By Nils Grube
John Leland reports in his article for the New York Times about current struggles in the once-industrial neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We already posted some articles about the topic this march ( 6th march / 13th march) and this case shows once again, how different the term gentrification is used for development processes in urban neighborhoods. In the article Neil Smith, geography professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, argues that the understanding of the impacts of gentrification has changed:
“It’s no longer just about housing. It’s really a systematic class-remaking of city neighborhoods. It’s driven by many of the same forces, especially the profitable use of land. But it’s about creating entire environments: employment, recreation, environmental conditions.”
