Ian Phillips

“The new Penn Station represents the intersection of New and Old New York. A modern building in a historic neighborhood that is being rapidly gentrified.”- Ian Phillips, Penn Station, NYC.

Photo by Maria Smith

Gentrification is a persistent issue in many towns across the United States. How can we harmoniously integrate new developments with existing neighborhoods? Why is it so challenging for newcomers to honor the legacy of long-standing residents? These questions led us to Ian Phillips, a filmmaker originally from Stuyvesant, and his documentary, There Goes the Neighborhood. We had to ask him:

You're fighting the good fight for the working class—ever thought about running for office and shaking things up from the inside?

I have never thought about running for office. I am a filmmaker first, and I don't want to give that up. I am really turned off by politics to be honest. I hope that some of the subjects in my documentary run for office, though. I would vote for them. 

If you could solve gentrification with one solution, what would it be?

I think more rent control for apartments and commercial spaces would be a quick and effective answer. If landlords can no longer charge whatever they want for rent, and rents were capped according to neighborhood- that would essentially protect working class people and businesses. It's absurd that landlords can charge anything they want and that people would pay it. A studio apartment for five thousand dollars a month- for example. Less luxury buildings would exist if a one bedroom apartment had a fair, maximum monthly price. 

Can you paint a picture of what Stuytown looked like before gentrification hit and how it's changed since?

I don't remember Stuyvesant Town that well because I left in the early nineties but the images I do have are very idyllic. It felt like a city within a city. It's a very insular community, and as a kid you feel that sense of community very strong because you aren't aware of the outside world. I remember making a lot of friends in Stuyvesant Town just based on their proximity to where I lived. That doesn't happen a lot in Manhattan. Here, neighbors are strangers, for the most part. When we moved to the Upper West Side, that sense of small community was gone. I don't know what Stuyvesant Town is like now. 

How can we all be superheroes in protecting NYC's neighborhoods most vulnerable to gentrification?

Keep supporting small businesses. I think that's a simple way to preserve culture. For anything you want to buy, there is always a small business that one can support in the process, rather than just resorting to Amazon, Target, or any other huge corporation that could care less about your money or your neighborhood. 

Which movie character never fails to crack you up?

Vinny from "My Cousin Vinny" is probably the funniest movie character I've seen.  Even just thinking about him in court makes me laugh hysterically. I wish they made a sequel for that.