Since its heyday in the early 20th century, Coney Island has endured years of neglect. Empty lots and boarded-up shops litter the city, one sixth of the people live in public housing, unemployment is twice New York’s average and the place has become a dumping ground for the city’s poor. While several redevelopment proposals in the last decade have failed, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s rezoning plan has been approved by city council and will create new amusements, upscale hotels, retail outlets, and 4,500 new low- and moderate-income housing units. But many worry that the historic kitschy character of Coney Island that has brought misfits of all race, color and class from around the world will fade away in the face of gentrification.

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