In public housing, Newark is at the forefront of efforts to replace monolithic towers, thought to encourage crime and drug dealing, with townhouses. The new townhouses are intended to be springboards for low-income families who seek to earn a higher standard of living. According to urban planners, the townhouses provide “defensible living space,” give people a greater sense of control over their surroundings, and build a feeling of community among residents.
These Newarkers were photographed at the Wynona Lipman Homes, built on the site of the Christopher Columbus Homes along Seventh Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The new complex is named for the late Wynona Lipman, former contracting officer for the Newark Housing Authority and the first African American elected to the New Jersey state senate.
Yevgeny Soroker, Junnelou Climaco, David Lau, Nicole Medrozo and Roman Lareo photographed the Lipman homes in a course with Nick Kline at Rutgers-Newark. Posted January 2006.
