NEW YORK—From the balcony of the 13th floor of the luxury building 5th On the Park, all of Harlem can be viewed. New developments are sprouting up through rows of green trees. On the ground, fashionable restaurants are decorating eyesore-laden blocks. On the way to meet Laurent Delly, vice president of the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association, I notice the many changes in East Harlem.
The Mount Morris Association is one of the main bodies pushing for the revitalization of East Harlem. When talking, Haiti-born and longtime Harlem resident Delly sells his pitch for Harlem.
“The first place I visited when I came to New York was 125 Street,” he said, “ever since, I became attached to the place.” Delly is now working on a book about Harlem.
In addition to his role at the association, Delly opened a real estate company about a decade ago that he operates with his brother.
The Epoch Times: Is Harlem going in the right direction?
Delly: I think Harlem is going in the right direction, but we need to be careful about the essence of Harlem, I am talking about what makes Harlem Harlem.
We have to bear in mind that 125th is going to change drastically. Columbia University alone has about $8 million [worth] of construction going on in the west of Harlem. 125th Street has $1 billion in projects going on right now.
[We can save the essence] by educating the public, educating the developers, and getting engaged in community meetings and getting your voice heard.
I am excited toward the future, at the same time, I am skeptical. I may not be able to live here, because of the prices. It is incredible. A lot of people are going to be displaced.
Epoch Times: How do you think the future will be for New York?
Delly: New York City is going to change dramatically. There is no more land. Central Park is the only nice piece of real estate. It is going to be something else. Unfortunately, it is going to be the place where only the affluent can afford to live, unless there is something drastically done to build affordable housing or rent stabilized apartments. It is not good at all. We should do more to balance the current situation.
Epoch Times: How was it to move here from Haiti?
Delly: It was hard. It was really something else. It was a good feeling. It was New York. You know the song: New York, New York. There is no place like New York. When I was a little boy, you always wanted to be here. You always dreamed about this place. It is a magical place in your mind.
Then we came and we had to go to school, like everybody else and to adapt to a new culture. It was dramatic. Being in school with all the ethnic groups. It was rough. It was good and bad.
