F O R CE S H I T E S O N R EA SON 'S BA C K. Benjamin Franklin
This report documents the community of Hunts Point. Statistics
[FIG 01] ECOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
are employed to illustrate significant aggregations; substantiate
maCRO SeCTORS
as well as contradict speculations; or underscore the narrative framework. Each number represents a human life. Contrary to
SOCIETAL + CULTURAL NORMS FOOD + BEVERAGE INDUSTRY MARKETING + MEDIA AGRICULTURAL POLICIES ECONOMICS
capitalist ideology, it is impossible to extract the individual from society. Consequently, the following data illustrates the social
LAND USE + TRANSPORTATION GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES + POLICIES FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION + DISTRIBUTION
fabric of humanity with implications that directly affect you.
ObJe C TIVe e N VIR ON m e N TS HOME SCHOOL + AFTER SCHOOL CHILD CARE
Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody,
WORK
only because, and only when, they are created by everybody [01].
RESTAURANTS
NEIGHBORHOOD + COMMUNITY
SUPERMARKETS BODEGAS PARKS
Studying any map of New York City will reveal that a mere 10 miles stand between Parsons The New School for Design and Hunts Point. The former is nestled into Greenwich Village and the latter, a peninsula hanging onto the margins of the South
ROADS + HIGHWAYS
S O C I a l e N VI R O N m e N T S FAMILY FRIENDS PEERS NETWORKS of SUPPORT
I N D I VI D U a l Fa C T O R S
Bronx. In less than one hour, a $2 Metrocard and the 6-train
COGNITIONS
can transport you from points A to B—from the land of plenty to the poorest congressional district in our Nation.
SKILLS + BEHAVIORS LIFESTYLE BIOLOGY DEMOGRAPHICS
And that’s where our story begins. Hunts Point spans 690 acres from the Bronx River westward to the Bruckner Expressway. Initially the formal elements of the community’s topography bear resemblance to Manhattan’s relatively manicured landscape. Roads. Sidewalks. Brownstones. Restaurants. Bodegas. Schools. Retailers. However, peeling back the urban sediment unveils the harsh realities of poverty. Since the 1980s Hunts Point has invested considerable time, energy and resources to shedding its reputation as the archetype of urban decay. Poverty plagued the community. Prostitution and drugs were the visibly lucrative commodities. Myriad neighborhood organizations emerged out of desperation— Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation, Sustainable South Bronx, The Point Community Development Corporation, and Bronx Community Board 2 just to name a few.
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[FIG 02] FIELD NOTES . AMY FINDEISS opposite page