Gentrification Guised in Gold: How the Prudential Center Has Transformed Newark’s Ironbound and What the 2024 Olympic Village means for Seine-Saint Denis, France’s Neuf-Trois.
by Dominique Clairmonte
Site Description:
Inhabited by Portuguese, Brazilian, and Latin American immigrants since the nineteenth century, the Ironbound district in Newark, New Jersey, has long been subject to the environmental effects of industrialization and the social consequences of deindustrialization. The construction of the Prudential Center in 2007 was transformative to the city’s revitalization, bringing private and public funding to the area. Alongside these new economic investments arose fears of rent inflation, erasure of local businesses, and further environmental degradation, especially in the Ironbound, the closest residential neighborhood to the Prudential Center. Similarly, Seine-Saint-Denis, one of France’s poorest and most diverse districts with demographics counting over one-hundred and thirty different nationalities, was selected as the site to host Paris’ 2024 Olympic Village. This government-led decision came laden with promises of new jobs, upgrades to crumbling infrastructure, and sustainable economic development. However, much like the Prudential Center did in Newark, the Olympic Village conflagrated debates over gentrification, affordability, and the project’s long-term impact on immigrant communities. Despite the different cultural and economic contexts of these two case studies, their parallels raise the following question: Do such mega-projects truly serve the people they claim to uplift, or are they simply perpetuating cycles of environmental harm and displacement that have disproportionately affected marginalized populations throughout history? Through a transnational comparison, this research seeks to reveal global patterns that link urban revitalization to environmental injustice while further expanding upon historical narratives related to neoliberal urban development projects prioritizing profit and economic progress over the needs of pre-existing residents.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut diam quam nulla porttitor massa id. Elementum facilisis leo vel fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla. Orci porta non pulvinar neque laoreet suspendisse interdum. Purus semper eget duis at tellus at urna. Diam maecenas ultricies mi eget mauris. Diam ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu. Ullamcorper morbi tincidunt ornare massa eget egestas. Quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae proin. Consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Cras fermentum odio eu feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl. Lectus mauris ultrices eros in cursus turpis massa. Luctus accumsan tortor posuere ac. Porttitor eget dolor morbi non arcu. Maecenas pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Neque convallis a cras semper auctor neque vitae. In iaculis nunc sed augue. Suspendisse interdum consectetur libero id faucibus. Sit amet porttitor eget dolor.
Felis eget nunc lobortis mattis aliquam faucibus. At elementum eu facilisis sed odio. Eu facilisis sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Habitasse platea dictumst quisque sagittis purus sit amet. Et ultrices neque ornare aenean euismod elementum nisi quis eleifend. Velit dignissim sodales ut eu sem integer. Morbi tempus iaculis urna id volutpat lacus laoreet non curabitur. Aliquam eleifend mi in nulla posuere sollicitudin aliquam. Nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit. Convallis tellus id interdum velit laoreet id. Turpis in eu mi bibendum neque egestas. Magna fermentum iaculis eu non diam phasellus vestibulum. In cursus turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus sit.
Non pulvinar neque laoreet suspendisse. Eros donec ac odio tempor orci. Nullam non nisi est sit amet facilisis magna etiam tempor. Platea dictumst vestibulum rhoncus est pellentesque elit ullamcorper. Eleifend donec pretium vulputate sapien nec sagittis aliquam. Proin fermentum leo vel orci porta. Eget dolor morbi non arcu risus quis varius quam quisque. Nec ultrices dui sapien eget mi proin sed. Nisl nisi scelerisque eu ultrices vitae auctor eu augue. Pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et. Pulvinar elementum integer enim neque volutpat ac. Vel orci porta non pulvinar neque. Laoreet sit amet cursus sit amet.
Pharetra massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit dolor magna. Mattis nunc sed blandit libero volutpat. Nec ultrices dui sapien eget. Gravida neque convallis a cras semper auctor neque. Aenean et tortor at risus viverra adipiscing at. Quisque non tellus orci ac auctor augue mauris. Ultrices in iaculis nunc sed augue lacus. Quam elementum pulvinar etiam non. Felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas. Sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus. Ac ut consequat semper viverra. Volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas fringilla phasellus faucibus scelerisque. Urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor. Erat nam at lectus urna duis convallis convallis. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas sed tempus urna et pharetra. Pellentesque diam volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas. Interdum velit euismod in pellentesque massa placerat duis ultricies lacus. Est velit egestas dui id. Pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh. Id nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh nisl.
Primary Sources:
1. Alderman, Liz and Catherine Porter. “Can the Olympics Rejuvenate One of France’s Poorest Corners?” The New York Times. February 20, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/20/world/europe/france-olympics-paris-st-denis-poverty-immigrants.html.
This article from The New York Times raises questions regarding the ambitious plans behind the construction of the Olympic Village in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb that is disproportionally impacted by high poverty and unemployment rates. In Alderman’s and Porter’s assessment of the proposed economic and social benefits that the Olympic Village could offer the surrounding community, they also note the department’s history of being subjected to other government-led revitalization projects that have ostensibly failed. This article provides valuable insight towards the global dynamics of urban development, which will inform the transnational perspective I plan to take with my research.
2. Bréville, Benoît. “Why Parisians fear and loathe Saint-Denis.” Le Monde diplomatique. August 2022. https://mondediplo.com/2022/08/10stdenis.
Seine-Saint-Denis, as reflected upon in this article, has been subject to criticism from far-right French politicians and media stigmatization for decades, instigating fears of religious radicalization and political extremism being bread in the suburb with high poverty rates and a large immigrant population. The article historically contextualizes the development of these fears by detailing the industrialization and segregation of Paris’s peripheries in the nineteenth-century. This history helps to inform modern gentrification debates surrounding urban revitalization projects like the Olympic Village.
3. Harding, Michael-Oliver. “Branded a no-go zone: a trip inside the 93, France’s most notorious banlieue.” The Guardian. April 4, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/apr/04/photographer-banlieue-monsieur-bonheur-department-93-paris-france-fox-news-no-go-zone.
In Harding’s article published by The Guardian, he considers the work of Monsieur Bonheur, a French photographer who grew up in Seine-Saint-Denis. Bonheur’s photography challenges the media’s vilification of the 93rd as a site of social unrest by capturing the rich cultural scene of the suburb and the lived realities of those that inhabit it. Written in 2019, this article looks ahead to the 2024 Paris Olympics and provides local sentiment on the areas of Seine-Saint-Denis that were being sacrificed in preparation for the global event. I will use this article to show the intersection of local culture, media representation, and urban development in the context of global events.
4. Portlock, Sarah. “Prudential Center yet to deliver on Newark revitalization.” NJ.Com. May 22, 2011. https://www.nj.com/news/2011/03/prudential_center_yet_to_deliv.html.
Four years following the opening of the Prudential Center, this article reflects on the unfulfilled promises of stakeholders in revitalizing Newark’s downtown through the megaproject, showing a disconnect between the intentions of city planners and the actual economic and social outcomes on the urban environment. This reinforces how such initiatives often fail to deliver long-term benefits to marginalized communities.
5. Perrault, Dominique. “Dominique Perrault on Olympic Villages.” Interview by Dima Fadel. UrbanNext Lexicon. January 2025. https://urbannext.net/dominique-perrault-on-olympic-villages/.
In this interview with the architectural designer, Dominique Perrault, he highlights subject matter from his book Un Village et Son Double, discussing his design for the Olympic Village in Seine-Saint-Denis. He explains how the space will serve athletes during the Games and then, be repurposed for the local community after the event. I will use excepts from this interview with Perrault in my research to consider how Olympic infrastructure can balance short-term use with sustainable community development, and how these spaces become integrated into the urban fabric post-games.
6. “Map of the City of Newark.” Map. 2000. From Newark Public Library. Newark, NJ Maps. https://archive.org/details/NewarkMapF10/page/n1/mode/2up.
A 2000 map of Newark’s downtown district prior to the Prudential Center’s construction. This map, along with the 2007 version, will be used to show the impact of urban development on local communities through analyzing the spatial and socio-economic changes in Newark’s downtown district before and after the construction of the Prudential Center.
7. “Map of the City of Newark.” Map. 2007. From Newark Public Library. Newark, NJ Maps. https://archive.org/details/NewarkMapF11/mode/2up.
A 2007 map of Newark’s downtown district created by the city and prepared by the Newark Department of Engineering. That same year, the Prudential Center’s construction was completed and it sits on the map. This map, along with the 2000 version, will be used as visuals to show the site’s transformation in accommodating the new arena space.
8. Silberman, Alexandre. “Mohammed Rachid.” Photograph. Aubervilliers. July 2020. From PhMuseum: DIFFERENCES & REPETITIONS – Aesthetics of disappearance and overlaying in Seine-Saint-Denis. https://phmuseum.com/projects/differences-repetitions-aesthetics-of-disappearance-and-overlaying-in-seine-saint-denis#b-erm5ow.
Aubervilliers is a commune in Seine-Saint-Denis. At face value, this photo by Silberman shows a boy in a Mohammed Rachid soccer jersey wearing a disposable mask and standing amongst tents of squatters with a graffitied wall as the backdrop. The juxtaposition of the boy’s attire, the makeshift living conditions, and the disposable mask highlights the contrasts between the community’s cultural vibrancy and the harsh realities of living in an area marked by poverty and social exclusion. An image will be used and analyzed in my project as a visual representation of Seine-Saint-Denis prior to development beginning for the Olympic Village site.
9. Siberman, Alexandre. “After Evacuation.” Photograph. Aubervilliers. September 2020. From PhMuseum: DIFFERENCES & REPETITIONS – Aesthetics of disappearance and overlaying in Seine-Saint-Denis. https://phmuseum.com/projects/differences-repetitions-aesthetics-of-disappearance-and-overlaying-in-seine-saint-denis#b-erm5ow.
Another photograph by Silberman cataloging the transformation of Seine-Saint-Denis amidst Olympic Village project development. This photo was taken in the same location as the photo titled, “Mohammed Rachid”, but is absent of the tents and the boy that previously occupied the same site. This reveals how megaprojects, like the Olympic Village in Seine-Saint-Denis and The Prudential Center in Newark, displace pre-existing inhabitants and erase culture from the cities they target.
10. “Flier Arena Fight.” Flier. 2000. From Newark Public Library. Ironbound Community Corporation. https://archive.org/details/Ironbound7ap.
This public flier from 2000 was produced by the community organization, SCORE, in protest of the Prudential Center’s development. It outlines how residents in the surrounding neighborhoods will be impacted by the arena project. This will be used in my research to display grassroots efforts and advocacy against urban development projects that prioritize corporate interests over local communities. Through this, I aim to demonstrate the power of collective action in opposing top-down development that often target marginalize and low-income neighborhoods.
Secondary Sources:
Campedelli, Gian Maria, et al. “Event Impact on Crime: The Case of Prudential Center.” Journal of Experimental Criminology (2023). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-023-09576-8.
This study by environmental criminologists seeks to add to pre-existing literature on sport arenas and stadiums being major crime catalysts using the Prudential Center as a case study. Conducted over the course of 8 years, this study’s findings reveal that most events that took place at the Prudential Center from 2007 to 2015 were accompanied with increased crime in the downtown Newark area, demonstrating how sports infrastructure projects can have unintended, negative consequences for the very communities they claim to uplift.
Coates, Dennis and Brad R. Humphreys, “Professional Sports Facilities, Franchises, and Urban Economic Development.” UMBC Department of Economics Working Papers 03-103. September 2014. https://economics.umbc.edu/wpcontent/uploads/sites/243/2014/09/wp_03_103.pdf.
From economics professors at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, this paper offers a critical analysis of debates surrounding the economic effects of sports infrastructure projects like the Prudential Center and the Olympic Village. While it is often claimed that sports franchises and facilities promote economic development by bringing new money and jobs into the urban spaces that they occupy, there is not any significant economic data that supports this. In many cases, the adverse effects of these projects in communities are more substantiated with evidence revealing income loss.
Hakan, Arana. “Megaprojects’ Exclusionary Benefits: the Case of Local Government Policy Benefiting the Privileged Few.” Harvard Real Estate Review. May 16, 2017. https://medium.com/harvard-real-estate-review/megaprojects-exclusionary-benefits-the-case-of-local-government-policy-benefiting-the-privileged-db4d1a8228bc.
This article investigates the impact of megaprojects in New York, precisely their tendency to affect low-income communities through gentrification and displacement disproportionately. Similarly to megaprojects in New York, The Prudential Center in Newark and the Olympic Village in Seine-Saint-Denis are framed as solutions to urban blight. However, this article suggest that these projects tend to benefit large corporations and politically influential groups more than the local, marginalized residents.
Juskus, Ryan. “Sacrifice Zones: A Genealogy and Analysis of an Environmental Justice Concept.” Environmental Humanities 15, no. 1 (2023): 3-24. https://read.dukeupress.edu/environmental-humanities/article/15/1/3/343379/Sacrifice-ZonesA-Genealogy-and-Analysis-of-an.
This paper traces the evolution of the term “sacrifice zones,” from its beginnings in livestock management to its modern use in environmental justice. The author proposes rethinking environmental harm as a “slow sacrifice,” where specific areas are deliberately harmed to allow others to thrive. This paper offers a theoretical framework for understanding how specific areas like the Ironbound and Seine-Saint-Denis are deliberately subjected to harm and environmental degradation to benefit more affluent or economically powerful areas.
Le Moigne, Yohann and Gregory Smithsimon and Alex Schafran. “Neither Race nor the 93 Are What You Think They Are.” Hérodote 2016/3 No 162. (2016). https://shs.cairn.info/journal-herodote-2016-3-page-99?lang=en&tab=texte-integral
Written from an American perspective, this journal article parallels the concept of Race to the site of Seine-Saint-Denis and how both are often misconstrued in France’s public discourse. Unlike the United States, France refuses to recognize race in discussions of urban dynamics and public policy which contributes to the marginalization of immigrant communities in areas like Seine-Saint-Denis. This parallels the issues faced by Newark’s Ironbound district, where similar dynamics of race and displacement are ignored in discussions about revitalization.
Vento, Amparo Tarazona. “Megaprojects in austerity times: Populism, politicisation, and the breaking of the neoliberal consensus.” Urban Studies 62, no.1 (2025): 92-108. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980241246704.
This paper looks at how grassroots resistance against megaprojects can challenge prevailing ideologies that are focused on constant development and competition, especially during periods of austerity. Using the city of Valencia as an example, it shows how grassroots movements, despite limited resources, can offer an alternative view of a city’s urban policies and social impact.
Image Analysis:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut diam quam nulla porttitor massa id. Elementum facilisis leo vel fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla. Orci porta non pulvinar neque laoreet suspendisse interdum. Purus semper eget duis at tellus at urna. Diam maecenas ultricies mi eget mauris. Diam ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate eu. Ullamcorper morbi tincidunt ornare massa eget egestas. Quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae proin. Consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Cras fermentum odio eu feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl. Lectus mauris ultrices eros in cursus turpis massa. Luctus accumsan tortor posuere ac. Porttitor eget dolor morbi non arcu. Maecenas pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Neque convallis a cras semper auctor neque vitae. In iaculis nunc sed augue. Suspendisse interdum consectetur libero id faucibus. Sit amet porttitor eget dolor.
Felis eget nunc lobortis mattis aliquam faucibus. At elementum eu facilisis sed odio. Eu facilisis sed odio morbi quis commodo odio aenean sed. Habitasse platea dictumst quisque sagittis purus sit amet. Et ultrices neque ornare aenean euismod elementum nisi quis eleifend. Velit dignissim sodales ut eu sem integer. Morbi tempus iaculis urna id volutpat lacus laoreet non curabitur. Aliquam eleifend mi in nulla posuere sollicitudin aliquam. Nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit. Convallis tellus id interdum velit laoreet id. Turpis in eu mi bibendum neque egestas. Magna fermentum iaculis eu non diam phasellus vestibulum. In cursus turpis massa tincidunt dui ut ornare lectus sit.
Non pulvinar neque laoreet suspendisse. Eros donec ac odio tempor orci. Nullam non nisi est sit amet facilisis magna etiam tempor. Platea dictumst vestibulum rhoncus est pellentesque elit ullamcorper. Eleifend donec pretium vulputate sapien nec sagittis aliquam. Proin fermentum leo vel orci porta. Eget dolor morbi non arcu risus quis varius quam quisque. Nec ultrices dui sapien eget mi proin sed. Nisl nisi scelerisque eu ultrices vitae auctor eu augue. Pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et. Pulvinar elementum integer enim neque volutpat ac. Vel orci porta non pulvinar neque. Laoreet sit amet cursus sit amet.
Pharetra massa massa ultricies mi quis hendrerit dolor magna. Mattis nunc sed blandit libero volutpat. Nec ultrices dui sapien eget. Gravida neque convallis a cras semper auctor neque. Aenean et tortor at risus viverra adipiscing at. Quisque non tellus orci ac auctor augue mauris. Ultrices in iaculis nunc sed augue lacus. Quam elementum pulvinar etiam non. Felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas. Sagittis nisl rhoncus mattis rhoncus. Ac ut consequat semper viverra. Volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas fringilla phasellus faucibus scelerisque. Urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor. Erat nam at lectus urna duis convallis convallis. Malesuada fames ac turpis egestas sed tempus urna et pharetra. Pellentesque diam volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas. Interdum velit euismod in pellentesque massa placerat duis ultricies lacus. Est velit egestas dui id. Pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh. Id nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh nisl.
Consequat semper viverra nam libero justo laoreet sit. Ornare massa eget egestas purus viverra accumsan in. Dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque fermentum dui faucibus in. Curabitur gravida arcu ac tortor dignissim convallis aenean et tortor. Erat nam at lectus urna duis convallis convallis tellus. Risus at ultrices mi tempus imperdiet nulla malesuada pellentesque elit. Turpis egestas maecenas pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo. Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis. Pellentesque massa placerat duis ultricies. Est ante in nibh mauris cursus. Massa sed elementum tempus egestas sed sed risus. Augue ut lectus arcu bibendum at varius. Neque viverra justo nec ultrices dui sapien eget mi proin. Non diam phasellus vestibulum lorem sed risus ultricies. Venenatis cras sed felis eget velit aliquet sagittis id consectetur. Tristique et egestas quis ipsum suspendisse. Facilisis volutpat est velit egestas dui. Non nisi est sit amet facilisis magna. Scelerisque mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus. Bibendum at varius vel pharetra vel turpis nunc.
