Williamsburg is one of Brooklyn's oldest neighborhoods. The area along the east river is a marshy low-lying area settled by the Dutch in1660.The study area, a community of the Northside, starts at Grand Street and Driggs Avenue, which separate the Northside from the Southside. We travel west to the waterfront, then along River Street north to Metropolitan Avenue. Then traveling east to Driggs Avenue to North 6th Street, to Havemeyer Street, back to Metropolitan Avenue.

Williamsburg was named in honor of Jonathan Williams, a surveyor, by Richard Woodhull, who provided ferry service from Metropolitan Avenue. The village of Williamsburg was incorporated in 1827. It included 23 farms, ten of which extended down to the waterfront.

Population Characteristics – A primary consideration in the future development of the Williamsburg waterfront is the explosive population growth that has been occurring in the more interior communities. The residential population of the waterfront area has grown, reversing the substantial population loss experienced in the past. The population increase is attributable to immigration, natural growth and gentrification. The majority of immigrants are of Hispanic origin comprising: Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and other South American countries. Williamsburg also experienced a significant influx of Polish immigrants primarily settling in the Northside which borders on Greenpoint, home to a large Polish-American and Polish émigré population. The high birthrate of the Hasidic community in South Williamsburg continues to be an important factor, particularly with regard to increased housing demand.

Finally, the availability of affordable (relative to Manhattan) housing, including loft space in industrial buildings, has led to an influx of residents, many of them artists, since the late 1970s. As word of Williamsburg's affordable housing and creative environment has spread, the area has experienced greater in-migration and attained an even higher profile.

Age and Condition of Housing – The housing stock in the Williamsburg study area is old in comparison with the rest of the borough. Much of it dates to the turn of the century. While the overall housing is in fair to good condition, older buildings will have increasing rehabilitation and code enforcement needs. The Northside has the oldest housing stock, with the majority of structures built before 1940. A substantial proportion of housing in the Northside is comprised of historic row houses and turn of the century tenement houses. There are also two-to-three family New York City partnership homes and newly converted lofts in industrial buildings.

Our study area includes five different ethnic Catholic churches comprising Polish, Ukrainian, Irish, Italian and Lithuanian nationalities. The dates of these churches range from 1869 to 1910. These institutions are a testament to the ethnic diversity of immigrants that came to settle in the Northside of Williamsburg. These churches still maintain their ethnic roots to this day.

Transportation – The major means of transportation for the residents of the Northside of Williamsburg is public transit. Five subway lines connect the district with the rest of the city: the L, the G, and the J/M/Z lines. The L train is especially convenient to the Northside offering a quick connection between Williamsburg and Manhattan. A number of bus routes also traverse the district, connecting the area to other parts of Brooklyn as well as Queens and Manhattan. The area is also encircled by an extensive network of roads and bridges, most notably the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) and the Williamsburg Bridge, which link the waterfront communities with the city and the greater metropolitan area.

Of historic interest, it should be noted that a major trolley line operated through the Northside. This line ran from the Red-Hook section of Brooklyn into Greenpoint, terminating at Box Street, which was adjacent to Newtown Creek. The routes that this system took through the Northside was south on Bedford Avenue and north on Driggs Avenue, as these streets were one way streets. The trolley lines were discontinued in the mid 1950s, replaced by busses.

Open Space and Waterfront Development – Starting from the mid 1800s the waterfront of the Northside area developed with docks, foundries, glass works and a large sugar refinery established by Havemeyer and Elder. To coordinate the transportation of goods and materials the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal (BEDT) was established. Rail freight traveled from the New Jersey shore to Brooklyn's Eastern District on barges equipped with rails. A float bridge would connect the barge rails to the depot rails at either shore, enabling the freight cars to return to dry land. The BEDT also operated two tug boats to move the barges back and forth between shores.

In 1797 James Hazard established the first ferry service to Manhattan. First row boats, then sail boats connected the Bushwick Farms to Corlear's Hook Market in Manhattan. In Partnership with Thomas Morrell, Hazard developed a settlement called Yorkton and established the Yorkton ferry at the foot of Grand Street and the East River. After the completion of the Williamsburg bridge in 1903, the need for ferry service diminished until discontinuance in 1918. Today at this site is the one-half acre Grand Ferry Park. It is the only city park on the East River in Williamsburg. It is situated between the sugar refining building and the ConEd oil storage tanks.

There are few parks on the waterfront and waterfront access and views are limited by streets that have been closed before reaching the waterfront. The largest open spaces are privately owned. The Williamsburg waterfront, with its views of the East River and the mid-Manhattan skyline, is a major untapped natural resource. Although important industrial uses will continue to claim significant portions of the waterfront, the opening up of large stretches of vacant land along the waterfront, notably the former BEDT site, presents a valuable opportunity for open space development that would finally connect Williamsburg's residential communities to the river.