Assignment 4: Demographics

Fatmira Curovic

Professor Aries

IDC 3002H

30 March 2015

Assignment 4: Demographics

If you walking out of the D train stop in Bay Parkway with the intention of noticing specific racial groups, you might get a bit confused. You notice the posters of Hispanic clubs, hear the Chinese music playing from a discount retail store, and see white people strolling the blocks. Therefore, trying to characterize the area of Bay Parkway is like characterizing a mosaic of racial identities. However, there are some major changes that have impacted the demographics of the area from 2000 to 2010. The dramatic increase in the amount of Chinese residents is substituted for the loss of white and black population. To account for the Hispanics, there has been a slight growth, specifically in the area of Bensonhurst.

In looking at Brooklyn as a whole, the most creative analogy I came across was the “Brooklyn Horseshoe” from the Newest New Yorkers. The pattern of high immigrant neighborhoods is similar to the shape of a horseshoe in that diversity is displayed starting from the west. Chinese and Latin American immigrants dominate the western neighborhood. By the South, the Chinese still manage to make a presence along with European residents. The “Horseshoe” makes its turn as the neighborhood go north, with a constant prevalence of Chinese and Europeans.

While the “Horseshoe” clearly depicts variety among different geographic regions in Brooklyn, the 2010 Census reports that the borough is home to more whites than any other borough. Since the 2000 Census, the population of Brooklyn has grown by 39, 400 residents, but the white population has decreased by 21%. To narrow in on the area of Bath Beach, there has been a general population growth of 4.8%. As of 2010, there are approximately 5,000-9,999 white residents in the area of Bath Beach, a decline of 5-10% since 2000. While the area used to be made up of whites, the demographic majority has shifted since the white population has decreased (Census 2010).

More recently, the Newest New Yorkers reports that as of 2011, 30.9% of Brooklyn residents are foreign born, the majority of them being Chinese immigrants. Shifting from the white population, Asians now make up on third of the population of Brooklyn. The Chinese population has grown by 68% in Bath beach, with the total amount of Asian residents being 10,000-19,999. In addition to reporting that Bensonhurst is the largest immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, the Newest New Yorkers also states that Bensonhurst is the top neighborhood for immigrants born in China and Hong Kong, surpassing the immigrants settling in Chinatown, Manhattan. In fact, Chinatown’s Asian population dropped by 15%, according to the 2010 Census. To accommodate for this great increase in Chinese populations, the number of housing units has increased in Brooklyn, especially in the area of bath beach. Brooklyn actually had the highest increase of total housing units by 69,427 (about 11%) since 2000. The household sizes have also increased in the area of Bensonhurst West near Bath Beach, especially those occupying seven or more people (NYC Census Fact Finder).

According to the 2010 Census, Brooklyn “accounted for one half of the total citywide loss of black population”. This loss was 121,600 residents, and it was due to out-migration rather than natural causes. The black residents were normally situated in northern neighborhoods of Brooklyn, but in the Bath Beach area, there are less than 5,000 residents since 2010. However, in the small amount of residents that exist in that area, there has been an increase from about 200 to 600 (NYC Census Fact Finder). Similar to the black population, there are also less than 5,000 residents in the Bath Beach area. In general, there has been as small population growth (less than 2%) for Hispanics in Brooklyn, but this growth (about 60%) is becoming concentrated in Southern neighborhoods like Bensonhurst. Much of the Hispanic population is moving outwards to boroughs like the Bronx and Queens (Census 2010).

When analyzing population growth using Census data, the NYC Department of City Planning has stated that the flaws apparent in gathering this data include record keeping since much of the data does not correspond to administrative data. This data is also an undercount due to the undocumented levels of outmigration. The Census data concludes that Brooklyn maintained its status as the most populated borough. With an increasing diversity, there are always influxes of different racial groups. In the past decade, the Chinese population is most noteworthy as being the ones to migrate inwards while the black population is being lost significantly. Looking at demographic data alone, you may come up with conclusions on housing and income based on certain racial groups in an area. You may also establish how dense a specific region may be. However, demographic data cannot answer why the patterns are this way or what attracts certain groups to an area.

Works Cited

Planning, Nyc Department Of City. "Chapter 3: Settlement Patterns of Immigrants in New York City."The Newest New Yorkers(2013): 35-43.NYC Department of Planning. NYC Department of Planning, 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.

Planning, Nyc Department Of City. "Components of Change by Race and Hispanic Origin for New York City Neighborhoods."NYC 2010: Results from the 2010 Census - Population Growth and Race/Hispanic Composition(2010): 19-33.NYC Planning. NYC Department of Planning, 10 May 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.

US Census Bureau. "NYC DCP Census Fact Finder."NYC.gov. NYC Department of Planning, 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.