemish on the face of Brooklyn. I said earlier that Brooklyn was like a rainbow in its diversity, and one might argue that this project is just another hue in the cultural rainbow; I respond, if you threw a dull brown-grey into the middle of a rainbow, it would seem out of place and ugly. That’s the problem with Atlantic Yards: It’s a total eyesore, a housing and traffic nightmare and there is simply so much more harm that can come out of this project than good.” - Brooklyn High School Student
Posted by amy at November 29, 2008 10:08 AM