It's All About Real Estate

14/11/2023 Long Island City, New York City, United States

In conversation with Jenny Dubnau from Western Queens Community Landtrust

"It's all about real estate," as Jenny Dubnau describes the future of Long Island City, Queens.

Dubnau, an artist, lifelong New Yorker and a Queens resident of over twenty years, is the board co-chair of the Western Queens Community Land Trust (WQCLT). The organization aims to bring land under community control in the area and advocate for urban development in line with community needs.

The WQCLT was born out of the local resistance against the proposed Amazon headquarters on the East River waterfront in 2018. Long Island City residents, witnessing the effects of rapid gentrification in the fastest-growing neighborhood in the United States, recognized the necessity of offering a community-led alternative to the plan.

After Amazon withdrew from the waterfront project, the WQCLT collaborated with Bagchee Architects to produce a feasibility study in 2021 for the Queensborough People's Space. This initiative aims to transform the building into a community center, offering affordable real estate for small-scale manufacturing, arts and culture, food production, and education—what Dubnau describes as "vital services in the area."

"Many of these sectors are feeling the impact of increasing real estate prices. Long-time artists in Long Island City are now facing displacement due to rising rents, and even mobile services like street vendors require affordable spaces to store their vehicles," Dubnau elaborates. She highlights that gentrification is not only affecting affordable housing but also local businesses, stating, "Many small local businesses have had to close because they cannot sustain the rents in the area. This impacts people's ability to make a living."

Dubnau describes their successful collaboration with Bagchee architects and how the communities would benefit from being able to join forces with design professionals, concluding, "There should be more money for hiring architects to do good things."