Phase 2, Post 11: Michael Higgins

I really enjoyed this talk because it was cool to find out more about the history of Metrotech, especially because we all used to be around that area every day. I think social justice tours is a really great organization to help people learn more about the places they frequent. It was also interesting to hear why Michael started doing tours and how he wants to connect the material he covering like politics and connect it to the real world. When talking about Big Tech in Brooklyn, I knew about DUMBO and the Brooklyn Navy Yard, however, not much about Grand Army Terminal. After seeing Professor Ducao’s messages in the chat, it made sense that that’s where the Futureworks Makerspace is. It would be interesting to learn more about what they do. It was also interesting that before, Metrotrch was designated as an urban renewal site. I also thought that it was really innovative to use google maps to do the tour. I never really noticed the mix between older and new buildings in downtown Brooklyn. It’s really interesting to ee AVA DoBro compared to 2-3 story buildings that were built years and years before it. You can really see how gentrification plays a part in it. It’s crazy to think that there have been 20,000 apartment units built in BK over the last few years. I also found the Kshama Sawant v Amazon case really interesting.