How gentrification transformed a Brooklyn neighbourhood

A decade ago, Greenpoint, the northern most part of Brooklyn, New York, was home to a thriving immigrant community - a mixture of Poles and Latinos, legal and undocumented.

In the years since, the neighbourhood has transformed not once, but twice. First came the arty hipsters scene and now gentrification has turned old industrial sites into residential developments with rents almost as expensive as Manhattan.

Some of the old stalwarts remain. "The neighbourhood very drastically changed from immigrant to artistic", says the owner of Beata Delicatessen, Mieszko Kalita. Most of the newcomers, he notes while packing the shelves with Polish foods, are English speakers.

Zach Schieffelin, the owner of CarbonNegative, an upmarket shop for scooters, is catering to this new crowd. "I had friends who rented a big studio here for $800 10 years ago, now I don't know anybody who is paying less than $2,000", he says.

Produced by Anna Bressanin, camera by Ilya Shnitser

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