Capstones
Graduation Date
Fall 12-19-2025
Grading Professor
Emily Laber-Warren
Subject Concentration
Health & Science
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Abstract
This article investigates urban redevelopment, climate change and environmental contamination in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood. The Gowanus Canal itself has been a designated EPA Federal Superfund Site since 2010, this designation does not apply to the land surrounding it where legacy industrial contamination still exists. This includes coal tar from former manufactured gas plants which poses a risk to groundwater and indoor air. Under a 2021 rezoning plan, large-scale residential redevelopment is rapidly moving forward, rising groundwater and increased flooding associated with climate change may exacerbate contaminants. Utilizing agency documents, Community Advisory Group meetings, and conversations with residents, advocates, officials and environmental health experts; this article aims to examine the gaps in remediation of land parcels in a rapidly redeveloping neighborhood existing in a flood-prone environment.
https://medium.com/@emma.rosenberg56/gowanus-faces-a-hidden-threat-beneath-its-neighborhood-boom-e6628a47bfc6
Recommended Citation
Rosenberg, Emma J., "Gowanus Faces A Hidden Threat Beneath Its Neighborhood Boom" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/827
