Residential Upcoming  

A participatory, non-participatory, and non-obtrusive observation was conducted on the morning of October 30th, 2020 as well as of December 1st, 2020. These observations were conducted via zoom, and a in person walk through west Harlem specifically on west 125th street between Broadway Ave and St. Nicholas Ave. The purpose of this observation was to have a better understanding of what government officials/community board members are proposing to help the residents that are impacted by the redevelopments of their buildings as well as how the residents are expressing their concern at the matter. One of the panelists that presented during a community board meeting discussed the legislation that could benefit the residents living in community board 11. This legislation defends residents that may have a criminal background by setting a bar to the landlord to prevent offenders from receiving a stable rent. In addition, the walk-through Harlem brought a better experience of the community and of the people that pass-through Harlem. These observations were of the projects located on the west side of Harlem as well as the plans to construct new mixed-use buildings in Harlem that will be used by both residential and business aspects. 

The observations that I noted ranged from West 145th street Harlem to the West 125th street from Broadway Avenue to Malcolm X Blvd. The observations began at 12pm to 6pm and started off by observing the newly added or recently renovated buildings located near 135th street (image on the right). It continued to 125th and noticed an increased number of residential buildings being constructed in place of some historical buildings that stood there for years (image below show the planned building for the future).

In addition, there was also a notable number of buildings that have been modernized by a university located in Harlem that is Columbia university. This has also impacted the residents of Harlem by expanding their campus which in hand result in a higher demand for property due to them revitalizing some buildings that are only accessible by Columbia students and faculty.

At this point I have gathered information about the residential buildings such as plans, constructions, and current uses. From this I have seen how the additions of new residential buildings and plans affect the demand of housing in Harlem and how government officials attempt to protect the rights of residents and tenants of Harlem but struggle due so, to certain buildings that are privately owned and attract new people to come and buy these housing apartments.