Extreme Wealth and Poverty Grow in Brooklyn

A quick look at some of Brooklyn's demographic data illustrates a dramatic divide between the Borough's most wealthy and most poor - economic segregation at its extreme in America.

1 minute read

August 25, 2012, 5:00 AM PDT

By Andrew Gorden


In Brooklyn, New York City's wealthiest and poorest often live in close proximity. Elena Milin and Lore Croghan report, "[n]ow more than ever, Brooklyn has become a tale of two boroughs, with rich and poor in parallel worlds."

"We have more poor people in Brooklyn than the entire population of Detroit; we have more people on food stamps than the entire population of Washington, D.C.," Marilyn Gelber, president of the Brooklyn Community Foundation said. "Yet there are more wealthy people than in Greenwich, Conn."

Statistics compiled by Milin and Croghan paint a contrasting picture:

  • Sixty-nine people have been shot this year in Brownsville. Four miles away, a mansion at 70 Willow St. in Brooklyn Heights sold for the borough's highest-ever home price of $12.5 million.
  • Brooklyn sent five athletes to the Olympics but one in four borough residents is obese.
  • Brooklyn has 113 colleges and universities but only 29% of borough residents have college degrees.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 in New York Daily News

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

November 11, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6, 2026 - Grist

People walking in downtown St. Louis, walking past shops.

Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment

The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.

November 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

Construction in Dallas. An aerial shot of a wooden frame of an apartment building.

Dallas releases zoning code overhaul to officials

The drafted overhaul is over 400 pages long.

November 11 - Dallas Morning News

Canal street, where pedestrians are packed shoulder to shoulder.

NYC renovations for dangerous, ‘mercilessly crammed’ street delayed until 2027

Construction was supposed to begin this fall.

November 11 - Gothamist

A rendering of Midway Rising that shows people mingling in a green space between apartment buildings.

San Diego’s Midway Rising project gets greenlight from city council

The project looks to become the largest affordable housing development in California's history.

November 11 - KPBS

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.