There are, in fact, lots of families with kids living in East Harlem. The best time to witness that is in the morning when mothers and fathers are walking them all to area schools, some of which are better than others. Within the past year, I am definitely seeing more Nafler families (that's my term for Non-African American or Latino types), if that's really what you're after.
I'm not feeling the crowded thing, certainly when you compare it to midtown, where we used to live near Lincoln Center, or the currently popular Lower East Side. And convenience really is a matter of where you need to go. If, for example, you want to go to the Upper East Side, it's 10 minutes away. So is LaGuardia, and JFK is less than 30 minutes in fairly light traffic.
Hey, we have a kid too, and I think she is all the better for seeing every day that not everyone is as fortunate as she is.
There are a good number of journalists writing about the changing face of Harlem and El Barrio. The “rapid demographic changes” at the hands of young adventurous professional moving into the neighborhood “I say don’t believe the hype”.
Yeah, young adventurous newcomers’ walking and shopping on the streets of El Barrio, interacting with each other and gathering together in selectively nearby eateries and cafes.
The question for those families contemplating the possibility of relocating to El Barrio – should be - will El Barrio change at a rate that will suit these newcomers’? Do they understand the trials and tribulations residents of El Barrio are confronted with each day? The fact that El Barrio has been subjected to over twenty-two methadone programs and largest City Housing “Projects” in the United States.
The answer is “No”; these are young adventurous newcomers living in El Barrio temporary as guess. Most, are students, doctors, nurses and even tourist forced to occupy an apartment because of their obligation as a student and or commitment to employer?
Why are these individuals occupying apartment in El Barrio? The answer to the question is simple, they have no choice they are forced to occupy these apartments. Real Estate Strategist, Developers and the City Planning Commission collectively have decided to implement a logistic plan to gentrify specific neighborhoods. When the real estate market dries out in prime neighborhoods these opportunist must find vulnerable communities with the blessing of the City Planning Commission at the expense of low and moderate income families. They feel a need to find new methods of reinventing solutions to a shrinking city-wide market.
So, from my point of view, it appears that local newspapers and even websites are promulgating the myth in an attempt to generate a real movement for gentrification. Who’s responsible in pushing this myth and trying to convince newcomers’ to relocate in El Barrio and to other neighborhood? Who are these Real Estate Strategist and Developers secretly meeting and planning to influence the future of communities like El Barrio?
To prove my point, If you made a list of each and every appointee to the City Planning Commission for the past twenty years you will find a subtle legal conflict of interest or impropriety in the approval process of contract and subcontracts. This practice has allowed developers and their associates to acquire contracts from the City Planning Commission.
East River Plaza Development is one example that directly ties a global structural engineering firm to contracts with the blessing of the City Planning Commission.
For the past several years, this same structural engineering firm acquired numerous assignments to certify the structural soundness of residential and commercial developments. The information is readily available for anyone to find. I’m just personally puzzled, how this practice can continue to go on without due diligence or government interaction.
My recommendation to City Hall and government officials would be to revamp the current structure and replace member of the City Planning Commission with experience professors with a long history in the field of City Planning and with no prior affiliation with any developer or real estate strategist.
By: Nelson