1) What is your current opinion of the Gowanus area/ Canal in its current state?
A toxic waste dump. Don't you die if you fall in?
2) Is my current perception that the people of Brooklyn feel that the canal is 'off limits' solely due to the pollution or are there other factors e.g industrial buildings having a presence of ownership over the canal?
It's just part of common knowledge. We generally stay away from all bodies of water.
2.5) If you agree with question 2, does this lack of clarity over the ownership of the canal due to the above issues create unease amongst the community?
No. I don't like the idea of anyone owning a body of water. It's a part of the commons.
3) With the current EPA efforts to clean the canal could you eventually see it transform into a public 'owned' space?
I would like the city/state/federal government to do its fucking job and clean up polluted places. It's as simple as that. Ownership doesn't really factor into the equation.
4) Do you support the clean-up of the canal or do you think that it should just be filled in?
Clean up. Bodies of water are fun and functional. We need to preserve them. Who knows what use they might be in the future. It may return to industrial use at some point in the future, maybe in a low carbon economy or an economy where fuel is scarce and use of trucking is limited.
and finally
5) If you were placed on a committee to shape the future of the canal, the Gowanus neighbourhood and Brooklyn, what would you do? Where do you think the biggest problems lie currently and any that might arise in the future?
I would support dredging the canal and the creation of a flushing system and whatever else is necessary to clean it up. There should be public quays lining the length of it with benches and fences and places to tether boats. I would like to keep the area mixed-use with light industry, residential and commercial. I would not like to see it become purely luxury residential and commercial, but I'm almost positive that that's the only thing that will emerge because gentrification is Brooklyn's leading industry.