Research Statement

133 Berry Street

Brooklyn, NY

I find it a challenge to intervene with the Williamsburg neighborhood partly because the area consists of many developed resources. Williamsburg already contains many green areas (parks), shops, and residential buildings. Innovation is everywhere in the area which is essential for an area to move forward but, it also strips away the rich history and original aura of Williamsburg. I want to create a community engaged designed space that brings the old Williamsburg to the present Williamsburg.

Before I do that, I need to deeply investigate the area and it's history in order to focus on one topic. I want to understand the area and why it is becoming to gentrified today. 

First step in my research of my location is to put it into context with the surrounding environment. To do so, I am going to research the history of Williamsburg. I mainly want to focus on the migration of the inhabitants and their impact on the overall mood/ambiance of Williamsburg. 

Next, I want to find more information about the gentrification of Williamsburg. I want to find how the cost of living there has changed, what has caused the cost of living there to increase? I then want to see the gentrification effects on the residents of Williamsburg. What are the demographics and the area? Is there a division between the new and old residents? How do old residents feel about the changing neighborhood? How do new residents feel about the neighborhood? Why is Williamsburg a "hipster" hot spot?

I then want to focus in on the people in the area. What is the present culture? How was the atmosphere shifted in the past 30 years?  Do most inhabitants commute to Manhattan for work? Schools in the area? More families moving in? What are the most popular spots to visit in Williamsburg? How safe is the area? How spiritual are the people? How popular is street art? What is the culture of the street life in the area?

With this information above, I can put my site in context with the surrounding environment. I want to find out what used to be in the empty lot I have chosen and why it is a deserted piece of space on the block. 

Since a Tibetan cultural center is being built beside my chosen lot, I want to find out exactly why that is being built there. Also, I have to research more background information on Tibetan culture. Is there a strong Tibetan influence in the area? If so, I could make my space in relation with the Tibetan Cultural Center. 

The topics I want to research above will pave the way for an overall theme to my research paper. My research paper is more along the lines of an inquiry.

Below is a start of research material and resource information to explore:

(I used www.worldcat.org)

• For context on Williamsburg:
• 1) Benardo, Leonard, and Jennifer Weiss. Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges, and More Got Their Names. New York: New York UP, 2006. Print.
• Cianni, Vincent. Photographic Prints Depicting Roller Blade and Street Culture in the Williamsburg Neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. 1983-2004. Archive of Documentry Arts (Duke University), Durham, NC. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/ciannivince/>.
• I have to contact archivists to have online access.
• Reiss, Marcia. Williamsburg Neighborhood History Guide. Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Historical Society, 2000. Print.
• Columbia University Libraries/Information Resources:
• Link to catalogue search of "williamsburg" http://clio.columbia.edu/catalog?q=williamsburg&search_field=all_fields&commit=Search
• DeSena, Judith N., and Timothy Shortell. The World in Brooklyn: Gentrification, Immigration, and Ethnic Politics in a Global City. Lanham: Lexington, 2012. Print.
• Location: NYU Elmer Holmes Bobst Library New York, NY 10012 United States
• PLACES TO VISIT AND FIND MORE INFORMATION:
• New York University: University Archives

• Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, 10th Floor
  New York,  New York  10012  MAP IT
  United States
• Brooklyn Public Liabrary
• Culture:

• Anasi, Robert. The Last Bohemia: Scenes from the Life of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012. Print.
• Summary: A former resident describes the transformation of Williamsburg, Brooklyn which went from a gritty industrial district, to an artist's colony, to housing members of the dot-com boom, to an area now known for hipster culture and real-estate development.
• Loacation: NYU Elmer Holmes Bobst Library New York, NY 10012 United St
• Abramovitch, Ilana, and Seán Galvin. Jews of Brooklyn. Hanover, NH: University of New England Brandeis UP, 2002. Print.
• Location: NYU Elmer Holmes Bobst Library New York, NY 10012 United States
• Bauman, Wendy, and Michael Cohn. The Hasidic Community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Brooklyn: Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, 1963. Print.
• Location: Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives
• Nathan, Paul. Generation Ink: Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Brooklyn, NY: Pelluceo, 2012. Print.
• Summary: A short stroll up Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, reveals a veritable walking art gallery with flesh as medium. Hipsters sit on the stoops of brownstones or on the benches outside cafes and restaurants showing off their ink. Others whizz by on their fixed gear bicycles flashing heavily detailed designs on calves or messages on knuckles. In nearby McCarren Park, young women loll about on the grass in bikinis. Many show off full back pieces, chest pieces, or sleeves - sometimes all three. Their male friends have equally elaborate etchings on arms, legs and torso... This is Generation Ink, the generation of 20-somethings who regard tattoos as a form of self-expression and a memento of personal freedom. Photographed in Williamsburg by Paul Nathan, this collection of black and white studio portraits is an unsentimental snapshot of a moment in time. Featuring an essay by Nadine Rubin Nathan. 
• Location: The New School Library
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• Tibetan culture:
• Mullen, Eve. The American Occupation of Tibetan Buddhism: Tibetans and Their American Hosts in New York City. Münster: Waxmann, 2001. Print.
• Location: New York Public Library