The world’s population just passed seven billion, according to the United Nations. There are 21 megacities—metropolitan areas having a population of over 10 million—around the globe, and New York is one of them.
Things are getting more crowded in Brooklyn too. The Ink created a map of the borough’s community districts to learn where Brooklyn is feeling the squeeze. We looked at total population as well as population density (total population divided by land area). Click on the map to see how your district has changed.
In the past generation—from 1980 to 2008–Brooklyn’s total population went from 2.23 million to just under 2.6 million. There are 4,772 more people in Brooklyn per square mile than there were a generation ago, according to the most recent American Community Survey.
Some neighborhoods have seen a greater influx than others. Crown Heights now has a population density of 78,852, compared to 55,497 in 1980. Bushwick now has a population density of 64,057, a steep rise from 46,249 in 1980. Other neighborhoods have seen an exodus; East Flatbush, for example, has gone from 45,469 to 42,061.
What does this mean to you? How have immigration patterns, congestion, and population growth affected your life in Brooklyn? Drop us a line: thebrooklynink@gmail.com.
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