“Cities for People, Not for Profit”: Gentrification and Housing Activism in Bushwick

Abstract

The “Cities for People, Not for Profit”: Gentrification and Housing Activism in Bushwick project, whose initial name was inspired by Marcuse’s famous edition on urban housing, traces the history of ongoing gentrification and the subsequent fight for affordable housing in Bushwick, Brooklyn, from the perspective of artists, activists, and community residents. Unfortunately, while much has been written about the impact of ongoing gentrification in Bushwick, Brooklyn, not enough has been documented from the perspective of its Latinx residents. The author captures interviews that highlight the social, political, and economic effects of late-stage gentrification as it is unfolding in the neighborhood, with the narratives capturing a sense of immediacy in housing insecurity among Latinx residents, activists, and artists. These stories reflect the community-based nature of the project, which in turn echoes the project’s mission and goals for community-sourced solutions to gentrification and displacement in the neighborhood.