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The history of The Bronx's Little Italy has an Italian-American heritage that dates back to the 1910s or 1920s. Arthur Avenue became a place of flourishing Italian-American culture, attracting many Italian immigrants who made the Bronx their home. Today, it's known for its restaurants, grocery stores, and shops. During mass immigration from Italy to the U.S. in the early 1900s, Italian settlers made a substantial impact on the current culture as well. All around Arthur Ave, you can see Italian pizza shops and restaurants. Some Italians still live there today, however, Little Italy has morphed into a brand new community of people from different cultural backgrounds and religions. Little Italy used to be “safer” and more contained. During the 1980s/90s, the streets of Arthur Ave were run by a select group that called themselves the Italian Mafia. Although they committed a lot of crime they also made a positive impact on the area keeping civilians safe and happy. However, this also resulted in a lot of racial segregation and racism. Colored people weren't allowed to roam the streets of Little Italy freely. They were viewed as threats to the safety of the neighborhood. Today, Arthur Ave is a mixing pot of all kinds of races, such as; African Americans, Latinos, Albanians, and Arabs.

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Anyone has an entry to this place. It isn't a gated community, it is open for all to come and enjoy its culture and history. While walking through mainstreets and backroads, you get a pretty good view of all the cultures present in the community. Whether it’s through the street art, the restaurants, or even the music heard throughout the block, you become immersed into the salad bowl of culture. There is a culture for almost anyone to connect to, but even if you don't directly relate to it, the atmosphere and hospitality provided through the community here is more than enough to make you feel welcome. Part of feeling comfortable is being familiar with the typical New York street culture and social cues. The stigma around New Yorkers being rude or unwelcoming is indeed false but it also depends on the way that you interpret your visit. Arthur Ave has taken a big hit on its economic status over the last few decades. With time, the living conditions have degraded. Trash is on every corner, crime is at its all time high, and rent is expensive. The people who live there are living in old run-down buildings that rarely ever get checked on. One thing that I didn't mention was that Little Italy is located right next to Fordham University. It is important to note this because the area is full of Fordham students and they are a huge contributor to the community. Fordham University's tuition is close to one hundred thousand dollars a year. Most of the students that attend Fordham tend to come from wealthier families.  Fordham Students that are dorming in Little Italy are a big contributor to the local businesses because they usually spend a lot of money eating out, shopping, and partying. The buildings that Fordham students reside in are much better than the buildings that locals currently live in and I feel like that is a form of systemic racism. Little Italy is a community filled with minorities. According to Fordham University’s Website Demographic breakdown, the singular most prominent racial group in Fordham is white, and while walking I can see that this is evident. Why is it that a place home to minorities is occupied by white people and the white people have better living conditions?

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Walking research is now my favorite form of research after completing this project because it allows you to reflect on all five of your senses and use those as instruments of research. An example of this is that viewing a photo of a specific area could only capture what is in the parameters of the frame and whatever you see with your eyes. But, if you are present in the moment you'd be able to hear and smell your surroundings and you would have a deeper connection to the place because you could hear the police sirens in the background or smell the garbage lying around.

Taking videos and photos were key in capturing the walk's essence. I had side conversations with people with different perspectives that I didn't document but that also helped me resource information about the current status of the area. This method of research is also good for your social health because it allows you to go outside of your comfort zone and make connections with people's stories and connect with the area around you so that you can have your own individual perspective.

While walking around this area I felt a special connection to everything around me. I felt the chipped concrete below my feet every step of the way. I smelled the garbage and that boarders every strip of concrete. I even bought a drink from the local deli and I drank a sip of Arizona. I was looking out for potential danger, while also admiring the graffiti. To the common eye, people will look at Little Italy and view it as what it "used to be" and feel bad about its current state. But the reason why I chose to make this project about this place is to show people that this place has beauty. Everything needs to be viewed in the right perspective but the only way to experience that perspective is to take a walk. I took this walk with my cousin who currently lives there. Although he walks these streets everyday, this was an eyeopening experience for him as well because he never placed himself in the moment to truly take in all of the elements of his surroundings. One of the greatest examples of that is how the Fordham students view Little Italy. The students are outside, laughing, drinking, smiling, but most importantly they are living in the moment. We, the locals have forgotten where we are and are in the constant search to escape the place that gave us life and made us who we are. Why is it that the place that made us become who we are is the place we want to abandon? It is kind of poetic when you think about it because human nature is very contradictory.

I hope that everyone who hasn't been to Little Italy and everyone who has been there takes a 15 minute walk to view what the real Arthur Ave is like. Maybe we shouldn't reminisce on "what was" but focus on "what is", I believe that we will find more happiness that way.

(MY UPTATKE ALSO INCLUDES THE PARAGRAPHS THAT WERE IN THE OTHER SECTIONS)

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Modern Graffiti applied showing how the place has transformed

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A Bronx Tale movie about Little Italy Mafia and racism.

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Mosque in Little italy

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Asian influence in Little Italy

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Garbage and Memorial

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Albaninan cafe playing albanian music

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Fordham Students

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Arab owned Bodega

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Learn more about Fordham’s first-year class and our enrollment process by the numbers, and see if Fordham might be the right place for you.

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A Bronx Tale: Directed by Robert De Niro. With Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato, Francis Capra. A father becomes worried when a local gangster befriends his son in the Bronx in the 1960s.

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Bronx Little Italy - Bronx Little Italy | Arthur Avenue

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Since its founding, the Belmont section of the Bronx, fondly known as Bronx Little Italy, has been a critical part in the development of the borough and city. An economic as well as a cultural engine, Belmont hosts thousands of regional and local shoppers as well as domestic and international tourists every year, making it […]

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Last updated: 05/21/2024
If you are browsing on a desktop, we encourage you to explore our interactive figures, where you can zoom in and out the figures to gain deeper insights and hover over the figure to see the indicator values.
In 2022, Fordham/University Heights was the city's 39th largest neighborhood by population out of 59 neighborhoods. It has the 13th largest proportion of nonwhite population, the 52nd highest median income, and the 41st most expensive rents of the city's 59 neighborhoods. From 2010 to 2020, the neighborhood added 1,966 new housing units, 692 units of which were market rate and 1,274 units of which were income restricted.

DEMOGRAPHICS
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In 2022, there were an estimated 132,380 people in Fordham/University Heights, of which 4.6% identified as Asian, 13.1% identified as Black, 73.1% identified as Hispanic, and 7.2% identified as White.

In 2022, the household income group with the largest share (29.2%) of households was <= $20,000. In 2000, the same household income group had the largest share as well, with a slightly higher share of 32.6%.

Median household income in 2022 was $43,220, about 44% less than citywide median household income ($77,550). The poverty rate in Fordham/University Heights was 28.6% in 2022 compared to 18.3% citywide.

Renters and Rental Conditions
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Real median gross rent in Fordham/University Heights increased from $1,200 in 2006 to $1,550 in 2022. This represents a 29.2% increase over the same period. The overall rental vacancy rate in Fordham/University Heights was 3.2% in 2022.

The rent distribution shows the share of apartments by their size (according to the number of bedrooms), and then for each apartment size in the community district, the share of apartments according to their monthly gross rent. This distribution compares 5-year ACS figures from 2010 to 5-year ACS figures from 2022.

Between 2018-2022, the largest share of studios had gross rents between $1,000 - $1.5,000 (36%), the largest share of one-bedrooms had rents between $1,000 - $1.5,000 (36%), the largest share of two-bedrooms had rents between $1.5,000 - $2,000 (35%), the largest share of three bedrooms had rents between $1.5,000 - $2,000 (32%). (If you are viewing this page on a desktop, you can use the drop down menu below to switch between different apartment sizes)

As of 2022, the change in median household income outpaced the change in median gross rent by 18.7 percentage points. In 2022, 38.2% of renter households in Fordham/University Heights were severely rent burdened (spent more than 50% of household income on rent).

HOUSING
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In 2022, the homeownership rate in Fordham/University Heights was 5.5%, which is lower than the citywide share of 32.7%. The homeownership rate in the neighborhood has increased by 2.4 percentage points since 2010. In 2022, the home purchase loan rate was 42.8 per 1,000 properties (owner-occupied 1-4 family buildings, condominiums, or cooperative apartments) and the refinance loan rate was 12.1 per 1,000 properties in the neighborhood. Out of all the first-time home purchase loans and refinance loans in Fordham/University Heights, 3.9% and 2.8% were high cost loans, respectively. 27 properties had a filing of mortgage foreclosure in Fordham/University Heights in 2022. There were 14.8 mortgage foreclosure actions initiated per 1,000 1-4 family properties and condominium units.

Among all residential properties, prices of residential properties have increased 51% in Fordham/University Heights since 2009. (If you are viewing this page on a desktop, you can use the drop down menu below to switch to a different index year for longer term trends.)

DEVELOPMENT
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Over the last decade, 1,966 units in 4+ unit buildings were built in Fordham/University Heights. 35% were market rate, compared to 60% that were income-targeted. We use data from a variety of sources to count the number of income-restricted units targeted to households earning between 80% and 165% of AMI. However, due to restricted availability of granular data our calculations of income-restricted units should be read as conservative estimates. Read more about our methodology in the technical appendix of the 2021 Focus Report.

The Department of Buildings issued new building permits to 756 residential units in new buildings in Fordham/University Heights in 2023, 1,047 fewer than the number of units authorized in 2022.

The Department of Buildings issued new certificates of occupancy to 783 residential units in new buildings in Fordham/University Heights in 2023, 28 fewer than the number of units certified in 2022.

SUBSIDIZED HOUSING
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3.6% of the rental units were public housing rental units, as of 2023.

Fordham/University Heights has 452 properties with subsidized units as of 2023 through programs like HUD assistance, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, 421a, and others. 19 properties have subsidies due to expire between 2024 and 2029, 39 properties have subsidies due to expire between 2030 and 2039, and 60 properties have subsidies expiring after 2039. For more comprehensive subsidized housing information in New York City, please visit Furman Center's CoreData.nyc.

NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND CONDITIONS
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The serious crime rate, including property and violent crime types, was 17.3 serious crimes per 1,000 residents in 2023, compared to 14.2 serious crimes per 1,000 residents citywide.

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Last updated: 05/21/2024If you are browsing on a desktop, we encourage you to explore our interactive figures, where you can zoom in and out the figures to gain deeper insights and hover over the figure to see the indicator values.In 2022, Fordham/University Heights was the city's 39th largest neighborhood by population out of 59 neighborhoods.

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Sourced from me, I phone 13