‘Emergent City’ Documentary Highlights Rare Anti-Gentrification Victory

The film charts the saga of a Brooklyn site called Industry City.

1 minute read

June 17, 2024, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Looking up at black multi-story building with Industry City neon sign on corner.

A building at the Industry City site in Brooklyn, New York City. | Kidfly182, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons

A new documentary, Emergent City, highlights zoning as it recounts the saga of a 35-acre Brooklyn industrial complex that served as a hotspot of anti-gentrification and environmental justice activism.

As Oscar Perry Abello explains in Next City, the consortium of developers that bought the complex in 2013 requested zoning changes that would make their proposed redevelopment more profitable. Local residents opposed the changes, saying that “Local landlords were already increasing rents beyond what existing residents and small businesses could afford in order to capitalize on the hype that Industry City was bringing to Sunset Park as a destination for high-end retail, leisure and office space. They argued a rezoning would only throw gasoline on that fire.”

Some community members proposed an alternate plan that would keep the site industrial and prepare it for solar and other alternative energy uses. The local city council member sided with the community, and the developers withdrew their rezoning application. “Although the community organizers won this particular zoning battle, the film also shows how the war for the future rages on.”

Friday, June 14, 2024 in Next City

Single-family homes in a suburban neighborhood in Florida.

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power

The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

June 16, 2024 - The Guardian

Multistory apartment building under construction.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing

Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

June 10, 2024 - Nooga Today

Aerial view of intersection in New York City with yellow cabs and zebra crosswalks.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths

Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

June 13, 2024 - Todd Litman

Brick high-rise apartment buildings in New York City

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply

New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

June 18 - University of Kansas

Couple on one side of desk with banker on other side looking at paperwork.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?

Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

June 18 - Shelterforce Magazine

Rendering of Glory Park in Lewisville, Texas.

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas

The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.

June 18 - Lewisville Leader

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.