Atlantic Yards Background

Oriented east of Flatbush Avenue, West of Vanderbilt Avenue, and South of Atlantic Avenue is an old railway yard, once known as Vanderbilt Rail Yards by, is a site of much controversy in Brooklyn, New York. The Atlantic Yards is a 22 acres $4.9billion development project devised by developer Forest City Ratner adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Green, a historical African American Community. The debate that surrounds this controversy is evocative of the current issues surrounding the urban development industry in many major cities around the world that is attributed to the expansion and overcrowding of cities. Cities are struggling to keep up with the rapid influx of migrates through initiating major infrastructure and housing developments. On March 11, 2010, the project finally broke ground after nearly eight years of lawsuits. Following the last major law suit filed in New York's Court of Appeals in November 2009 was dismissed, another challenge to the states use of eminent domain on behalf of Ratner.

Some would argue that Atlantic Yards a mix use development, aspired to uplift a city, has in-fact forgotten it. The community did not play a role on any phase of the design/construction process and planning principles circumvented. Supporters of the project see the economic benefits of the project's ability to create more jobs, millions of dollars in tax revenue and compensate for the need of subsidized housing, of which 2250 units are allocated for moderate income levels. Affordable housing has only recently been fulfilled as of March 2011 in a bid to cut costs through a prefabricated 34 story building.