Introduction

Lawrence, New York is a village on the south shore of Long Island about 20 miles east of Manhattan and makes up one-fifth of the area known as the Five Towns. For the past few decades Lawrence and the rest of the Five Towns have seen a large increase in the Orthodox Jewish community. There are many aspects to the Five Towns that attract this ever growing community. First off, there are an abundance of synagogues for each family to choose from and plethora of strictly kosher grocery stores, butchers, bakeries and restaurants to enjoy. There are also a number of Orthodox private schools for children to attend. With so many advantages to a Religious Orthodox family it is no surprise that the community is growing at such a high rate. This influx of Jews carries with it many effects on the neighborhood. The religious principles of Orthodox Jews has raised real estate prices and in turn reduced diversity in Lawrence.

Thesis statement and supporting points

The beliefs of religious orthodox Jews in Lawrence have raised real estate prices and in turn reduced the diversity in the area.

1. Proximity to synagogues, religious schools and kosher food is a must for orthodox Jewish families.

2. Real estate prices have risen and diversity has fallen.

Interview with Diane Berger

1. Hi. What’s your name?

-Diane Berger

2. Where do you live?

-Jorgan Street in Lawrence

3. How long have you lived there?

-20 years

4. Tell me something about your family.

-My husband and I have 5 children

5. How old are your children?

-They range from 29-12

6. So you already had children when you moved into the community?

-Yes, we moved into house a month before our 4th child way born

7. What made you look at this community?

-There where a number of orthodox synagogues and yeshiva day schools [orthodox Jewish private schools] for our children. Also the proximity to the long island railroad is convenient for my husband’s commute to the city.

8. How has the neighborhood changed since you moved here 20 years ago?

-More and more orthodox Jews are moving in. more orthodox synagogues are opening. Many stores are closed on sat and open on Sunday to accommodate the orthodox Jewish population. The enrollment in the public school system has gone down and public schools have been consolidated. The prices of homes and our taxes have gone up.

9. Would you consider moving to a different community where the price of owning a home is less?

-No because here I have my shul [synagogue] in walking distance, the school for my children and all of our kosher needs.

Two sources from QC database system

DUBOW, By J. B. "In Five Towns, Orthodox Community Booms." New York Times (1857-Current file) Jun 21 1998: LI2.

In this article the author describes the flourishing Jewish community in Lawrence and the rest of the Five Towns. She discusses how with growing families many people are doing construction to extend their houses. She also describes how shops and businesses are changing their policies to cater to the growing Jewish community.

Woodmere, L. I., and By V. KELLERMAN. "A Rural Ambiance Close to Queens." New York Times (1857-Current File) Aug 11 1996: RCW5.

In this article the author talks about the Orthodox Jewish community in the Five Towns. She describes how the proximity to synagogues and kosher food is a draw to Orthodox Jews. She also discusses how this influx of Jews has raised real estate prices and hurt the public school system.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapter 15

In chapter 15 Jacobs discusses what she refers to as the vicious cycle of slums. This cycle is created by urban renewal projects. They try to replace the slums with other projects but the slums just move on to another place. In order to truly help the slums and the people there we need develop the area. She says that the problem with slums is that people move in and out to quickly. It is like there is a revolving door that never stops. If the area was developed better then people would stay and could form a community. With a constant population more businesses and diversity would move into the area. It would take time but this is how a slum could fix itself.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapter 13

In chapter 13 Jane Jacobs discusses how diversity will inevitably negatively affect a neighborhood. She describes how economic opportunities help create diversity and create these successful neighborhoods and cities. Now with this influx of people there is a lot of competition and less opportunity or each business to succeed. People will then leave in search of the next up and coming neighborhood and better economic stability. This is the natural order of life of cities. They will have times when lots of people move in and there is a diverse thriving community and there will be times when good opportunities are harder to find and people move out of the community.

DRS - Built 2001

I finished elementary school and now it was time to move on to the real deal, high school. The high school for our elementary school, D.R.S., was established only shortly before I finished elementary school. They had just graduated their first class when my class was joining. At the time they were renting space for school. Not only was the building small, but we were sharing it with a preschool. Our student lounge doubled as a class room, our auditorium served as our lunch room and a class room as well. I even remember times when a class would have to meet on the front stairs because no class room was open at that time. The building had no gym or computer room. Our basketball team had to travel and rent space for practice and games. Our computer classes were also taking place off campus.

Then in 2001, towards the end of my first year, the new building was completed. This building contained its own gym and computer room. The lunch room was just simply a lunch room. Class rooms were larger and more spacious. The new building changed my high school experience completely. The gym became my best friend. When a teacher wasn’t there that day or I simply had a free period, there was a place for me to spend my free time. If a class was going on in the gym then there was always the computer room. The series of computers connected to the same network allowed for some amazing team action shooting games.

My high school years were my most enjoyable years of my life. My friends from high school are still some of my closest friends today. When we all get together to hang out we still can’t do it without reminiscing about our days in D.R.S. The school defined who I am today and will always be apart of me.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapters 11 and 12

In chapters 11 and 12 Jacobs discusses the gains of having high density communities. Combining the principles of high density and diversity all your or at least most of your needs within a close proximity. This diminishes the need for cars which in turn decreases the need for parking. You can then condense things further. On the other hand if you spread things out people will need to drive and then parking lots become a necessity. These parking lots then spread things out further. This is one of the problems of suburbs. Everyone uses cars so readily that it becomes more convenient to got o a supermarket that has everything you could possibly need even though it is farther away.

My House - Built Pre-1950

Although, the house I live in now is the only place I have ever called home, my house cannot say the same about me. There were many people who lived in this house before I arrived. My house was built in the early 1900’s and my family moved in a few months before I was born in the summer of 1987. Over the years this house has taken a few beatings and lived to tell the tale. There was a fire, a flood and it seems like countless leaks. Windows have broken, ceilings caved in and holes in the walls. The house has witnessed many good times as well. There have been birthdays, graduations and weddings to celebrate. Most importantly my house has always been there for me as a place of refuge. When times were bad I knew I could always come home to feel safe.

My house is definitely not the same as when it was originally built. Over the years there have been various forms of construction and remodeling. Rooms have been totally redone while others have been added on. Although my house has gone through these transformations it still contains the squeaky floors of an old house.

Lawrence, NY Demographics

1. “Lawrence, NY” E Podunk, The Power of Place. 19 February 2008

On this site you can find some of the common demographics of Lawrence, NY. Included on this site is the population, income, housing, education level, marital status, crime rates and much more. All this data can be found in links lower down on this page.

2. “Lawrence, NY” City-Data.com. 22 February 2008
<http://www.city-data.com/city/Lawrence-New-York.html>

On this site you can find some demographics of Lawrence and how they compare to the rest of New York. The average age, household income, house value and population are just some of the things you’ll find on this site.

Interview Questions

1. What is your name?
2. How long have you lived in the neighborhood?
3. What was the neighborhood like when you moved in?
4. How has it changed?
5. What are some new businesses in the area?
6. Have you seen a change in the economic status of the people in the neighborhood?
7. Are there a lot of children in this neighborhood?
8. Do you think this is a suitable neighborhood for raising a family?
9. What nationalities live in the area?
10. What type of people does this neighborhood attract?

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapter 9

In chapter nine Jacobs argues that smaller blocks make for a better neighborhood. She says that shorter blocks give pedestrians the opportunity to turn corners more often. This will not only make things more convenient for pedestrians but it will give businesses the opportunity to be more successful. People can take multiple routes to there destination finding more places to complete their business. On these alternate routes people will also meet others that they would not have met if they were taking the same route all the time. The smaller blocks help to bring the neighborhood together. On long blocks people don’t really know what’s on the blocks adjacent to them but with shorter blocks you can easily find out and use that to your advantage and the advantage of the community as a whole.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapters 7 and 8

In chapters seven and eight, Jacobs describes the importance of having all kinds of diversity in your city. She explains that you need diversity in commerce. There should be many types of businesses. Diversity in business will lead to diversity in different areas of life in the city. She also says that businesses should serve more then one purpose. In this way they can expand their clientele and hours of business. She brings an example of down town New York. Because there is mostly office building there, the restaurants are only open during the day. Then there is no draw for people to come there at night. It is a one dimensional neighborhood and can’t function well. There needs to be diversity in neighborhoods and cities to succeed.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapter 3

In chapter three Jacobs outlines what she believes need to be present in a city neighborhood in order for the social network to work properly. She states that there needs to be public shops, stores, restaurants and cafés for people to meet in public setting. The purpose of these public locations is for people to have conversation with others without letting that person in on their personal lives. Without these places, Jacobs explains, people would have to choose between inviting people into their homes in order to hang out with them or not have much contact with them at all. People will start to choose their friends very hesitantly and their social network will shrink. Hey will only befriend people very similar to themselves and this will cause all groups to be separated from one another and greatly increase the probability of discrimination. On the other hand if stores are available you there would not be an all or nothing type of attitude when it can to relationships with others. You could have a casual relationship with many people of all different walks of life.

Formerly Cedarhurst Ave

Around the corner from my house is a street sign unlike any I have ever seen. The sign reads “Briarwood Lane formerly Cedarhurst Ave.” Why should I care what the street was previously called and more importantly why and how did this change take place? The problem with Cedarhurst Ave was that is passed through two towns, Lawrence and Cedarhurst. As you passed the town line the addresses were not in order and in some cases there where even duplicate addresses. For years this was causing small problems like getting lost when looking for an address or mixed-up mail but these issues were tolerated. It wasn’t until an ambulance showed up at the wrong house that this seemingly small problem showed how dangerous it could be. Changes needed to be made. At the next town meeting a seemingly simple solution to this problem was proposed. At the other end of the street, on the Lawrence side, Cedarhurst Ave became Briarwood Crossing. Why not just switch the entire Lawrence portion of the street to Briarwood and leave the section in Cedarhurst the way it was. Therefore, it would not matter that the numbers on the two sided didn’t sync up. They would be two totally unrelated streets with different names in different towns. The problem with this plan was that where Cedarhurst became Briarwood there was an upward shift in social status. The wealthier members of Briarwood Crossing did not want the residents of Cedarhurst Ave to be associated with. They obviously put their social status ahead of the safety of everyone on that block and felt no obligation to these people who considered themselves neighbors. Eventually, after hours of debate, a compromise was reached. The street would be renamed Briarwood Lane. This solution would avert anymore mishaps while still creating a barrier of sorts that showed the separation between the residents of Briarwood Lane and those of Briarwood Crossing.

Forgotten NY

http://www.forgotten-ny.com is a web site dedicated to bringing forgotten aspects of New York City that have been forgotten. All parts of the city ranging from old street lamps and run down cemeteries to parts or even whole neighborhoods that you wouldn’t believe are part of the city. There are old advertisements that have lasted longer then there products and subway signs that haven’t been correct for years. This site shows you a side of that city that most people never even imagined existed.

One section of the site is dedicated to old advertisements that have truly withstood the test of time. These advertisements can be found on the front, sides or even the back of old building all over the city. Just walking around the city, you can find these artifacts of last generations advertising business. The natural preservation of these ads has been greatly aided by the lack of sunlight they have been exposed to. Some date back to the 1800’s like an ad for Martinson’s coffee between 9^th and 10^th Avenues in Inwood, Manhattan. That company was started by Joseph Martinson in 1898 when he began selling coffee from a pushcart.

With current ads coming in the digital age it is conceivable that these ads will out live the ads being put out today. While an advertisement on TV only runs for a month or two these ads have been representing their products for over a hundred years. Even billboards have moved into the digital age. Although this seems like an improvement over old advertisements, how long can a digital billboard last without maintenance.

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

In the introduction to The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs explains her goal of introducing new principles of city planning and rebuilding. She says that her ideas are very different and some even opposite from those taught and used today by everyone involved in city planning. However, Jacobs demonstrates just how difficult this may be with her story of North End. It was there that she witnessed the transformation of a run down slum to a flourishing community. Even though, North End made this remarkable transformation conventional wisdom was preventing people from seeing that change. Because North End didn’t change that way they thought it should people still viewed it as the slum that it once was. Jacobs’ friend who was a city planner knew that North End had become a beautiful community but he still couldn’t get the idea of it being a slum out of his head.