We know we're always talking about or poking fun at hipster Williamsburg, but today's amNY serves up a reminder about a pre-hipster Williamsburg "that existed long before the first struggling artist arrived." In other words, 47 percent of Williamsburg residents are getting some form of public assistance. First, hipster gentrification caused dislocation and, now, luxury condo gentrification is doing the same. The article says:
Here are the modest houses of Polish blue-collar workers, the warrens of Hasidim to the south of the bridge and the mostly Latino projects sprinkled throughout. This is the Williamsburg where it seems more plausible that a staggering 47.1 percent of the Williamsburg-Greenpoint population is on public assistance, according to numbers compiled in 2005 by the Department of City Planning.Meantime, the city's plan to encourage more affordable housing in the neighborhoods isn't doing too well.
· The two sides of Williamsburg, Brooklyn [amNY]
· Unintended Consequences: Report Eyes Billyburg Housing Subsidies [Metro]