The Controversy
It is essential to note that the project does not demonstrate elements of legal corruption. In spite of this, Atlantic Yards project tends to rely on utilization of the ‘culture of cheating,’ which relates to the term from David Callahan’s book, The Cheating Culture: Why more Americans are doing wrong to get ahead. The controversy relates to the approach in which the end tends to justify the means, thus, the betrayal of the promises, which pervade the project. These actions did include the role of the project promoters, lawyers, consultants, and community partners.
It is critical to note that the cheating has undergone without notice by the media practitioners or press. The main issue with the Atlantic Yards is the fact that its CBA is not representative of the community. A significant portion of the residents in Brooklyn is opposed to the project because of the extensive implications on the region, as well as the lack of invitation of the community members to negotiate effectively and efficiently (Lavine& Oder, 2010). Lack of input from the stakeholders, with most concerns about the project’s effects on the community has been essential weakening the CBA towards addressing the demands and expectations of the target audiences.
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Eminent Domain Issues
The execution of the project is essential in the course of demonstrating the accounts to perpetuate those that have more or less dominated the public sphere. Atlantic Yards project has been essential in the course of generating diverse decisions. For instance, certain practitioners believe that the project represents an egregious violation of democratic process. Similarly, others believe that the project represents the obliteration of the vibrant communities while utilizing colossally scaled and instant gentrification.
Thirdly, the project is a representation of an enormous transfer of the public wealth to the giant developer far more than the existing putative benefits. This is through continuing the radical redistribution of wealth upward that has been on the increase in the recent decades. Atlantic Yards project acts as an example of what goes on across the nation in the urban environments, as well as the inner-ring suburbs maintained through the interview. Atlantic Yards Project is like any other development program. Nevertheless, the project tends to incorporate diverse consultation with the relevant stakeholders in the course of offering affordable housing structures and expertise in responding to the existing concerns.
Development
The project has focused on the improvement of the living conditions of the target audiences or the urban dwellers within the region, thus, the platform to facilitate elimination of the poverty issues in the contemporary society. The objective of the development plans is to improve the conditions of the society members while empowering them in pursuit of their goals and targets. Another aspect of this development is the integration of quality services and amenities for the improved living conditions (Orueta& Fainstein, 2008). The empowerment also contributes to the generation or creation of employment opportunities to facilitate an increase in the income levels of the city dwellers. From this perspective, the development plan has been an essential process of enhancing the economy of the city while reducing the level of poverty in the contemporary context.
Housing
One of the issues facing the city of Brooklyn was the house shortages. Integration of this project has been essential in the course of improving the living conditions of the city dwellers through the generation of affordable housing structures, as well as quality amenities. The housing structures focused on adhering to the needs and expectations, as well as capabilities of the target audiences within the case of Brooklyn. It is vital to note that the approach was ideal for the improvement of the coverage of the project to enhance its attractiveness among the dwellers of the region. The housing approaches were valuable in improving the output or return of the project in agreement with the demands and expectations of the city dwellers.
CBA: Community-based Agreement
The project has focused on the integration of good jobs, affordable housing, social justice, and livable neighborhoods to substantiate the development projects. CBA refers to the private contract between the developer and the community coalition aiming at setting forth the benefits, which the community will be able to receive from the development program. Some of the common benefits in this context include increased local hiring and training programs, affordable housing, living wages, environmental sustainability, and adequate funds for the community programs (Markey, 2009). From this perspective, CBA aims at ensuring that the development is equitable and beneficial to all members of the society or community. The CBAs also play critical roles in guaranteeing the realization of the livable neighborhoods and increased public participation in the planning process.
Since its interception, the project has been essential in the course of encountering broad opposition from the Brooklyn residents because of the involvement of the eminent domain in the course of executing the project. It is crucial to note that the Atlantic Yards CBA was a negotiation involving the developer and the eight community groups in agreement with the Staples Center agreement. The CBA for this project did include affordable housing, living wage, the first source and minority hiring provisions, commitment to the building and construction of the care center, and the benefit of free basketball tickets for the neighborhood residents.
However, there has been a negative reaction to the CBA in spite of the presence of some praise for concessions in the agreement. According to the critics, several coalition members did engage in the negotiation of the agreement. Similarly, the critics did cite the fact the developer did not demonstrate any intention to bargain in good faith.
Construction
In the course of understanding this project, it is valuable to understand the construction contributions. The Atlantic Yards Project exists on a massive 22-acre high-rise real estate plan in which the developer focuses on the construction of the houses in a low-rise neighborhood in the context of Brooklyn. There has been a delay in the construction of the Atlantic Yards arena because of the litigation, as well as other major provisions of the CBA, which are yet to undergo implementation.
Jobs
Other than the provision of affordable housing structures, the project has been able to offer quality employment opportunities for the constructors and sub-ordinate staff in the region. These employment opportunities are valuable in the process of addressing the needs and demands of the consumers through increasing their revenues and income levels, thus, the volume of spending and investment in the industry or economy.
Neighborhood Perks
The project has been vital in the course of promising certain benefits to the consumers regarding their empowerment in pursuit of sustainability and competitiveness. Similarly, the benefits did relate to the integration of the free basketball tickets for the residents for engaging in the profits. The project has focused on the execution of plans to help solve parking issues, which might arise in the region, thus, the platform to facilitate efficiency and effectiveness in addressing the demands and expectations of the target audiences.
Reflection
Categorically, I tend to believe that Atlantic Yards project is the right project, which was at the right time in the right place concerning the case of Brooklyn. The project did aim at addressing the demands and expectations of the target audiences in the case of Brooklyn. The project comes out as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to facilitate generation of the center of urban life, which Brooklyn has demanded for a long time. The project has been able to integrate crucial and important amenities to address the demands and expectations of the Downtown Brooklyn area.
Atlantic Yards project is essential in the course of offering and representing a chance to affirm the identity as the most ethically, as well as economically diverse urban area in the context of the United States. Similarly, the project is crucial in the generation of a national model for the 21st-century development with the ability accommodate future population increases through creation or generation of appropriate mixed-uses for every downtown. The project tends to exist in a location, which is served by an unprecedented number of public-transportation modes. Nevertheless, the project should have focused on incorporating ethical and moral perspectives in addressing the demands and expectations of the consumers rather than using the end to justify the means.
References
Lavine, A., & Oder, N. (2010). Urban Redevelopment Policy, Judicial Deference to Unaccountable Agencies, and Reality in Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards Project. The Urban Lawyer , 287-373.
Orueta, F. D., & Fainstein, S. S. (2008). The New Mega‐Projects: Genesis and Impacts. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research , 32 (4), 759-767.
Markey, N. (2009). Atlantic Yards community benefit agreement: a case study of organizing community support for development. Pace Envtl. L. Rev. , 27 , 377.
