Emergent City

Over the course of ten years, within the boundaries of a single Brooklyn neighborhood, a microcosm of American democracy emerges. The residents of Sunset Park grapple with rising rents, the legacy of environmental racism, and the loss of industrial jobs that once formed the backbone of their community. When a global developer buys Industry City—a huge industrial complex on the riverfront—and begins to transform it into an “innovation district,” a battle erupts over the future of the neighborhood and New York City itself. And above all, over the diversity that the residents of this area have managed to build. “Here Will Be a City” is an observational civic epic. It sheds light on the mechanisms of power and the processes of making key decisions for cities, giving viewers a front-row seat from which to observe the public and private spaces where their immediate surroundings are shaped.

Thanks to unique access, we follow the fortunes of a group of participants, including a local councilor, Industry City developers, and community members with diverse interests. The film explores the deep connections between gentrification, migration, the climate crisis, and real estate development, and asks what change can come from dialogue and collective action in a world where too many decisions are constrained by money, politics, and business.

The screening is organized in cooperation with the Department of Social Diversity of the City of Wrocław.