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November 19, 2010
JOURNAL ENTRY 26
DALYA ARUSSY'S WRITING NEW YORK BLOG
Is there a gender angle to the Atlantic Yards fight?
Similarly, the Atlantic Yards project revolves largely around this perceived danger of not developing the area versus the perceived danger of developing it. The argument in favor of the project is not necessarily gendered, but does center around the blighted-ness of the area and the prostitution and other illegal activity that was at some point characteristic of that region. The argument against the plan discusses the gentrification of a diverse area and transforming something that was already organically revitalizing itself. In that sense, the opposers of the development are trying to convince people to embrace the diversity and the dangers of the city and recognize that those are integral parts of NYC. Although, the gender and women aspect does not play a key role in the Atlantic Yards debate, the role of duality and recognizing the difficulties of the city is central to both sides of the argument.
NoLandGrab: "The prostitution and other illegal activity that was at some point characteristic of that region?" Well, there's plenty of illegal activity in the region of Bruce Ratner's malls. As for prostitution, there've certainly been a few politicians and state agencies willing to pimp for Bruce, too.
Posted by eric at November 19, 2010 4:50 PM