In the fall of 2009 UMP students at the Secondary School for Research closely examined the neighborhoods of Park Slope and Gowanus, both of which continue to be impacted by the trends of migration, development, and gentrification. The students took photo walks, read articles, researched the neighborhoods’ histories and argued their opinions in seminars and debates. The students then applied what they learned about trends and history in these two neighborhoods to a close examination of their own communities.
At the end of the semester, students organized their work into a formal exhibition of photographs, texts and multi-media pieces demonstrating their connection to, and observations of, their borough. Opinions on what is the Greater Good for Brooklyn are as varied as the students in the course, but regardless of their point of view, the students’ observations reflect an awareness that daily changes are erasing the Brooklyn the students might have imagined to be permanent.
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