The Brooklyn Brand

What is the Brooklyn “brand”? The word conjures up thoughts of trendsetters in Williamsburg and beat-makers in Bed-Stuy, of brownstoners in Park Slope and Coney Island’s long-standing sideshow. It’s hip, it’s chic, it’s swagger through and through. And right now, it’s never been hotter. 

From microbrews to artisanal goodies, branding a product as “Brooklyn” is a recipe for financial success. The borough is currently the namesake for two prime-time television comedies and a chart-topping pop single. And would you believe that the most popular girl’s name beginning with “B” in 41 out of the 50 states is Brooklyn? Our notoriety has clearly been valuable to real estate markets as well, as median rents are at or near all-time highs in virtually every neighborhood, presenting challenges and opportunities alike. 

It’s clear that more than a tree grows in Brooklyn. The “brand” it has blossomed into means something positive and powerful to people across the globe. As incredible as that has been to achieve—especially considering where our borough once was (and was not)—it is only the beginning of the greater mission that now lies ahead of us. 

How do we take Brooklyn’s popularity and turn that into prosperity for all? How do we reconcile a borough where some communities thrive and others struggle to survive? 

To me, the answer lies in capitalizing on what has been the basis of our borough’s boom. More specifically, we need to invest more of our public and private capital into our human capital. 

Brooklyn’s brand is its people, plain and simple. It is the resilience of residents who have lived through the bad years, the days of high crime and great storms, yet maintained their commitment to their communities. It is the can-do spirit of artists, innovators and entrepreneurs who have made this borough the launching pad for their dreams. It is the diversity that we see from Greenpoint to Gerritsen Beach, where the expression of cultures and creeds is loud and proud, creating a welcome mat for the whole world to find their little corner of home. 

The better Brooklynites do, the better Brooklyn and its brand will perform. That sounds intuitive, but in fact it is a sea change in approach from the trickle-down method that simply does not work, whether it’s in regard to the American economy or the advancement of Brooklyn. According to data from the most recent census, our borough, which has long been a haven for the middle class, has the third-greatest income inequality of any county in New York, the most unequal state in the nation; in fact, Brooklyn also ranks third nationally by this measurement among sizable counties, behind only Manhattan and Miami- Dade. Despite this “lofty” status, our borough’s median annual household income, as of 2012, is only $45,230, a paltry figure that reflects the struggle of families who can barely survive from paycheck to paycheck. 

Human capital investment requires connecting the incredible resources our borough possesses with the incredible needs of so many. We have the workforce development and mentoring programs to tackle unemployment. We have the preventive health tools to meet the systemic challenges to our collective physical and mental well-being. We have organizations that address the holistic picture of a child’s education. It’s simply time that we invest basic dollars and cents to ensure that every opportunity for outreach, including public concerts and festivals, is used to get Brooklynites the services they need and deserve. 

The development of Brooklyn is like a train rolling down the tracks: There’s simply no stopping it now that it has achieved its full head of steam. Yes, there is no question that government, in partnership with everyday Brooklynites, has a key role to play in making sure that future growth is responsible, contextual and embraces all communities. Still, the fact is that we are attracting investment from far and wide, as well as big-name events (even, perhaps, the Democratic National Convention). That train doesn’t need any extra fuel from us, nor should we apply the emergency brake; it simply needs to be steered down the best path by its conductors: Brooklynites who are empowered with the tools they need to achieve their full potential. That is the American dream, a dream that will be one step closer to reality when it comes stamped with the world-famous Brooklyn brand. 

Adams is the 18th borough president of Brooklyn.