Kelly Anderson's documentary My Brooklyn tells the story of gentrification through the lens of corporate interests in urban planning.
Kelly Anderson's documentary My Brooklyn focuses on the effects of rezoning on gentrification.
A Brooklyn resident for 25 years, Anderson collaborated with race historian Craig Wilder to reveal that gentrification is not just about people moving in and out of neighborhoods. She "decided not to dig into the well-worn territory" of the gentrification story, which highlights the displacement of black and Latino groups by white residents, but focused her narrative on the effort of corporations to "revitalize" Downtown Brooklyn and Fulton Mall by lifting building height restrictions, building luxury condos, offering property tax incentives to prospective buyers and undercutting small businesses like pizza parlors, barbershops and bookstores.
The documentary features failed efforts by the Downtown Brooklyn community and its representatives like Families United For Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) to present their case to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCED), and includes interviews with prominent locally bred musicians, shoppers and business owners who feel like they are fighting a losing battle.
The film is playing through Feb. 3 at reRun Theatre in DUMBO.
FULL STORY: The Real Story Behind the Gentrification of Brooklyn

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

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)