Sunset Park

THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON SUNSET PARK, a vibrant working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn that has been shaped by both global and local economic forces and a continual influx of immigrants over the past century. Despite facing significant challenges, the community has managed to thrive and contribute to the development and economy of both the neighborhood and New York City as a whole.

The area’s history dates back to the 1600s when Dutch settlers arrived and established farmsteads along the waterfront. As New York City’s port industry began to grow, Sunset Park played a crucial role in its development, attracting immigrants from all over Europe, including Finns, Norwegians, Germans, Italians, Polish, and Irish. These early immigrants built institutions such as churches and hospitals that continue to serve the community today, although their demographics have shifted significantly.

After a period of economic prosperity, Sunset Park experienced a gradual economic and urban decline due to factors such as the deindustrialization of the waterfront, “white flight” to the suburbs, and the fiscal crisis that hit New York City in the 1970s. During this time, the Puerto Rican community, which had been present since the 1940s, grew and diversified with the arrival of immigrants from Latin America and Asia. Immigration reform in the second half of the twentieth century helped revive the neighborhood and transform it from a predominantly white immigrant community to a multi-ethnic one.

Today, with its vast waterfront and proximity to lower Manhattan, Sunset Park remains an attractive destination for newcomers and continues to be a dynamic and thriving community in Brooklyn. Overpriced residents from Manhattan and wealthy areas of Brooklyn are moving in seeking affordable housing opportunities and creating undesirable outcomes such as realestate speculation and gentrification. Sunset Park’s changes include new housing developments and creative industries that are threatening the existence of the local immigrant communities.

Despite community activism has been active in protecting the industrial waterfront and guaranteeing basic services for the local immigrant population, Sunset Park’s residents are facing new challenges. The impact of global and local investment is rising property values and putting long-time immigrant tenants, small businesses, and workplaces at risk of displacement. In addition, population growth and rising inequality are adding pressure on community spaces and services. Such conditions have unified those impacted in the community and urge them to work together to preserve its unique character and history.