Moving Forward: Music Hall and more
Michael Kamber's infectious energy and passion for education in the arts is well-aimed, and seemingly mirrored by his neighbors. As more attention is drawn to the South Bronx (the New York Times named it one of the "52 Places to go in 2017"), an increased interest in revitalzing the area has been spurred. In conjunction with NYC officials, BFC Partners and WHEDco's long fight to develop the new "Bronx Commons" has finally broken ground, which will provide a, "mixed-used development in the Melrose section of the Bronx that will include ... affordable apartments, retail space, and the Bronx Music Hall, [creating an] arts-centered community hub focused on the deeply-rooted history of cutting edge Bronx music."
Also, Kamber tells us that the BDC is, "getting started on a project on NYCHA. [We’ve] got 18 photographers, part of our Bronx Photo League. And we are specifically going to work ... probably up around Claremont, up around 169th and Webster, up in that area. We’ve already done some work in that area, so I think we are going to focus up there. We’ll probably spend the summer photographing up there, and doing a documentary project that will culminate in an exhibition and possibly a book."
But despite these positive changes (which are positive), Kamber fears that the increase in amenities and opportunity will -- instead of leading towards a sustainable middle class -- instead result in what he saw happen in Brooklyn. "I lived in DUMBO. DUMBO in particular I just saw the neighborhood kind of get wiped out, and then the city come in and claim success, and claim progress. But those of us who lived there, every last one of them were pushed out. All the factory workers, all the artists… You know they say there are artist there now but those are artists who can pay four-thousand-a-month rent, you know? They aren’t the artists who were there when I was there. And you know you look at DUMBO and you know it’s safer, it has a waterfront park, it has, you know amenities. The economy is booming, they’re paying taxes to the city … they can point to all kinds of successes, there’s free cultural events. You know you could say it’s like a win, but ... for those of us who lived there and lost our homes, it wasn’t a win, you know?"
The fear associated with gentrification is a serious concern, and for a neighborhood like Melrose, which for residents like Kamber maintains an element of "old New York," increased attention is a double-edged sword. But as Petr Stand, et. al. said in Melrose Commons, A Case Study for Sustainable Community Design, "The strength of any community lies in its ability to provide both for its current residents and for their children. This is defined by the value that is placed upon the individuals who live within the community and their vision of what their community is and how it should evolve."