Swgs 6208 - Community Assessment Harlem

Community Assessment – East Harlem

Fordham University

SWGS 6208

Jalana Harris

November 5, 2017

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to provide a neighborhood assessment of East Harlem, NY (USA), a primarily low-income neighborhood with a high proportion of foreign-born residents and situated in a global metropolitan area of New York City.  Although it is located only a couple of miles from New York City’s Midtown a world financial hub and extremely wealthy area, East Harlem has been afflicted by a fair number of social problems and it is among the poorest neighborhoods of the City.  However, in the past decade, East Harlem has experienced a wave of revitalization and it is becoming an increasingly attractive place to live, as the real estate market is booming, new cafes and restaurants are opening in big numbers and there is an increasingly appreciated art scene.  The downside of this phenomenon is the original residents face the threat of displacement due to the increasing rents and it is weakening its status as a Latin culture stronghold, in which a historically strong Hispanic community, which constitute the majority of the population, is slowly disappearing giving way to new residents, the so-called gentrifies who are able to afford the current rent prices.  I will provide, demographics, housing, social and economic conditions, income and wealth distribution, health and welfare systems, educational facilities as well as quality of education, social control, and social networks.

Demographics & History

East Harlem also known under the names of “Spanish Harlem” and “el Barrio”, is a neighborhood situated in northeastern Manhattan (New York City, USA) and it covers the Community District 11 (DCP 2016).  According to the 2010-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the population amounts to 120,603.  As with many neighborhoods in the city East Harlem is characterized by a very diverse demographic situation, with (46.1%) of the population defining itself as Hispanic (hence the names), (35.4%) as African-American and the rest as Caucasian (28.4%) and Asian (7.4%).  It is home to one of the largest Puerto Rican community in the United States (Ingenito, 2016), who constitute roughly 23.4% of the total population of the neighborhood.  The foreign-born population amounts to 25.9%.

Harlem’s history is represented by the construction by Irish immigrants of a railway line connecting this neighborhood with the rest of Manhattan, in 1837 and because of this easier means of transportation, many people desiring to live close to the center of New York City decided to move here, especially German and Irish immigrants (Wood, 2011).  East Harlem’s demographic growth continued at a fast pace, but the different ethnic communities did not live in peace with each other.  The Human Ecology brought competition and segregation and the social conflicts grew with each ethnic group that arrived (Bell, 2010).  

The first half of the 20th century brought in the first wave of Puerto Rican immigrants, because in 1917 they were granted American citizenship (Green, 2016).  Given the legal advantage they have had over the other immigrant populations to reside in the United States, their community grew very quickly in only a few years, especially between 116th and 145th Street, thus replacing the Italians and other immigrant communities and, by the 1940’s, East Harlem was known as “Spanish Harlem”, which it still holds today (Green, 2016).  

Housing

The economic downturn of 1929 began the issue of overcrowding and the disputes in the communities put a halt to economic growth in East Harlem.  Filthy conditions and the deteriorating conditions of the buildings, in which more and more people were crammed, brought the once thriving neighborhood to a period of decadence (Bell, 2010).  These issues were brought to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), whose goal was to bring Harlem back to normality (Wood, 2011).  The revitalization project included the construction of public housing that replaced old tenement buildings and the development of high-rise buildings.  

However, poorly maintained housing still remains an issue in East Harlem and are associated with negative health outcomes, including asthma and other respiratory illnesses, injuries and poor mental health (see chart pg.11).  A higher percentage of homes in East Harlem than in the city as a whole have maintenance defects.  The percent of renter-occupied homes with at least one maintenance defect in East Harlem is 76% compared to Manhattan at 57% and New York City at 59% (DOMMH, 2015).  These maintenance defects include water leaks, cracks and holes inadequate heating, presence of mice or rats, toilet breakdowns and peeling paint.

Today’s stage of development that East Harlem is experiencing, is different in many ways.  When speaking to residents the term “Gentrification” is heard loud and clear, whether in name or description.  This involves, “the process in which more affluent people move into an area and rehabilitate its buildings [to enjoy the advantages, activities, and services that can be available in an urban setting.] (Kirst-Ashman, 2014).  The neighbor grows more attractive, the poor resent the invasion of people with more money.  Property value, taxes and rents all increase, forcing many poorer residents to move out and find lower rents.  This represents the Conflict Theory; describing the “haves and have nots”.  This process of gentrification drives many people with low incomes out of East Harlem and are forced to search for inexpensive rentals which are often very limited.  To this end, high-end buildings are on the rise, new luxury shops are popping up everywhere, new businesses are moving in and the demographic component is changing rapidly.  These are several of elements that could explain why East Harlem has been nominated by the New York Times as one of New York City’s “next hot neighborhoods” (Higgins, 2016).  The proximity to downtown Manhattan, the average rents being lower than the rest of New York City and the efficient transportation system are some of the explanations that make this neighborhood ripe for gentrification.

Social and Economic Conditions

Close to one and eight East Harlem adults ages 16 and older is unemployed, and nearly half of the residents spend more than 30% of their monthly gross income on rent (DOHMH, 2015).

The average income of a family of four is roughly $33,600 (Solis, 2015).  An average of 31% of residents of East Harlem live below the Federal Poverty Level; it is the twelfth-poorest neighborhood in NYC (DOHMH, 2015).

It was noted by the writer the lack of “mom and pop shops” in East Harlem, which are considered small not franchised family-run business, with very few employees.  It is easily visible which stores have opened and subsequently have closed shortly after opening.  The latest development involves the closure of Pathmark in November 2015, a store that sold food and groceries at affordable prices, which led to 236 employees being laid off and the land where this building was sitting on has been sold to make way for luxury apartments (New York City Food Policy Center, 2015).  Because of this, there is now a lack of places providing healthy and affordable food options and could further increase weight related issues among the population.