Streets By Air - Ep. 04 (Mott Haven, The Bronx)

AIRVŪZ STAFF NOTE : AirVuz contributor AEROCINE continues their series of drone videos of different neighborhoods of New York City. In this segment, you'll see the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, the northernmost of the city's five buroughs. The neighborhood covers a southwestern section of the Bronx, bounded by the Bruckner Expressway, East 149th Street, the Bronx Kill, and the Harlem River. Like other neighborhoods in the larger area known as the South Bronx, Mott Haven has been steadily gentrifying since the 1990's.

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You better believe we're taking you through The Bronx today...the SOUTH Bronx to be exact. 🙅🏾‍♂️ #knowyorkcity • Originally purchased by the Dutch West India Company in 1639, and settled by Swedish sea captain Jonas Bronck, #MottHaven was primarily used as farmland. Later purchased by the Morris family, and subsequently, Jordan Lawrence Mott, the area quickly became industrial. The city's development led to a residential rise. By the late 1800s, Mott Haven saw upper-middle-class families moving into beautiful new brownstones, an increase in transportation, and a rising demand for tenement-style housing to accommodate the growing population. #TheBronx had originally been divided in an East-West fashion, but as real estate value began coming into question with the growing number of public housing projects, the illegal practice of "blockbusting" in the neighborhoods dubbed "South" Bronx, paired with the post-WWII "white flight" fiasco, divisions quickly became North-South (and colored/white). "White flight" continued for decades into the 1960s, destroying a community, and cementing the South Bronx's "undesirable" reputation. In the coming years, Mott Haven's buildings would become the victims of notorious arson. New York City's crack epidemic took a strong hold of the neighborhood as well, and though crime has significantly decreased since that time period, the neighborhood still sees work to be done in bringing crime rates down. "Persistent poverty" still continues to be the main contributor to this issue. Once a German-Irish haven, Mott Haven is now home to mostly Puerto Ricans, with smaller numbers of African-American, Mexican, and Dominican residents as well. Along the waterline are new condos, shops, and restaurants. Many BX residents aim to preserve the rich history of their borough while still focusing on the future. Do yourselves a favor and go visit Mott Haven. Once a shadow of it's former self, the neighborhood is quickly reaching new heights, while still racing against the clock of gentrification. The South Bronx is calling. 🇺🇸🇵🇷✊🏽🙅🏿