Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports 2012
Demographics ■ Youth & Education ■ Economy ■ Housing ■ Environment ■ Health ■ Public Safety ■ Arts & Culture ■ Civic Engagement
From the Director
Gretchen Maneval, Center for the Study of Brooklyn Brooklyn is a vibrant and diverse borough, with over 2,550,000 people calling it home. The 4th largest city in the United States if it were not part of New York City, Brooklyn’s population is greater than Boston, Indianapolis and San Francisco combined. Brooklynites come from more than 130 countries, speak nearly 90 languages, and represent over 180 ethnicities. Brooklyn’s 18 Community Districts include over 70 neighborhoods, and still more communities within those neighborhoods.
Center for The Study of Brooklyn Staff Director Gretchen Maneval
It’s imperative that such a densely populated and dynamic city has ready access to timely, accurate and neighborhood-level data. Brooklynbased community groups and institutions, local government and businesses, and researchers and media deserve to be equipped with such data in order to make the most informed public policy, programming and funding decisions possible. As the only research center devoted exclusively to the study of public affairs in the borough, the Center for the Study of Brooklyn at Brooklyn College provides access to and produces critically relevant data and research about Brooklyn, and facilitates strategic planning initiatives and community needs assessments, for and with our community partners.
Senior Research Associate Lorna Mason
Each of the Center’s 19 new Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports- one for each of the borough’s 18 Community Districts, and one for all of Brooklyninclude over 90 indicators that explore 9 different theme areas. The data are presented in clear and concise visuals and text. Accompanying Data Tables provide even greater detail, as do the Data Notes. More in-depth analysis of each of the 9 theme areas will also be included in the Center’s forthcoming Brooklyn Trends Report, to be released in 2012.
Research Associate Christina Pisano
As we can see from the Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports, in recent years, much of the borough has been booming. Many indicators for Brooklyn as a whole show that we’re doing relatively well compared with ten and twenty years ago. However, in order to have the most accurate understanding of Brooklyn’s trends and needs, it’s essential that we look beyond the borough-wide numbers and consider what the data at the Community District level reveal. At this smaller scale, differences among indicators for various Community Districts emerge, such as those for educational attainment, employment and income, and housing affordability. Environmental, health and public safety conditions vary as well. Opportunities to participate in arts and culture, and to engage civically, also differ between neighborhoods. In other words, disparities among Brooklyn’s many communities exist, and there is change to be made. As the Center for the Study of Brooklyn launches our new Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports, we put them into your hands to continue the incredible work you are already doing here in Brooklyn- making positive change in your neighborhoods by engaging your elected officials, improving the services you and your families receive, and increasing resources for your communities. We are here to help in any way we canplease be in touch if you have questions, comments or would like more data to advance your important work. It’s high time that Brooklyn’s collective voice is heard, and it’s our hope that the Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports will provide this voice with clarity and power!
F rom the Brooklyn Community Foundation M G ,P arilyn
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Information is power. Information empowers. As the community foundation for Brooklyn, in addition to funding the best programs and ideas serving our borough, we are seeding projects that generate essential information to educate our 2.5 million residents about key issues and challenges in Brooklyn’s neighborhoods. The Center for the Study of Brooklyn is our information and research partner in this pursuit, gathering critical data, examining it closely, and sharing it with our residents, our businesses, our non-profit leaders, and our public sector officials to use as a tool for informed decision-making. The Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports create a profile of the civic health of the borough and its 18 Community Districts; it is an incredibly valuable new resource for Brooklynites to measure quality of life in the place they call home. As we analyze the indicators of civic health in Brooklyn, we can begin to identify trends, both encouraging and alarming, that are shaping our borough’s growth and development. This will not only inform the Foundation’s grantmaking, but empower our donors and our residents to take on local challenges and create positive change from the ground up. We encourage you to utilize these Reports to their fullest, to help you to Do Good Right Here.
Research Associate Edward Morlock
Advisory Board Willard Archie Brooklyn College Alumnus Joan Bartolomeo Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation Adam Friedman Pratt Center for Community Development Marilyn Gelber Brooklyn Community Foundation Kimberly George Greater Brooklyn Health Coalition Carl Hum Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Christobal Jacques Brooklyn District Public Health Office, NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene Stuart P. Leffler Con Edison Jerrold Mirotznik Brooklyn College Mohammad Razvi Council of Peoples Organization