NYC AND ITS ENVIRONS – FALL 2024 VIDEOS

Lead Coordinator: Paul Golomb

New York City and Its Environs is a history and philosophy course that explores the city’s 400-year development through its neighborhoods.

NOTE: To view a video click on the link below its description. Once the video window comes up (in a new tab), click on the start button to begin.


NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
New York City Bridges

Presenter: Bob Reiss
Presentation Date: September 12, 2024

We are a city of islands. Four of our five boroughs are situated on islands. Other islands serve a multitude of purposes. To function as a city, these islands must be interconnected by bridges, tunnels, ferries and even a tram This talk focuses on our world-famous network of bridges, their history, engineering, architecture, and cultural significance.


NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
NYC: Beneath the Streets

Presenter: Karen Cullen
Presentation Date: September 26, 2024

There are lots and lots of electric, gas, steam, and telecommunication wires and pipes beneath NYC streets. In this class we will look at NYC’s underground infrastructure and the private and public players who are responsible for installing, replacing, and fixing it. We may also look at some other items of interest that can be found underground in NYC, like waterways, unique foundations and basements, and perhaps an abandoned tunnel or two. We’ll end up with a quick look at who and what lives down there. Alligators anyone?


NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
Bay Ridge and Fort Hamilton

Presenter: Susan Altman
Presentation Date: October 9, 2024

From Native American fishing grounds to military outpost, to one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city, Bay Ridge and Fort Hamilton has a rich and varied history. To this day, it is worth a trip down the R line to sample hummus and baba ganouj.


NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
Harlem on Our Minds

Presenter: Dr. George Stevens, Emeritus Professor at SUNY Dutchess
Presentation Date: October 24, 2024

Although Harlem is one of the oldest neighborhoods on the isle of Manhattan, it blossomed in the twentieth century through the 1960s, as a thriving center of Black culture and achievement. Professor Stevens will focus on the period and the traces of its legacy still to be found in its art and architecture.


NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
NYC Architecture

Presenter: Bob Reiss
Presentation Date: November 8, 2024

This was a last minute substitution for the planned presentation for this time slot, on Brooklyn Height, which was canceled.

There is no blurb for this class.


NEW YORK CITY AND ITS ENVIRONS
Gentrification in NYC and Government Policy

Presenter: Sandra Abramson
Presentation Date: November 21, 2024

Over the last 75 or so years, we have watched as NYC neighborhoods became depopulated, repopulated and, relatively recently, gentrified. These events did not occur in a vacuum but in reaction to events that were driven by local, state and national policies. What were some of these policies? How did they affect different populations and the neighborhoods in which they lived? What do some NYC neighborhoods now look like? These are some of the questions we’ll consider as we look at several NYC neighborhoods.


HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY
Class Canceled

Presentation Date: December 12, 2024

Class canceled.