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Community Portrait
Descriptions of a rapidly changing community...
The "portrait" is defined by secondary information such as the U.S. Census and through a discussion of the neighborhood character with people in workshops, meetings and interviews. It includes an interest in gathering descriptions, photographs of the many places and features of Washington Heights and Inwood. The questions asked is this: "What would you keep exactly the same in your part of the community even if everthing else changed?" Take a picture of it. Contact us. You are invited to participate in the ongoing development of this draft. If you would like to be a contributor please consider taking the following action: You are invited to read this document:
Community Portrait (pdf 1,259KB) Neighborhood Context
Narrative on the implications of data...
The "context" discussion about the future of Washington Heights and Inwood are defined in the following documents by secondary information such as the U.S. Census and through a discussion of the neighborhood context that defines the many places and features of Washington Heights and Inwood.Contact Us using the e-mail link and request participation You will receive an return e-mail with a set of options for your use. You are invited to read this document:
Neighborhood Character (pdf 2,347KB) Neighborhoods are defined by the sophisticated use of demographics and by the people who live and work there. The latter is often more accurate and relevant when the former is debated. A free source of demographic information has been created by the Fannie Mae Foundation. It is known as My Data Place. Participants are encouraged to explore this resource and to share findings. To explore this option with a team use the Contact Us Link to open up a discussion with the CD12 Planning Community. The Census Tract Map (right) illustrates geographic areas of CD12. Participants are sought in each of these areas who are residents or workers to compare "the data" with your experience. Please use the Contact Us Link to begin a discusion with the CD12 Planning Community. These census tracts are described in detail with a rich supply of numbers. A sample is provided for viewing in the document below. It may be opened using the Adobe Reader. To view click here: Overview Details See summary of variables below:
| Introduction to Trends1990-2000 and the Social and Economic Possibilities Living in a big city environment often feels unfathomable. New York is cast in brick and steel, but it is made radiant in the vision and character of its citizens. The belief in friends and family extends to concern for the neighborhood given one ingredient – hope for the future. CD12 is a dense urban place in which well over 208,000 people live. The people have known difficult times over last twenty-years. The community knows joy and sacrifice, and the challenges of distrust and decay only to confront new and unexpected tests of resolve. In part, this place is a kind of trademark for our uniquely American society; its community history represents the courage of many generations and many cultures in the making of it. To contribute open and review the Community Portraits section of the plan, please use the Contact Us link. There is much to add. The map to the right for example illustrates areas where the percent of total population is Hispanic, ranging from less than 12% to more than 85%. Hearing from people on what this means is the purpose of the community portrait section of the plan. For more information please request participation using the Contact Us link the Neighborhood Context portions of the plan. | IntroductionTwo ribbons, one made of rivers and the other of the “highlands” establish the extraordinary geology that surrounds the residential and business core of Washington Heights and Inwood (CD12). Washington Heights and Inwood are “bedroom communities”. The term describes an area with a substantial housing resource. In this case, it is a vast supply of mid-19th century and Pre-WWII housing. While CD12 represents just 10% of the Manhattan’s population, it contains a very large percentage of its affordable housing in the private sector for households earning 50% of the area median income (AMI). Times are Changing The most difficult to serve in private market housing, are households earning below 30% of area median income ($21,250 for a family of four), or those earning between 60% and 80% of area median income ($42,540 to $56,700 for a family of four). With the AMI at $57,650 in June 2006, the maximum affordable monthly housing cost by percent of AMI is $721.00. The median rent for all of CD12’s census tracts is below $800 in 2000. Times are changing. 
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