Research Fellow, Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center, Brooklyn
Chairman, Harbourfront Commission, Hong Kong
Principal, Outside New York, New York City
Director, Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center, Brooklyn
NY American Planning Association, Manhattan
Brooklyn Office Director, NYC Department of Planning, New York City
President and CEO, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn
ROBERT A. LEVINE
President and CEO, RAL Companies, New York City
President and CEO, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, New York City
Project Director, NYC Department of City Planning, New York City
Borough President, Brooklyn
JACK S. NYMAN
Director, The Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute, New York City
Professor, The College of Staten Island, CUNY
President, NYC Economic Development Corporation, New York City
RONALD L. SCHWEIGER
Historian, Borough Hall, Brooklyn
Principal, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Brooklyn
A Brooklyn Model for Preservation and Change
SUBJECT:This conference will explore the tensions between preservation and change that are now playing out along Brooklyn's waterfront from Greenpoint to Coney Island
For more than a century, the New York City region was one of this country's dominant manufacturing hubs. And due to its location on the East River and the New York Harbor, Brooklyn's waterfront was the city's industrial center with scores of maritime operations, factories, warehouses, and sugar refineries. In 2007, the National Trust for Historic Preservation highlighted some of the challenges facing development. It wrote, "...Historic dockyards and factories are being demolished by developers anxious to cash in on the area's newly hip status…and what is left of that striking architectural and historical legacy is now at risk. Also at risk are the places that make Brooklyn work, the buildings and sites that house manufacturing and industrial jobs.
"This conference will explore the tensions between preservation and change that are now playing out along Brooklyn's waterfront from Greenpoint to Coney Island. Is it possible to achieve a sophisticated preservation agenda that preserves not just buildings and physical fabric, but also the ways of life, work, and play that are associated with the physical place? How do we preserve and celebrate the historical past in the face of inevitable change? Why do we choose gradual change and reuse in one time and place, but drastic change and obliteration in another? What is the role of the economic forces in the City and region that impel change?
These questions and others will be addressed. In a morning gathering, this event will bring together different parties to include those with architectural, planning, and economic perspectives.