Housing Got You Down? Turn to History for Hope

Brooklyn, NY - upfromflames - Wednesday, April 4th, 2007 : goo

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In the current NYC housing market, it can get a depressing if you don't have
a house-not to mention the deep savings to get a down payment on one. And
the prices just keep inching up and up.

www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/nyregion/03property.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/03/america/NA-GEN-US-British-Firm-Harlem-Housing.php

With real estate serving as more of an investment (thanks Wall st. bonuses!)
than the makings of a home, housing has become (much more) privilege than
right. This is especially true for the poorest of New Yorkers, struggling to
make rent a manageable part of their meager paychecks-in a market that has
forgotten their needs.

So when the NY Times real estate page gets me down, I think longingly back
to guys like A.T. White, whose buildings (on Hicks St. and between Warren
and Kane in Cobble Hill) set a 19th century standard for workers housing.

White believed that "any form of tenement bred evil":

##Proclaiming that philanthropy and profit were not impossible companions,
White wanted to illustrate that building decent housing for workers could
also be a good proposition.## *

His works encouraged other buildings at the time. If only they could
encourage others today.

Perhaps there is too much money to be made. But there are also too many
people to house in this city of ours. And it will only get worse as our
projected million accumulates. How much money has to be made before we deal
with the things in the right way?

So when the NY Times real estate section gets you down, go on and visit it
yourself.And have hope.

* from "Two cities: New York and Brooklyn the Year the Great Bridge Opened",
NYC Brooklyn Education and Cultural Alliance, 1983

PS: The joke is: I wonder how much it costs to live their today?

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