Update 2/15/10: For more details about local public school options, see comments section below.

Having aired out our collective dirty laundry about what folks like least about Crown Heights, we wanted to end the week on a more positive note.   And thus we reveal the responses to our survey question: “What do you like most about Crown Heights?”

… And the # 1 answer is …

… the diversity of the neighborhood.  And it’s true – from the people to the architecture to everything in between – Crown Heights boasts an ecclectic mix.

In terms of how we tallied the results – as with the earlier post, we basically parsed through and sorted the responses into general categories.  So the percentage column indicates in what percentage of answers included some reference to the particular item.  Since people could list more than one aspect of the neighborhood that they liked, the percentages may add up to more than 100%.  Also, since there was a bit more variety with the answers with this one, we’ve only included the answers that appeared with some bit of frequency.

Stay tuned for the reveal of the final question….

As we continue to reveal the results of our recent survey, we delve into the question “What do you like least about Crown Heights?“  Not surprisingly, almost 50 percent of the answers included something about crime, drugs or violence.  Folks are also hankering for more healthy food grocery store options, cleaner streets and more business variety along the commercial corridors.

The full list is included below.  Basically, we parsed through and distilled the responses into general categories.  So the percentage column indicates in what percentage of answers included some reference to the particular item.  Since people could list more than one complaint, the percentages do not necessarily total 100% (if that makes sense).  For your reference, to date, 46 people have taken the survey – only 40 answered this particular question.

Any thoughts about the list?  Stay tuned for the results of the remaining two questions - “What do you like most about Crown Heights?“ and “What things are part of Crown Heights’ identity as a neighborhood?“

Speaking of the census, as you may recall, we conducted a mini census of our own a few weeks back regarding the blog and the neighborhood more generally.  For those who are interested, here are the results: 

• Who is visiting NP?
  • 88% are from Crown Heights,
  • 3% are from Bed-Stuy,
  • 3% from Prospect Heights, and
  • 8% are from elsewhere around the globe.
• What zip codes are representing?
  • 43% of respondents live in the 11216 zip code, followed by
  • 20% in the 11225,
  • 18% in 11238,
  • 8% in 11213, and
  • the rest from other zips.
• How long have readers lived in Crown Heights?
  • 48% are relatively new, only living in the neighborhood 0 – 4 years,
  • 30% have lived here more than 9 years,
  • 18% have lived here 4 – 9 years, and
  • the question was not applicable to the rest.
• How often do readers visit NP?
  • 45% visit once a week,
  • 25% visit 2 – 3 times per week,
  • 18% visit everyday, and
  • 10% rarely if ever visit.
• People visit NP because…
  • 50% visit to learn about Crown Heights,
  • 21% visit to learn about local businesses and restaurants,
  • 17% visit to learn about what’s happening around Brooklyn, and
  • 3% visit for other reasons.

Some may notice that the results of three of the more intriguing questions,“What do you like least about Crown Heights?”  “What do you like most about Crown Heights?” and “What do you consider part of Crown Heights’ identity as a neighborhood?” are left off.  In part because we want to build up suspense, and in part because we are a small volunteer staff of contributors and this is an easy way to stretch content over a couple of days we will post those results in the coming days.   Stay tuned!

“I lived in Fort Greene pre-gentrification and was priced out.  I lived in Harlem pre-gentrification and was priced out.  Believe me.  I know what gentrification looks like.  And it’s here [Crown Heights].” – Conversation with recent Crown Heights transplant/gentrification “expert”.

For the past few months or so, we’ve been following WNYC’s “Uncommon Economic Indicators” project – so in light of a recent conversation that we had with self-proclaimed gentrification expert, we decided to put our own NP spin on the project.  Our question to you: What are the “uncommon indicators” that gentrification has beset a neighborhood?   Anything that you’ve seen around Crown Heights?

We figured we would start the list off with some of our own observations:

1. Proliferation of coffee shops
2. Abundance of neighborhood blogs
3. Increase in neighborhood affordable housing forums

We invite you to weigh in on your thoughts about the “g” word.  Good thing?  Bad thing? Who cares thing?

A couple of weeks back, we posed the question whether the concept of deploying a local currency exclusive to Crown Heights (and/or other Central Brooklyn communities) would be a good way to help support the local business economy. [NP1]  The results are in. Of the nine readers who weighed in, the majority (56%) said that a local currency would be a good idea for the community; 33% thought it to be a silly idea and 11% were uncertain. Clearly the results are not scientific, but they are interesting nonetheless. Feel free to continue to weigh in if you are interested.  The results may be of interest to some local community planners…

[NP1] As an example, think about when you go to a fair or a Dave & Busters type establishment and turn in your money for tickets that can only be used at that venue.

We recently posted an article about the fate of rent regulation in New York in the wake of the now notorious “Albany defection”. Today, NYC’s Rent Guidelines Board is going to take a final vote on whether to pass their proposed 2.5% – 7.5% increases in the rent rates on regulated apartments. We came across a couple of articles online that add more depth to this conversation (or maybe more appropriately, “controversy”) and we wanted to share:

The first piece, posted on Uptown Flavor, describes mayorial candidate, Bill Thompson’s fight to put a freeze on raising rents.

“Our City has become unaffordable for a vast number of its residents,” Thompson said. “In Bedford-Stuyvesant or Bushwick, for example, a family making the median income for the neighborhood would need to spend two-thirds of that income to rent a three-bedroom apartment. In Washington Heights, Kingsbridge or Brownsville, it would cost three-quarters of their income; in Harlem or Mott Haven, that same family would spend 100 percent of its income on rent. [Emphasis in original]

The other side of the conversation is described in a very interesting article by the NYTimes. A campaign to raise rents leads to an “attempt to humanize landlords:”

In folksy tones, the five men and women describe themselves as small landlords who own only one or two buildings. And they talk, as birds chirp in the background, about their high costs.

One landlord, Ernst Endrich, a retired transit worker who owns two small buildings in the Bronx, says in an ad:  “I pay $50,000 in property taxes and water rates.” Another, Constance Nugent-Miller, a nurse who owns a six-unit building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, that has been in her family since the mid-1950s, says: “I use my second income as a nurse to pay fuel bills and make repairs. I do what it takes to provide quality housing my tenants can afford.”

So the real question is – how can these two competing interests be balanced? The need for affordable housing in New York City is darn near palpable. As the Uptown Flavor article points out, for many New Yorkers, the cost. of living. in the city. is overwhelming. their budget. Without housing the is truly affordable housing, the very diverse fabric of our city’s identity is threatened.

On the other hand, despite what we may want to believe, the reality is that many landlords are not cash-rich Bruce Ratner-like magnates. The rapidly rising rate of foreclosures underscores this point all too vividly. Undoubtedly, there are plenty of unscrupulous landlords. But the picture is bigger than that. Many landlords have families. And bills. Much like the entrepreneur who’s primary income is derived from product sales, or the laborer who’s primary income comes in the form of weekly paycheck, for many owners of property, rental income supports their livelihood.

Costs are rising. And this is a zero sum game. Who wins? Who loses?

This week’s poll was inspired by the lively discussion over our Nail Salons/Caribbean Take-out post.  The question: Where is the best jerk chicken in Crown Heights?