Defensive Development Against Disinvestment: Early Black Gentrification in the History of Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Abstract

Studies of early gentrification have largely focused on cases of White gentrifiers in predominately White and Latinx low-income neighborhoods, which has overlooked the role of the Black middle-class and the presence of Black gentrifiers in early gentrification. In this article, we document the role of the Black middle-class in early gentrification in 1970s Fort Greene, Brooklyn, demonstrating their role in a “defensive development” strategy to protect the neighborhood from state-led demolition-style urban renewal. The Fort Greene Landmarks Preservation Committee, a Black, middle-class led coalition of multi-racial, middle-class residents pursued historic designation to preserve the multi-racial and predominately Black, mixed-income neighborhood from further demolition from urban renewal and disinvestment from redlining. Our findings confirm that early Black gentrification, like tract contemporary Black gentrification can both provide temporary protections for the Black community and lead to further gentrification.