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No easy answer to the Block's plight

19 February 2004 - Bring in the bulldozers is the solution that John Brogden favours for the problem that is the Block.

Knockdown and rebuild is no novel idea in real estate-obsessed Sydney, where formerly gritty neighbourhoods are in various stages of gentrification.

Around Redfern, in particular Darlington, East Redfern and Chippendale, with their cafe and restaurant strips and New York-style loft developments, are undergoing a swift transformation.

Sandwiched between these upwardly mobile areas, the Block sticks out as a black ghetto, and here another New York reference can be made – the Block is commonly considered as Australia's own Harlem.

If only it were as easy as the renovation shows make it seem. You could have a surefire ratings winner. Fly in the couples and the glamorous ex-model from Ten's The Hothouse to rebuild the housing in the Block. There is also room for Seven's My Restaurant Rules to set up shop. Maybe this is what the flagging reality TV genre needs.

The Block is the final frontier in the gentrification of the inner-city because of its rich, complex past.

The area that is bounded by Eveleigh, Vine, Louis and Caroline Sts originally was inhabited by the Gadigal people, who were decimated by smallpox in 1790.

In the 1880s, the Block was part of a housing area provided for those working at Eveleigh Railway Workshops. Attracted by the low rents and employment prospects, Aborigines eventually returned to Redfern.

In 1973, Aborigines became owners of the Block after the Commonwealth Government purchased it for indigenous housing.

The Australian Heritage Commission has acknowledged the Block's political and historical significance by registering it as a listed site.

So while it is tempting to bulldoze an area that is undeniably plagued with unemployment, drugs and crime, the solution cannot be that simple.

Sydney likes to compare itself with its American equivalent, New York. The comparison between Harlem and Redfern is apt. Harlem, too, is undergoing a process of gentrification, with middle-class blacks and whites pricing out the neighbourhood's poor black residents.

Today Harlem is said to be undergoing a second renaissance. The first happened between 1900 and 1940 when writers, artists and black high society congregated in Harlem. Later poverty and drugs led to crime skyrocketing in the 1980s.

Like Redfern, Harlem has a notorious block – West 129th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues. The New York Times describes the block of the 1990s as "bent by poverty, welfare and unemployment, by alienation between men and women, by drug dealing, addiction and violence.

"The block's reputation was so fearsome that police dispatchers issued warnings before sending officers. Cabs collected residents only off the block."

Harlem has benefited from former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani's tough on crime policy, although drugs remain a problem. Other initiatives such as transferring city-owned properties to private owners (in some instances preferences went to established Harlem residents), rehabilitations and oversight by strong neighbourhood organisations have also helped.

Now Harlem's colourful history attracts tour buses. Sightseeing for some tourists includes stopping off at a church to witness a gospel choir in action.

After last Sunday's riot, the likelihood of Redfern becoming a tourist destination is not promising.

Perhaps that can happen much later. For the moment, redevelopment of Redfern, and of the Block in particular, has to be done in a way that is sensitive to its political and historical significance.

It cannot be as simple as kicking out the residents, bulldozing the place and allowing developers to take over. Besides, the last thing that Sydney needs is yet another enclave of bland yuppiedom.

In real estate terms, Redfern has plenty of potential, with its excellent transport links, city skyline views and proximity to all amenities. With careful planning, who knows, the unique history of Redfern could also become a feature. A history inclusive of indigenous experiences – not just the well-documented crime and drug problems, but also more uplifting stories about sporting greats, artists and community leaders.

Just like Harlem.

Source:Daily Telegraph

Further information: redfern riots