Today concludes the end of my first full week with the IHP Cities program. We have been prepping for our 3 month journey through India, Senegal, and Argentina with an orientation in New York City. We have already hit the ground running, examining the biggest questions in urban planning happening in our country's most vibrant city.
This week, most of our work was based out of the Chelsea neighborhood, which is home to one of the most diverse communities in New York City. An old manufacturing neighborhood, Chelsea has transformed into a mecca of art galleries and new urban design. Starting in the 1990's, it became the home of NYC's gay community. Today, it is one of the most trendy spots for the wealthy to settle into their multi-million dollar town homes. Meanwhile, Chelsea serves as a home to the older manufacturing communities and residents of the long-standing public housing facilities on 26th Street. Thus, the nieghborhood is a bustling mish mash of personalities and privalege.
Meanwhile, our group has been living at a hostel in Long Island City, Queens, a world away from our classroom in Chelsea. The site is also an old manufacturing center, but has not yet been touched by development or gentrification. Many believe, however, that the neighborhood is set to change in the coming years. MoMa has already established a satellite museum here, and a developer has recently kicked out longstanding graffiti cultural center, Five Pointz, as he prepares to develop and sell the space. Change is most definitely on the horizon for LIC.
We have also used New York to help us prepare for our travels in the coming months. Earlier this week, we tested out Indian, Senegalese, and Argentine restaurants so that we could have an idea of the foods we would be experiencing later on. I ordered the baked fish at the Senegalese restaurant and recieved a plate piled high with a huge fish, head and tail and all. Its going to be an interesting semester! It is truly amazing that this diverse city has been able supply us with such a rich backdrop in urban planning in the world today. As we continue to study how cities work across the world, I look forward to comparing these cities with New York and DC back at home.