CBAs as an alternative to ULURP: A Case Study of the Atlantic Yards Land Use and Civic Improvement Project
Abstract
According to U.S. Census data in 2013, Brooklyn’s population has grown by 10.1 percent between the years 1990 and 2011, however, closer inspection of this data by demographic and income categories, tells a slightly different story. The percentage of African Americans living in Brooklyn fell by 3.8% between 2000 and 2011 alone. Although many observers point to speculative “market rate” rental increases and increasing record property values as the major contributors to gentrification and displacement, there are more sides to the same coin that also need to be considered. Countless news articles, from the New York Times and the New York Daily News, for example, have speculated a growing trend of Blacks moving to different neighborhoods either outside of, or further within Brooklyn, and away from Manhattan. Meanwhile, the White and Asian population in these areas continues to grow. The popular assumption among scholars, social scientists, and the media is that the process of gentrification is relentless and as time progresses, more skilled, white, and educated professionals will be making Brooklyn their new home. Consequently, buildings in Brooklyn are experiencing a sharp rise in property value, leaving former tenants of low-income neighborhoods priced out. However, there are deviant cases where the relentless nature of the gentrification process is challenged. I set out to unearth events where alternative legal mechanisms are used to negotiate with community-based organizations on the part of developers seeking to build affordable housing projects and use that to promote affordable housing objectives. Through qualitative research and social movement theory, I evaluate the success of the implementation of these benefits by exploring their methods, motives and impact on the community residents at the ground level, through a case study of the Atlantic Yards Land Use and Civic Improvement Project.
Subject Area
Law|Land Use Planning|Urban planning
Recommended Citation
Papageorgiou, Catherine, "CBAs as an alternative to ULURP: A Case Study of the Atlantic Yards Land Use and Civic Improvement Project" (2016). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI10181384.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI10181384
