On our last site visit, we got the opportunity to take a closer look at the Van Dyke Houses in Brownsville, Brooklyn. We had the chance to speak to and meet with Jamal Evans, who works at the Community Justice Center and is a MAP Engagement Coordinator for the Neighborhood-STAT team for the Van Dyke Houses. Completed in 1955, the Van Dyke Houses has suffered from poor maintenance and up-keep over the years as well as an under-used open space.
To begin, Jamal showed us some of the empty open spaces around the housing estate. As part of the neighborhood revitalization initiative, these plots of land are beginning to be used to host events and pop-up markets to envision a future for it. Examples mentioned were events to promote physical activity and healthy eating. Activities such as a basketball tournament, dancing, juicing and an outdoor pop-up gym was included as part of the event.
Another initiative was to activate desired pathways. A desire path is a path created because of erosion caused by foot traffic. The path usually represents the most easily navigated route between an origin and destination. These desired pathways would be activated and beautified with wood chips to highlight the pathways as well as adding benches, trees, flowers etc. One of the challenges is that since many of these pathways are close to the edges of the building, many passers-by may fall victim to trash thrown down from the windows of the homes. As a result, it may require adding additional roof covers or implementing more proper waste disposal systems.
We also got to go inside one of the buildings at Blake Ave built between 1958 – 62. We observed the conditions of the buildings, how often it was cleaned and maintained by the staff, the general feel when you enter the complex, its materiality as well as analyzed issues of accessibility. We also visited the Van Dyke Resident Association Office, where we got to meet with Ms. Kenner, president of the Van Dyke Resident Association for 12 years. She stressed the importance of keeping the community in consideration when developing projects in the neighborhoods by valuing their thoughts, opinions, needs and wants. It is crucial to respect the voices of the people in the community.
We also spoke to Hassan, who works at the Grant Associates Job Plus Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The Jobs Plus Center provides financial and career services as well as free training to anyone in the Brownsville neighborhood. He also spoke about the biases when computing the Area Medium Income (AMI), which determines the rent of the neighborhoods. The AMI includes both impoverished and rich neighborhoods as a result of which, the rent calculated is much higher than what a low-income family might be able to afford. The revelation got us thinking on might we challenge older models and develop new more equitable models.
As we wrapped up our visit, we look forward to the Community Day in Brownsville in the coming few weeks where we will be able to share our ideas and engage the neighborhood towards creating a just and equitable future for all.