Project Title: The Commercial Health of New York City's Manhattan Chinatown
BASIS Advisor: Ms. Bennett
My Posts
Week 12: Conclusion to the Commercial Health of New York City’s Manhattan Chinatown
Jun 16, 2022
Hi everyone! It is hard to believe that this is my last blog post for my Senior Project. Time has gone by so quickly and I have really enjoyed the research I did with Think!Chinatown and exploring my research question. When I started my internship with Think!Chinatown to help collect data and research, I was […]
Week 11: Finishing the Public Plaza Study and the Interview Surveys at Forsyth Street
Jun 11, 2022
Hi everyone! On Sunday, I finished the Public Plaza User Interview Surveys. In total, we collected 136 surveys from Chinatown residents and visitors. A common sentiment was a strong desire for more security, better lighting, and to reduce homelessness in the neighborhood. Many strongly believe that public safety is key to making residents feel safe […]
Week 10: Think!Chinatown’s Stakeholders Meeting, Interviewing Chinatown Residents at Forsyth Street, & Continued Public Plaza Surveying
Jun 07, 2022
Hi everyone! I have had a super busy week and there is a lot to read in this week’s post. On Tuesday, I attended Think!Chinatown’s Stakeholders Meeting. There were Chinatown business owners, neighbors, former residents, people involved in revitalizing the Chinatown community, and the board of Think!Chinatown. I was there to record notes on what […]
Week 9: Public Plaza Survey (Finally!)
May 30, 2022
Hi everyone! I am pleased to share that I have finally started my Public Plaza Study. I have been responsible for doing the survey of Forsyth Plaza and the survey of Forsyth Street. I am doing this study at different times of day and on different weather days. Forsyth Plaza is a public space right […]
Week 8: Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Night Market Prep, Public Plaza Training
May 23, 2022
Hi everyone! This week, I was in Chinatown to help set up for the first installment of Chinatown Nights, the night market that is hosted and planned by Think!Chinatown. I was excited about this event and there was a sign up of over a thousand people. I helped carry boxes across Chinatown (not an easy […]
Week 7: Continued Independent Research on Asian American Businesses
May 15, 2022
Hi everyone! This week I turned my attention to examining existing published research done by the Asian American Federation and continuing my examination into oral histories that document the perspective and struggles of the Chinatown community. On Wednesday, the Asian American Federation released a new report titled “Restoring New York’s Economic Engine: Tapping the Strength […]
Week 6: From Farm to Canal Street and Examining the Historic Struggles of Chinatown
May 10, 2022
Hi everyone! Last week I discussed the possibility of conducting interviews with street vendors and getting their perspectives on how to support Chinatown businesses and what their main struggles are. This plan has been delayed yet again since the survey needs to first be approved by the Small Business Services. I spoke with my on […]
Week 5: Forsyth Plaza and Farm to Canal Street
May 01, 2022
Hi everyone! As I shared last week, I have been working on the Street Vendor Study as a part of my internship with Think!Chinatown. I have continued walking the streets of Chinatown almost everyday to collect my observations. I should have clarified last week that with my map, I am tackling the streets first by […]
Week 4: Street Vendor Inventory Survey
Apr 22, 2022
Hi everyone! This week I began my observational study of street vendors in Manhattan’s Chinatown. First, I must share with you all what the definition of a street vendor is. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it is defined as “someone who sells food or other goods in the street, sometimes illegally.” When getting the hang […]
Week 3: Beginning of Merchant Survey Data Entry
Apr 19, 2022
Hi everyone! This week I turned my attention toward hearing the perspective of business owners throughout Chinatown. My on site advisor, Alice Liu, took me around Chinatown and showed me how to approach business owners and ask them about their business operations and how they have been impacted by COVID-19. I had the opportunity to […]
Week 2: Consumer Surveys + Existing Research on COVID and Asian American Small Businesses
Apr 08, 2022
While my Senior Project is centered on examining the multitude of issues impacting businesses in Chinatown, I took this week to hear from Chinatown shoppers and community members through surveying. I know in last week’s blog post I said I would share and have surveys conducted from Chinatown merchants and small businesses. However, I first […]
Week 1: Streetscape Analysis of Division Street
Apr 01, 2022
This week I focused on the streetscape of Chinatown. As put by NYC Design on their website, streetscapes play a part “in the wellbeing and quality of life of the neighborhoods they inhabit and connect”. Part of the success of businesses is how presentable and maintained the streets are. The street’s maintenance impacts public health, […]
Week 0: An Introduction to My Project
Mar 18, 2022
Welcome to the Commercial Health of New York City’s Manhattan Chinatown! My name is Courtney Huang and I have been at BASIS Independent Brooklyn since the 7th grade. With my senior project I seek to understand the challenges and find the solutions to the unique problems that Chinatown’s businesses face. While I will rely on […]