I thought it was important that the city is trying to acknowledge its Dutch and British colonial origins. Outside of St. Mark’s church, there was a sign recording all of the unmarked enslaved people buried there. At the Museum of the City of New York, the main exhibit made a point of detailing Lenape indigenous life before Dutch settlers pushed them out/slaughtered them.
It’s nice that the city is remembering its brutality, but it also makes for a weird vibe as one walks through the streets. There was for me always the sense that something had been lost, and I found myself imagining what the island of Manhattan must have looked like as more of a swamp. Even walking through Central Park, I couldn’t help but think of Seneca Village, the community of free African-Americans that existed in the 19th century. Razing land where people are already living is in no way an act of progress. There is always a better way. I think the city is trying not to make those same mistakes now, at least.
Recently there was a plan to add 1760 acres of new land to the southern tip of the island, which would provide housing for up to 250k people. I think this is a great idea, tentatively, if the government makes sure that housing is actually affordable and doled out fairly. It would be tragic to build the city up that much only for there to be more blocks of unaffordable high-rises. Hopefully the housing would also be green-energy friendly!
I think New York does a much better job at protecting its old architecture and neighborhoods than Atlanta. I know they’ve had longer to do that, but still. It was nice to see that the community fought for a recreation of Poe’s old residence at NYU.