Creating “high opportunity” communities in Brooklyn

In early February I wrote in New York Slant about how “change” is a recurring theme for those of us working in community development and housing. As a native of Bedford-Stuyvesant I have witnessed dramatic changes over the past 10 to 15 years that have forced many low- to moderate-income families, often African- and Caribbean-American, out of northern and central Brooklyn. These are the families that power city government, work in health care and serve local needs through employment in government and nonprofit organizations, yet their housing needs have been overlooked.

A public intervention was necessary to accommodate Brooklyn’s full range of housing needs. The recently enacted Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability amendments to the New York City zoning law provide us with an opportunity to chart a different course and offer economic opportunity to Brooklynites in every corner of the borough.

The macro demographics of Brooklyn suggest that our borough is economically and racially diverse. However, a closer look reveals large pockets of economic and racial segregation. In communities like Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York and Brownsville, housing and schools have been segregated for generations. This also remains true to a significant extent in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods like Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

The consequences of this segregation are costly. A disproportionately high percentage of families in economically and racially segregated communities continue to suffer from limited access to healthy, reasonably priced food and well-resourced hospitals; high rates of diabetes, hypertension and obesity; poor housing quality; low perceptions of personal safety and physical and mental well-being; environmental challenges such as poor air quality; and disproportionately lower spending and exposure to arts and culture.

Moreover, research shows that even moderate-income African-American families that live in historically low-income and racially segregated neighborhoods have greatly reduced chances for asset creation and upward mobility.

To a very high degree, the economic composition of communities determines the opportunities for success available to the children and families who live there. Affluent or otherwise “high opportunity” communities support and advance residents’ economic progress. On the other hand, we’ve seen in Brooklyn and throughout the city that predominantly low-income communities generally fail to support families with sufficient resources to foster upward economic mobility. Decisions concerning where to place new housing are therefore obviously important.

Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability are long-overdue public-sector interventions in the real estate market – interventions that may be effectively used to increase economic and racial integration, thereby creating a smarter, more equitable city. These amendments, along with the other housing development tools and investments at the city’s disposal, provide an opportunity to craft mixed-income communities that increase the likelihood for upward economic mobility and other positive economic and social outcomes.

Mandatory Inclusionary Housing offers the potential for more equitable social and economic outcomes for residents through the thoughtful placement of new housing. Over the last decade, thousands of new units of housing were constructed in downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant. New pristine, essentially homogenous communities have sprung into being. However, few of these new units are affordable to households earning less than $62,000, and virtually none are permanently affordable. In many cases, the new developments have directly or indirectly uprooted families without any provision for their future living arrangements. In gentrified or rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, Mandatory Inclusionary Housing has the potential to, at a minimum, reduce displacement of low- and moderate-income families.

As the city’s population grows, so-called “frontier” communities such as Brownsville have become prime targets for new development. Mandatory Inclusionary Housing offers an opportunity for historically low-income and minority communities that have long seen a lack of investment to benefit from thoughtful planning. Increased production of low-income housing blended with increased levels of moderate-income residents can transform these neighborhoods into economically diverse, “high opportunity” communities. This is especially true when accompanied by public-sector investment in transportation, schools, parks, libraries and public safety.

We must keep in mind the benefits that housing can create in addition to shelter. This is crucial to ensuring that all New Yorkers have opportunities for upward mobility.

Colvin Grannum is the CEO and president of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.