Place + Displaced
Mapping Cultural Vitality for Civic Participation
New York City is losing its neighborhoods. Cycles of arts-driven gentrification threaten to displace newcomer artists and longtime residents alike. Yet these groups are largely isolated from one another, with disconnects related to race, ethnicity, class, and age.
Place + Displaced is a community mapping and civic participation project that identifies sources of cultural vitality to support neighborhood self-determination. Based on the premise that a healthy cultural sector engages with the wider community, the project seeks to foster dialogue and strategic alliances between artists and other residents at risk of displacement. Artists and cultural organizations gain a politically potent and community sensitive approach to organizing that illuminates the extraordinary breadth and depth of New York City's cultural life.
Place + Displaced engages neighborhoods in different stages of gentrification. In Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick, Brooklyn (where work began 10/06 and will continue through 10/08) we've clarified our vision, articulated our values, and refined our methodology. Subsequent communities, including Long Island City and a Manhattan neighborhood (TBD), will each take 6-12 months to complete.
The mapping process employs participatory action research whereby community groups document their constituencies and articulate their concerns. Brooklyn partners include El Puente, Arts in Bushwick, Williamsburg Gallery Association, and Academy of Urban Planning. The maps will live on in an interactive and multilayered website showing artists, cultural organizations, and creative industries. Multimedia narratives will lend a human aspect, while the Pratt Center for Community Development will provide an analysis of changing demographics and real estate patterns. Project data will be available for partners to use as a tool for ongoing political engagement and community empowerment. Fractured Atlas will work on city and state levels to advocate on actionable issues identified through the mapping. A report will summarize our methodology, lessons learned, key issues, and opportunities for change.