Changing Downtown Yonkers: An Exploration of Gentrification, Housing, Businesses, and People

Changing Downtown Yonkers is a multimedia zine regarding development in Downtown Yonkers and what it means for its residents. As gentrification takes hold in major cities, Yonkers as a whole has seen development as an opportunity to revitalize its city and attract business for the first time in nearly half a century. Is development a death wish for a community's integrity? Will gentrification follow development and drive out generations of residents? Interviews with politicians, residents, and business owners help answer these questions and provide a multifaceted series of perspectives. Research and photographs of the area help form an image of the neighborhood and the ways it has been evolving for over a decade. A research piece helps better contextualize development from a more universal perspective. Major findings indicate that there is a greater benefit to development than risk, and that the protection of a community depends on its members. By the end of the zine, it is made clear that there is an even wider scope of issues, elements, and potential benefits to be explored as development continues.