In This Issue:

• FEATURE: Seeking Sea Change in Ocean Literacy
• Shaping the State of New Jersey Marine Affairs
• Grassroots Organization Plants Seeds of Progress in Urban New Jersey
• The Knauss Fellowship Experience
• Coastal Vignettes

FCI staff work to install a rain garden at a local church.

Grassroots Organization Plants Seeds of Progress in Urban New Jersey

by Marsha Samuel

       On the corner of East Jersey and Catherine Streets in Elizabeth, New Jersey stands the Nathaniel Bonnell House, generally believed to be the oldest existing structure in the city. Named after the gentleman farmer who built it around 1682, the house has changed hands several times in three centuries. Although the structure in its current state retains some of the features of the original homestead, the Bonnell House elicits giddy excitement from history buffs and students of architecture alike. Having undergone several periods of renovation and restoration since its original construction, the Bonnell House has structural additions all around—some added by Nathaniel Bonnell himself—and is now painted a robust yellow. Yellow, long recognized as the color of hope, seems a very appropriate color choice for the building at present. Once the home of a gentleman farmer, the Bonnell House has been repurposed, and a building which has its roots firmly planted in Elizabeth’s past also has its eye on Elizabeth’s future.

       Currently making its home in the Bonnell House is Future City Inc. (FCI), a small grassroots organization founded in 1997 whose mission is to foster sustainable development in urban communities. FCI was established with the intent of bringing the concept of sustainable community development to overwhelmingly urban areas like Elizabeth and the organization is committed to partnering with like-minded organizations and companies who can leverage their collective strength to make an impact in the area. Sustainable development is development that meets present needs without compromising future growth, and through an alliance with New Jersey Sea Grant Extension Program, the grassroots group is meeting that objective in the heart of urban New Jersey.

       The first capital of New Jersey, Elizabeth was founded on the banks of the Elizabeth River in 1665, with a population of little more than 700 residents. Now a bustling metropolis of approximately 125,000 people (according to a 2007 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau), Elizabeth has emerged as one of New Jersey’s largest municipalities. However, in spite of its auspicious beginnings, Elizabeth has a sad tale to tell, too. A recent Census Bureau survey estimates that approximately 15.4% of Elizabeth’s families live below poverty level, a percentage well above the national average of 9.8%. Neighboring Newark is approximately 280,000 people strong, but with a similar story: poverty levels for families there hover at around 20.5%. At the heart of FCI’s mission is this social justice issue: that residents of urban areas like Elizabeth and Newark have as much of a right to sustainable development as their suburban counterparts; that a truly sustainable state can only be obtained when social, environmental, and economic considerations co-exist in harmony with each other.