Mary Stachyra

Aside from politics and religion, few topics are more contentious than neighborhood development. Whether it’s residential or commercial, for better or worse, development spells change for New York City neighborhoods.

In Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay, for years, most homes were small. Now, the area has seen an influx of expansion as many homeowners obtain permits to add onto their houses.

Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill have also experienced significant changes, both residential and commercial. Many businesses have shifted from mom-and-pop operations like laundromats, delis and newsstands to high-priced boutiques and chain stores. 

Additional reporting and filming by Amber Benham.

Reporters from the New York City News Service hit the streets to get opinions from New Yorkers in all five boroughs. Each person answered the question: “where would you like the country to be in four years?”

Click on the links to hear an audio clip and see a picture of each person.

David Zonca, from Carroll Gardens, said that he would like to see more people with health insurance. “I know people who’ve had fifteen, twenty thousand dollar hospital bills because they broke a leg and didn’t have insurance,” said Zonca.

Kathleen Henderson, of Kensington, said that she is concerned for the poor. “There are a lot of poor people who can’t afford to eat. Let’s give them more money so they can take care of themselves, take care of their family,” said Henderson.

Caroline Gartner, of Carroll Gardens, said that she wants to see more unity among Americans. “People are so red state, blue state against each other,” said Gartner.

Larissa Bailiff, of Park Slope, said that she wants better protection for the environment. “I’m not naive. Obviously we have built up a world for ourselves where we use a lot of gasoline and we pollute and all of that. But there’s got to be some kind of regulation and some control,” she said.

Also see First-timers Pull Through at the Polls, by Joe Walker and Marcella Veneziale. Contributing reporting by Mary Stachyra and Maureen Sullivan.