multipliCITY Spring 2013
The Community Development Issue
School of
Architecture
Table of Contents
Editors
1. Commentary from the Editors 1 2. Articles Pride and Prejudice (of Manufacturing) / By Josh Eichen 2
Excerpt: Urban Alchemy / By Mindy Thompson Fullilove, M.D.
Beyond Zucotti Park Update / By Anastassia Fisyak 6
East Brooklyn Back on Track / By Alex Sommer 8
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Recovery, Adaptation, Mitigation, and Planning / By Ron & Yvette Shiffman and Brooke Mayer 11
3. Graduate Theses
Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts / By Alexa Fabrega 10
Artists and Community-Based Planning / ByJuliana Dubovsky
Wallabout Green Manufacturing District / By Simon Kates 13
Erin Buchanan City & Regional Planning Anastassia Fisyak City & Regional Planning Kyle Kozar City & Regional Planning Claire Nelischer City & Regional Planning
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6. Graduate Studios
Affordable Housing in South Williamsburg / By Matt Garcia
Transformative Visions: Harlem River / By Brooke Mayer & Leonel Ponce 16
Sustainable Melrose Commons /By Alix Fellman & Humberto Martinez
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Editorial Board
7. Graduate Study Abroad
Sustainable Agonda: Studio Update / By Isabel Miesner
A Trip Through Time: Rome / By Meric Ugdul
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8. Accomplishments
Faculty Highlight: Ron Shiffman 22
PSPD Accomplishments
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Dana Feingold Assistant to the Chair, Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment John Shapiro Chair, Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment Jaime Stein Coordinator, Urban Environmental Systems Management
Cover Photo: Catalyst for Change mural in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Photo by Alexa Fabrega. Learn about Alexa’s UESM Capstone Project on Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts and public vacant lots in Bedford Stuyvestant on page 11. m CITY | Spring 2013
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Lacey Tauber Coordinator, Historic Preservation
Erin Buchanan, Ana Fisyak, Kyle Kozar, and Claire Nelischer
From the Editors
The New Community Development Toolkit
As each new class of students enters the PSPD program, they are introduced to the history of community-based planning at Pratt Institute and the legacy that Pratt students, faculty, and friends have left in New York City’s neighborhoods. This legacy has been recorded in Intractable Democracy, a book chronicling of the past five decades of Pratt’s community-based planning and advocacy through personal stories, interviews and articles. The book celebrates Pratt’s roots in community development and the ever-growing innovations in community development practices. From collaborating on the creation of the country’s first community development corporation (CDC), Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, in the 1960s, to forming the New York Industrial Retention Network to strengthen the city’s manufacturing sector in the late 1990s, Pratt planners have led the way for community development in New York City. Professor Ron Shiffman, a founder of the community development movement and a recent recipient of the Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership (see page 23), was recently featured in a New York Times article discussing green real
estate and infrastructure as a community planning and development tool. Ron’s interview revealed a shift in community development practice, away from traditional approaches like affordable housing and local businesses, towards new methods, like green infrastructure and building retrofits. This shift is evident in much of the work of Pratt students and faculty today, demonstrating progress and ingenuity in planning practice. This issue explores the new toolkit for community development. The toolkit is no longer just housing and business—it is art, health, resiliency, food, heritage, technology, manufacturing and much more. The articles that follow demonstrate the diversity in scale and scope of this new toolkit. In this issue, current Planning student and Pratt Center fellow Josh Eichen introduces the Pratt Center’s Made in NYC Program, an alliance of small urban manufacturing businesses that promotes business through a centralized online database. Professors Ron and Yvette Shiffman and Planning student Brooke Mayer discuss the new
PSPD Recovery, Adaptation, Mitigation and Planning (RAMP) program, which aims to develop vulnerable communities’ capacity to address climate resiliency issues as a strategy for community development, a particularly relevant topic in Post-Sandy New York City. An excerpt from PSPD instructor Mindy Fullilove’s soon to be published Urban Alchemy asserts the connection between health and the built urban form. PSPD alumnus Alex Sommer chronicles the history of stabilization and rehabilitation in East New York, culminating in the implementation of the DCP’s Sustainable Communities study to improve environmental sustainability, health, accessibility and livability. The PSPD programs have been built on a foundation of innovative strategies to secure the longevity, health and strength of communities. We hope that the diversity of community development approaches highlighted in this issue continues to educate and inspire. Enjoy. To order a copy of Intractable Democracy, contact Dana Feingold at dfeingol@pratt.edu.
Alex Sommer highlights DCP’s Sustainable Communities Study in his article “East Brooklyn Back on Track.” The above photos is of a Sustainable Communities East New York workshop held on May 10, 2012 at Brooklyn’s Community Board 5. Photo taken by NYC Department of City Planning, 2012.
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Josh Eichen
Student Article
Pride and Prejudice (Of Manufacturing)
Harnessing the potential of manufacturing to build community
Linking manufacturing with community development is not always an easy connection to make. How can manufacturing actually build community? Doesn’t manufacturing take place in large factories that indiscriminately pollute into our neighborhoods? Does manufacturing even exist in the United States now that countries in South East Asia are industrializing at a mind blowing pace? Such misconceptions about manufacturing are common. But the reality is, manufacturing no longer takes place in massive factories belching smoke and steam. In NYC the average manufac-
So how can the growing potential of manufacturing be harnessed to build community? Economic development is an obvious answer, and perhaps most easily quantifiable. But less measurable is the role manufacturing can play in shaping community identity and bring a sense of pride to an area. Furthermore, manufacturers
low-income families, manufacturing jobs can serve as stepping-stones to the middle class, while fueling consumer demand and the economy. The products produced here in NYC that are consumed locally range of artisanal kimchee to custom fabricated concrete mixes used as counter tops in some of the city’s most iconic struc-
Manufacturers can be understood as a community of their own, and the greater the membership, the stronger the community. turing business employs 25 people or less, and occupies small to mid -sized spaces (around 5,000 sq ft1). These businesses employ approximately 81,000 New Yorkers, and even though manufacturing has seen a steady decline over the past few decades, due to a number of factors including improvements in technology, desire for increased product quality, and shifting consumer demand, domestic manufacturing is drawing attention from professionals and policy makers across fields. 1 “Made in New York City.” Made in New York City. Pratt Center for Community Development, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013; “New York Industrial Retention Network.” Pratt Center. Pratt Center for Community Development, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
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An employee at Kirschner Brushes in the Bronx, a Made In NYC member business. Photo by Nicole Tarpey.
can be understood as a community of their own, and the greater the membership, the stronger the community.
Economic Development
Manufacturing fills a critical space in an economically diverse urban economy by providing well-paying jobs with low educational barriers to entry and by producing products for local use and consumption, shortening supply chains and the carbon footprint of a product. For immigrant and /2/
tures—Bank of America Tower at 1 Bryant Park has many Made In NYC materials inside. Community Boards with industrial areas within their borders are taking notice and are actively trying to retain industrial uses to bolster these community benefits. Two community boards in Brooklyn are pursuing Brownfield Opportunity Area programs with a goal of turning brownfield sites into job-intensive manufacturing facilities. Although industrial land uses may not
bring a landlord or developer the same financial return per square foot as a hotel or residential use, manufacturing provides high jobs per square foot ratios and fuel neighborhood economic growth by attracting workers who then purchase food, gas and other goods in the area (this is referred to as the multiplier effect).
Pride
The second benefit, pride, is harder to quantify but is equally valuable. The power of local pride is not to be underestimated. As popular sentiment shifts towards a greater interest in buying local for both economic and sustainability reasons, it is hard not to turn a corner without seeing a business proudly displaying a sign touting that it carries goods Made In America. Consider the
facility in the Army Terminal. That elevator you’re riding in? It is most likely held together by parts made in the Bronx by G.A.L. Like your pizza delivered hot? 99% chance that it came in a Carry Hot delivery bag produced on West 34th St and 10th Avenues. The Made In NYC program at the Pratt Center for Community Development strives to harness this local consumer passion and channel it into a campaign that will bring awareness about urban manufacturing and drive sales to these businesses. By managing the only manufacturer directory we help businesses find services and consumers find products. While the Mayor’s Office pushes tech and media through the Made in NY campaign, we at
a 10% increase in business registration on Made In NYC since August of 2012, perhaps indicating that manufacturers understand the strength of their community and are interested in becoming more involved. Manufacturing can build community—this is evident in New York City and other places in the United States. The manufacturing community itself is strong and getting stronger. Businesses understand their role as leaders and are helping each other in ways to be unexpected in a competitive economy. The jobs that manufacturing provides are irreplaceable, and in a city with such an exaggerated economic divide, these jobs are more important than ever. The pride of manufacturers has always been a part of the business; the
Left: Workers at Publicide Printing in Manhattan. Photo by Nicole Tarpey. Right: The assembly line at Golden Glow Cookies in the Bronx. Photo by Azure McBride.
pride a consumer feels when buying a product Made In NYC; and then consider the pride felt by the manufacturer of that product. Of the dozens of manufacturers that I have spoken to, they all have one thing in common: their overwhelming excitement, passion and pride for what they do and where they do it. For manufacturers in NYC, their ongoing survival and operations in a city being squeezed from all sides by real estate pressures furthers their feelings of pride. For consumers, there is excitement about knowing how and where something is made. Are you from Queens? That underwear you’re wearing could have very well been cut and sewn in the Hanky Panky factory in Hollis. Sunset Park? That Tiffany ring probably came from the Riva Precision
the Pratt Center are focusing on bringing attention to businesses who manufacture high quality products, support blue collar jobs, and bring pride to our city. Knowing where your digital sales team operates is great, but not as exciting as knowing where your favorite cold squeeze naturally carbonated soda came from (probably Brooklyn Soda in the Williamsburg Pfizer building).
Made In NYC network is a symbol of that pride and will hopefully drive consumers to businesses in the five boroughs. By understanding the benefits of manufacturing and how it can build community, we as planners can advocate on behalf of manufacturing businesses and let them do what they do best: making products that are proudly “Made In NYC.”
Community
Josh joined Pratt Center in January of 2013 after serving as Pratt Center’s Industrial Fellow. He currently works on the Pratt Center’s industrial initiatives, which focus on the retention and creation of industrial jobs in NYC. He is a graduate student in Pratt’s City and Regional Planning Program.
The manufacturing community is a strong one. Old and new, these businesses share each other’s struggles and successes. Industrial service providers fill the room with businesses looking to learn about distribution, city financing options and more. They engage with one another, borrow tips and advice and trade services. We have seen /3/
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Mindy Thompson Fullilove, M.D.
Book Feature
Urban Alchemy
Resorting Joy In America’s Sorted-out Cities
Urban Alchemy, Fullilove’s upcoming June release on New Village Press, offers interventions for bringing new life to marginalized and dysfunctional sectors of American cities. Examining strands of intentional disinvestment and neglect due to factors such as race, age, and class, this book reveals insights that point to practical paths for healing. Following the guidance of French urbanist Michel Cantal-Dupart and exemplary urban revitalization projects from France and the US, the book presents nine key elements for community repair. The following excerpt features Fullilove’s awakening connection between health and the built urban form.
Mad plagues
“Remember how God visited ten plagues on the Egyptians so that Pharaoh would let the Jews go? If a group of elephants is a parade and a group of lions is a pride, what’s a group of plagues?” I asked my daughter Molly one day. “Mad plagues,” she said immediately. “That’s mad plagues.” She had learned the word “mad” in junior high school. The expression became very popular in Washington Heights during the summer of 2005 while Molly was leading our Familyto-Family teen filmmaking program. That was the year that the documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom” came out. It featured young people from the neighborhood who were in a ballroom dancing competition. “Mad” was synonymous with “a lot.” My experience with mad plagues started in 1986. I was working as a psychiatrist in community mental health in San Francisco. The infamous real estate tax-cap, Proposition 13, had just been passed, and one of the effects was that it decimated mental health services. I decided to do research instead of clinical work, and I happened to get a job studying the AIDS epidemic in black and Hispanic communities. But, just at that time, m CITY | Spring 2013
the crack cocaine epidemic was taking off. Soon, the neighborhoods where I was studying AIDS were convulsed by a wave of addiction that swept through the black neighborhoods. At the same time, the fight over the markets for selling crack triggered an explosion of violence. The violence, in turn, tripped an avalanche of mental illness related to violence. Just as I was beginning to understand all of those epidemics, an epidemic of multidrugresistant tuberculosis broke out. I followed the epidemics as they appeared. I talked to the people who were suffering from the illnesses piling up in their bodies. I visited the clinics where doctors were passing out pills with all the aplomb they could muster, but sore in their hearts o v e r t h e g re a t ga p Courtesy of New Village Press between what they knew In Harlem, I encountered patterns of despair and the kinds of new diseases and comorbidities that were arriving so I had never seen before or heard described. The fast at the clinic doors. I gained a bit of fame due environment was a wreck. A third of the buildings to the dubious distinction of being the first had been destroyed. Almost all of the blocks had public health professional to report a series of lost one or more buildings. Some had lost nearly “the next bad thing” (see Selected Publications all. The empty lots were filled with rubble and by Rodrick Wallace and the Community Research garbage. There were strong smells and large rats. Nothing new was being built, and little was being Group for more information on mad plagues). /4/
fixed. The houses that were standing were ragged and sagging. The people were thoroughly stressed. In focus groups and interviews, I encountered levels of discomfort that exceeded anything I’d previously encountered. On one occasion, I went to a drug treatment center where seven women joined me for a conversation. I was trying to understand the connection between crack use and the risk for HIV infection. Even before we got to the most sensitive part—trading sex for drugs—the women were agitated. When we started to talk about sex trading, one woman said she hadn’t done that; she just had sex with friends who gave her drugs. The other six started screaming at her that that was the same thing. She refused to consider this, and the screaming became even more frenetic, if you can imagine what that must have sounded like. I had never heard anything like it. The noise was so loud, it aroused the concern of the whole treatment center and a dozen people collected outside the door, wondering if they should come in and rescue us. Looking at the broken environment and talking to the distressed people, I felt the same sense of confusion I’d had as a new psychiatric resident, unable to decipher the language of madness. It was my mentor and friend, Rodrick Wallace, who helped me get a handle on the geyser of pathology. Rod is thin and disheveled, with brilliant blue eyes that are intensified by his bright white hair. He loves his own jokes and insists on truth telling, however inopportune the moment. Rod has a love of words that I count on. He passes along great science fiction, gives thoughtful presents for big birthdays, and, as someone nine years ahead of me, has kind advice on aging. His research has focused on the ecology of disease in American cities. When I first met him, he had just published a very major paper called, “The Synergism of Plagues: ‘Planned Shrinkage,’ Contagious Housing Destruction, and AIDS in the Bronx” (Wallace 1988). Rod showed in that paper that a New York City policy called “planned shrinkage” had triggered the mad plagues of the 1970s. It was a policy so evil that it seemed like something a science fiction villain like Dr. Strangelove would invent. At its heart was a decision to close fire stations and let the poor minority neighborhoods, including the South Bronx and Harlem, burn down. This would displace people, clear land, and allow the city to “shrink” its services. When I try
to explain to students that this really happened in the United States of America, they look at me in total disbelief. Rod demonstrated that the buildings destroyed by the fires set off a domino effect called “contagious housing destruction.” This is a process of ecological catastrophe in which each lost building undermines the integrity of the buildings next to it or near it. One fire could eventually cause the loss of acres of housing. Indeed, in the South Bronx, some sections of the neighborhood lost 80 percent of their housing. He estimated that the implementation of planned shrinkage caused a hundred thousand deaths or more—there’s never been an official reckoning. It triggered the epidemics of AIDS, crack addiction, violence, mental illness related to violence, and asthma. The plagues were not contained in the neighborhoods burned by planned shrinkage, but rather they were spread throughout the city, the region, and the world. These are what I call mad plagues. I wanted to understand the mental links between the broken environment and profound agony. “Read about mazeway disintegration,” Rod said. “Go get the paper by Anthony F. C. Wallace (1957) that’s in Human Organization.” The journal was housed on the lower level of the library at the Columbia University Medical Center. I pulled the dusty volume off the shelf and carefully photocopied the short article. It took only a few minutes to read the pungent description of the mazeway, the set of codes and social habits we develop for living in a place at a given time. When the mazeway falls apart, Wallace argued, we are at a loss. Deprived of the plan we had, we literally don’t know what to do next. A paralysis follows. It is difficult to rebuild, and fanaticism, whether religious or political, can take hold. When I was working with my father on his book, he often spoke of Harlem. His work as a union leader and civil rights activist had often taken him there in the 1930s and 1940s, and he always described it as an exciting place. David Swerdlick (1990) spent the summer taking photos of Harlem as it was in 1990 and comparing them to photos that he found in the archive of the Schomburg Collection. Those older photos—of fine buildings, stately parades, young women in their Sunday finery, gents out for the evening, night club stars, and more—were glimpses of a /5/
lively neighborhood capable of nurturing children, fighting injustice, and producing and enjoying music, art, and literature. That was the mazeway, the way of life that made sense, which had been destroyed by fires and mad plagues. The screaming that became more frenetic in that drug treatment center was
“We have to remove the chasm that is dividing the poor neighborhoods from the other parts of the city. Doctors know that if you want to treat a boil on the skin, you have to treat the whole body. If we want to improve life in those neighborhoods, we can’t just treat the neighborhoods.” the language of loss, not simply of one person’s home, but of many people’s collective way of life. It was a language of the agony of upheaval, an agony that was made sharper by the heavy toll of death from the mad plagues. Alexander Leighton (1959), a key theorist of social psychiatry, had said that communities that are working together might be called “integrated,” while those that had lost that social glue might be called “disintegrated.” I postulated that planned shrinkage and other antiurban policies had led to a step-wise collapse from integration to disintegration (Fullilove 1993). In my “StageState Model of Community Disintegration,” I proposed that at each turn of the screw, the matrix within which people were functioning became distinctly different. The people shifted with the changing times, adapting to increasingly harsher social realities by changing the whole behavioral language that they were using. These adaptations included the adoption of what people in public health labeled “AIDS risk behaviors,” but what Rod pointed out were behaviors essential to the survival of one’s dignity and m CITY
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worth under excruciating circumstances (Wallace, Fullilove, and Flisher 1996). It was evident to me that people were profoundly shaped by their environments. If we wanted to have healthy people, we had to have healthy neighborhoods. I looked around at the acres of empty lots and wondered, “What is to be done?”
of the city! “For a long time,” the speaker, Michel CantalDupart, said, “I have been trying to mobilize our leaders so that the cities, where our money and brainpower are concentrated, innovate for better functioning. What is the problem that we must solve? It is the fracture that exists between the wealthy neighborhoods and the others. Each day, this chasm grows. I am convinced that there is a close connection between the signs of exclusion and the shape of the city, whether it is poor neighborhoods or whole cities that have been shut out. We find neighborhoods far from everything, without means of transport, where many are unemployed and where there are numerous young people. We find the names of those neighborhoods in the newspapers. We also know that those neighborhoods are the neighborhoods with high rates of illness. “But, paradoxically,” he continued, “if we want to improve life in those neighborhoods, we can’t
just treat the neighborhoods. We have to remove the chasm that is dividing the poor neighborhoods from the other parts of the city. Doctors know that if you want to treat a boil on the skin, you have to treat the whole body. It’s the same for the city. If we want to solve the problems of the poor neighborhoods, we must treat the whole city. We must eliminate the fracture.”1 We can’t just treat the neighborhoods—that made sense to me. In the medical model of disease, we know that symptoms arise from disorder in an organ, like the heart. The symptoms alert us to trouble, but what we treat is the problem in the organ. Arguing by analogy, the neighborhoods had the symptoms of disorder, but the city was the organ with the defect of fracture. In Figure 1.2, we follow this process. The African Americans who moved to Harlem during the Great Migration established an orderly way of life, as seen in the 1930s photo of a Harlem street, one of the historic photos selected by
Democracy, Equity and the Public Realm
Project Update by Ana Fisyak
Institute. Entitled Privatization of Public Assets/ Public Space, the panel featured Arthur Eisenberg, legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Quilian Riano, DSGN AGNC founder and organizer of #woOWNSpace, and Moses Gates, city planner, urbanist, and aid in bringing legal action against Chase Plaza. The panel was held in front of a packed crowd at Van Alen Books and unfolded into a lively conversation between the panelists and audience. Ron Shiffman, in partnership with Eddie Bautista’s transportation lectures, moderated a series of lectures on public space as part of the annual PSPD Spring Lecture Series. Lecturers included Beyond Zuccotti Park authors Jeffery Hou and Mindy Fullilove as well as Seth Pinsky, President of NYCEDC and director of the Special Initiative on Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR). Hou spoke on his project and book Insurgent Spaces and featured a vigorous question and answer session with the likes of Peter Marcuse and Occupy Town Square organizers Daniel Latorre and Talia Radywyl. Fullilove spoke on disaster in a sorted out city and the importance of a strong public realm for community health, cohesion and emergency
response. Seth Pinsky presented a much awaited update on the City’s research and progress with the SIRR report on Hurricane Sandy. Finally, next September Beyond Zuccotti Park will be featured in the 2013 São Paulo Biennial as part of an exhibit on Occupy Wall Street organized by curators Ana Luiza Nobre and Catarina Flaksman.
Fix the city!
In 1993, I went to Paris for a conference on AIDS, homelessness, and substance abuse with that question on my mind. As a serious student of the mad plagues, I’d been to many meetings on those topics. At none of them was there any talk about the devastation of the neighborhoods. But no sooner had the conference started than a Frenchman strode to the podium and said, “There is a very strong interaction between the questions that preoccupy doctors and the form of the city.” I sat up straight and elbowed my husband, Bob—I was a doctor and I was wondering about the form
Spring Highlights from Beyond Zuccotti Park
Jeffery Hou and Ron Shiffman take questions from the audience. Photo by Ana Fisyak
With the successful publication of Beyond Zuccotti Park: Freedom of Assembly and the Occupation of Public Space in the fall of 2012, the Democracy, Equity and Public Realm initiative has continued to promote discourse around issues of public space and the greater public realm. On January 17th, New Village Press publisher and Beyond Zuccotti Park editor Lynne Elizabeth moderated a panel on the intersections of privatization, law and public space at the Van Alen m CITY | Spring 2013
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Beyond Zuccotti Park
Freedom of Assembly and the Occupation of Public Space
To orderEditors Beyond ZuccottiContributors Park, go to Susan Chin Ron Shiffman, Roland V. Anglin Alexander Cooper www.beyondzuccotti.org/contact-orders/ Rick Bell, Caron Atlas Arthur Eisenberg Lance Jay Brown, and Lynne Elizabeth with Anastassia Fisyak, and Anusha Venkataraman
Thomas Balsley Terri Baltimore Shirin Barghi Marshall Berman Julian Brash Wendy E. Brawer
Karen A. Franck Michael Freedman-Schnapp Mindy Thompson Fullilove Gan Golan Jeffrey Hou Te-Sheng Huang
Signe Nielsen Michael Pyatok Michael Rios Jonathan Rose Janette Sadik-Khan Saskia Sassen Paula Z. Segal Sadra Shahab Benjamin Shepard
David Swerdlick (1990) for his slideshow, Mazeway Disintegration. The fires of planned shrinkage contributed to the loss of 30 percent of the buildings in Harlem and disrupted the functioning of the community. In the 1990 photo, we see abandonment at its nadir. The downward spiral is my model of community disintegration, in which each insult that hit the community caused further disintegration, as the community shifted from the well-organized state of the 1930s to the “non-sense” of the 1990s (Fullilove 1993). We can see this shift when we compare the orderly street scene from the 1930s, where street play is overseen by adults sitting on the stoops, to David’s photograph of a street scene in 1990, where street play cannot be watched by people on stoops as the buildings are largely abandoned. According to Cantal, the solution rested not in simply fixing Harlem, but in fixing the city. Indeed, the policies of segregation, redlining, urban renewal, and planned shrinkage, which had caused the problems, were policies set by the city, not the neighborhood. “Would you please teach me how to fix cities?” I asked Cantal in my halting and badly accented French. He nodded, with great sympathy. The next day, he gave me an artsy book he’d written, Les Ponts de Paris (The Bridges of Paris) (Pattou and Cantal-Dupart 1991). What bridges in Paris had to with saving Harlem was anybody’s guess, but I was game to learn. In 1996, Cantal came to New York and we walked Harlem together. I pointed to the legion of empty lots. He pointed to a red balloon. “Someone had a birthday party,” he told me. It was my introduction to the elements of urban restoration. He continued, “If you want to understand the city, you need to study in a Latin country. When you’re ready, come to France.”
FIGURE 1.2: These Photographs depict how the Harlem community burned down and fell apart socially. This collapse is modeled by a downward spiral, which raises the question: What next? Sense of order. Harlem in 1930.
Fire acts as a destabilizing event. Harlem in 1990.
Footnote: 1. Cantal (1993) elaborates on these points in “La crise des villes,” published in Les Temps Modernes.
Mindy Thompson Fullilove, MD is professor of clinical sociomedical sciences and clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. Her previous books include Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What We Can Do About It (2004) and House of Joshua: Meditations on Family and Place (2002). Professor Fullilove will be teaching a course on public health as part of the 2013 RAMP Summer Institute.
Disorder and abandonment emerge. Harlem in 1990. /7/
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Alex Sommer
Alumni Article
East Brooklyn Back on Track
The Sustainable Communities Easy New York Study
In 1950’s New York City, thousands of unskilled workers looking to better their lives in the bustling metropolis flooded into the city. These new urbanites were devastated to find that the majority of manufacturers, the principal purveyor of low-threshold, low-skill jobs in the city, were hemorrhaging into the region’s suburbs. This willing and able workforce was met instead by rampant unemployment, extreme forms of housing discrimination, institutionalized racism, and rapidly deteriorating services. New York City, which had provided an economic stepping stone to generations of previous immigrants, was no
The regional-scope of community development has helped to reorient the vision of the East New York Community. longer able to bestow this same opportunity on this latest set of ambitious denizens. The outer-borough Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville and East New York were hit especially hard by this trend. As the housing stock deteriorated and services vacated the area, the community’s population plummeted by nearly 40% between 1950 and 1980. The resulting attrition, abandonment, and arson left its indelible mark on both the physical form of the neighborhood as well as the psyche of its residents. Burnt-out cars lined the streets, garbage littered front yards, and homes were cinder blocked; one newspaper called the neighborhood “a kind of urban Appalachia.” Between 1966 and 1968, due to predatory lending under the Federal Housing Authority’s (FHA) 221(d)(2) mortgage insurance m CITY | Spring 2013
The NYC Department of City Planning’s 1969 Plan was an attempt, in part, to respond to the city’s rapidly changing economic and demographic landscape. This photo is a compilation of union manufacturing opportunities in the city. Photo taken from the NYC Department of City Planning’s 1969 Plan.
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program, the foreclosure rate skyrocketed to 34%, virtually destroying the last vestiges of middleincome home owners in the community. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was left owning more than 800 foreclosed homes and 200 vacant properties in East New York alone. The NYC Department of City Planning’s 1969 Plan was an attempt, in part, to respond to the city’s rapidly changing economic and demographic landscape. This photo is a compilation of union manufacturing opportunities in the city. By the late 1960’s, New York City’s Department of City Planning began utilizing the federal Model Cities program to try and stymie the rapid deterioration of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, and East New
nizations to help stabilize neighborhoods. The East New York community saw two major neighborhood stabilization programs in the 1980’s: the Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY) and the Nehemiah housing programs. MHANY was a locally-based collective made up of squatters and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). A combination of homesteader sweat-equity, design support from the Pratt Center, and funding from the Parodneck Foundation and the City’s Housing, Preservation and Development Department (HPD), saw the stabilization, renovation, and re-habitation of over 300 units of affordable housing (<80% of AMI). In contrast, the Nehemiah program focused on land clearance, creating pockets of new, low-scale housing, which still shape the urban fabric today.
High-lot coverage apartment buildings used to be the norm along East New York side-streets, however, years of neglect and abandonment took their toll on the housing stock. Photo taken by NYC Department of City Planning, 1980s.
York. The East New York Model Cities program called for holistic community development and provided 80% of the funds to conduct concentrated and coordinated planning initiatives in partnership with local community groups. Within six months of being awarded funds, planners, community advocates, and residents had developed a series of proposals totaling almost $175 million dollars (2012 dollars). But by the time land clearance and assemblage began in 1973, the Nixon Administration axed both Model Cities and Section 235 housing rehabilitation funding. Without the direct support of federal programs, New York City turned towards local orga-
number of sustainability initiatives including block-by-block retrofitting and bio-swale development. The population is also on the rise with a 12% increase in neighborhood residents since 2000. It is also one of the only communities in the city which has also seen an increase in its African-American population: a massive 20% spike since 2000 as compared with a decrease of 6% in Brooklyn as a whole. Residential overcrowding, access to services, and housing affordability are some of the most pressing issues today, further exacerbated by both higher-than-city crime and unemployment rates. Unfortunately, the area’s current zoning, which has remained unchanged since 1961, restricts development to low-density, low-scale, and outdated auto-oriented uses.
The expansion of community gardens, under Mayor Koch’s augmented Green Thumb program, leveraged the abundance of vacant lots throughout East New York in the 1980s. Photo taken by NYC Department of City Planning, 1980s.
In a partnership between HPD and the faith-based East Brooklyn Congregations consortium, hundreds of affordable home-ownership properties were created as infill. The Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC) and the Local Development Corporation of East New York (LDCENY) were formed in the 1980’s to help further local development initiatives in partnership with city agencies. Today, the community is in the spotlight again, but this time for having New York City’s largest community farming network, one of the preeminent bilingual schools in the country, and for the implementation of an unprecedented /9/
This, in a community calling for increased access to affordable housing, is well-served by regional mass transit, and is blessed with committed community groups, are just some of the reasons why it was selected in 2011 for the federal Sustainable Communities initiative. Sustainable Communities East New York is a 2-year NYC Department of City Planning study, coordinated with the neighborhoods of East New York and Cypress Hills in Brooklyn, New York. Funded by HUD, and in partnership with a northeastern regional consortium which includes the Regional Plan Association, the initiative seeks to capitalize on the area’s abundance of transit m CITY
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options by identifying opportunities for new mixed-income housing, improving access to jobs, helping to create safer streets, improving availability of healthy food options, and improving environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. The Sustainable Communities initiative is building on the ongoing public investment in safety, schools, affordable housing, and economic development, and is being conducted in close cooperation with long-standing community partners including the Cypress Hills LDC and the LDC of East New York. Rather than releasing a draft plan and relying on a public comment window, the DCP Sustainable Communities team has participated in over 70 meetings with local officials, community boards and community groups, as well as led three major public workshops prior to finishing an existing conditions analysis or
drafting any recommendations. The study’s emphasis on neighborhood planning and participation has allowed the DCP team to work closely with local residents and respond directly to their needs through a recursive process of collaboration. This information is not only used at the local level, but helps inform the broader regional consortium efforts, stretching from New Haven, CT to Riverhead, Long Island. This regional-scope of community development has helped to reorient the vision of the East New York community: it is not located merely on the urban periphery of New York City; rather it is located at the geographic center of a growing region, the midpoint between Downtown Manhattan and Hempstead, Long Island. The study is scheduled to release a final report this winter which will include not only recommendations for land use and zoning, but
will also identify opportunities for improvements to transportation access and intermodal connections, and for the promotion of energy efficiency for new and existing buildings. The ultimate goal is to create a new model for sustainable community development in New York City and the region, guided by the direct input of local residents and in conjunction with DCP’s sister agencies. For more information on the Sustainable East New York study, contact the Brooklyn Office of the Department of City Planning at 718-780-8280 or visit the website at www.nyc.gov/sceny. Alex is a recent CRP graduate. He is currently a City Planner with the NYC Department of City Planning and a contributing editor of the urbanism blog planyourcity.net. He received his bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Florida.
Graduate Capstone by Alexa Fábrega Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts and their Public Vacant Lots in Bedford-Stuyvesant:
A Case for Creative Adaptations Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts (NOCD) are organically formed and integrated into the community, where various cultural entities cluster in a certain geographical area to become creative hubs in the neighborhood, including arts organizations, design industries, small businesses, educational institutions, and community advocacy
Catalyst for Change Mural in Bed-Stuy. Photo by Alexa Fabrega
groups. My Environmental Systems Management capstone focused on the Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) neighborhood of Brooklyn, within the boundary of Community Board 3, and was inspired by the work of the Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts - New York Working Group. One of their m CITY | Spring 2013
ongoing studies is on the access and allocation of public facilities for cultural adaptive-reuse. My research expands on potentials of cultivating underutilized spaces through the NOCD framework, as a means to facilitate creative adaptations of publically owned vacant lots located in Bed-Stuy. Cultural resources are tangible and intangible; they are the myriads of spaces and actions that spur gradually, concurrently and spontaneously, comprising the idiosyncrasies of elements and networks of cultural assets in a neighborhood. As a precursor to a collaborative cultural resource mapping exercise, I inventoried the locations, as well as the associated programming, of galleries, cultural venues, arts groups, community groups, schools, libraries, houses of worship, and community gardens, which all produce cultural capital and contribute to the cultural life of the community. The inventory is partial, focused on tangible cultural assets, and presents an overview of where the clusters of cultural activity are located to demonstrate the prevalence of NOCD in Bed-Stuy. I then correlated the geographical distribution of cultural assets to the sites of publically owned / 10 /
vacant lots in the community, referenced from the 596 Acres database. While the inventory reveals the prevalence and proximities of cultural assets that comprise the NOCD, it does not stipulate any particular proposal for creative adaptation. Instead, it develops a narrative of possibilities, supported by existing projects and prototypes, from temporary to enduring, from pop-up markets, performances, exhibitions, to localized energy generation, recycling, and remediation, as diverse forms of revitalization. Community based cultural assets create fertile ground from where to foster the collective imagination in utilizing common resources. Creative adaptation is one means to achieve this, where community engagement is directed towards regenerating idle spaces, to be envisioned and shaped by the community, towards promoting places that celebrate and cultivate creativity. Alexa Fabrega graduated from the UESM program in December 2012. She lives and works in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Ron and Yvette Shiffman and Brooke Mayer
Op-Ed.
Recovery, Adaptation, Mitigation and Planning: New Programs to Strengthen Neighborhoods for Disaster Response
Pratt Institute Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development Presents
educational institutions committed to these values to develop a model curriculum for a capacity building, technical assistance and policy development program. PSPD has initiated the development of a suite of studios, classes, workshops and conferences to begin in the summer of 2013, called the “Recovery, Adaptation, Mitigation and Planning [RAMP]” program. RAMP aims to develop community capacity to face these issues while also cultivating and refining the professional skills needed to develop strategies that support such community-scale innovation. RAMP will build on Pratt and PSPD’s interdisciplinary knowledge base that combines architecture, urban design, environmental systems management and science programs and its history of direct and participatory engagement with communities in the region to establish a model curriculum that could be replicated for other institutions approaching these issues of resiliency, social and environmental justice and sustainability. At its core, the RAMP classes will serve matriculated undergraduate students in the architecture program and graduate students in the planning, preservation and environmental / 11 /
is an interdisciplinary suite of studios, classes and open workshops that will address issues facing the coastal communities of New York City and the Region post-Sandy.
BEGINNING SUMMER 2013 Summer Session May 13–August 5
In the face of climate change, we must go beyond resiliency to approach the social, economic, and environmental injustices that have plagued neighborhoods for decades at the detriment of us all.
PHOTO CREDIT SARAH SHEBARO
Hurricane Sandy, which hit the New York City area on October 29, 2012, directly affected a wide variety of socially, economically, and physically diverse communities along the New York / New Jersey / Connecticut region’s coastline, Many of these areas are inhabited by low- and moderateincome families, including immigrant and nonimmigrant, white, Latino and Black residents, and host a range of small businesses that sustained significant and costly damage in the storm. As we witnessed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, community residents and communitybased organizations are part of the team of “first responders” in their neighborhoods. Building their capacity to respond to and recover from disasters, as well as to develop adaptation and mitigation strategies within their communities must be the foundation of any resiliency strategy. This is particularly important in low- and moderate-income areas and in communities of color where issues of race and economic status have too often led to exclusion and isolation. It is essential to develop the capacity and delivery system to assist these diverse communities and businesses in their recovery from the impacts of Sandy and to strengthen their resilience to face future storms by enabling them to adapt to the inevitability of climate change. Equally important is the need to build their capacity to undertake the sustained mitigation actions necessary to reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases. The city and the country can no longer afford to engage in planning policies that are either predicated on risk denial or based on short term fixes; climate change, rising sea levels and their impact on the pattern of development in the city must be addressed through a sustained, holistic and synergistic approach to recovery and postrecovery efforts. To begin to address these interrelated issues of Recovery, Adaptation, Mitigation and Planning, PSPD is proposing to work closely with the Center for Social Inclusion, the NYC-Environmental Justice Alliance and other organizations and
systems management programs at Pratt, as well as students from other accredited planning and architectural programs interested in getting credit for participating in these classes. These programs will also be open to practicing professionals seeking to update their skills. The studios, offered over the summer of 2013, will be focused on community planning, architecture, sustainable business and green infrastructure, and will work with communitybased clients addressing issues of recovery, sustainability and resiliency. A series of other classes, workshops and conferences, offered throughout the summer and fall of 2013, will expand on and complement the topics covered in the studios. A number of these workshops and Graduate + Certification Maintenance Credit Available For More Information visit: www.pratt.edu/ramp or Email RAMP.Pratt@gmail.com
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classes will be open to practicing professionals, community residents and advocacy groups, and, wherever possible, co-sponsored by various technical assistance providers, advocacy organizations, professional associations and community-based organizations. While some of the classes offered through RAMP will be existing Pratt classes tailored to address these issues, a number of new classes will also be offered with a focus on: social integration and human health; facilitating environmental solutions; international examples of resilience, and; grassroots initiatives for building community resilience that advance social, economic and environmental justice. The series of workshops will address additional topics including: building human capital and community organizing; creative financing; public housing, and; techniques for smart grid and broadband. Lessons from a diverse, densely populated urban island environment like New York City will be instructive for institutions and municipalities elsewhere. Following the workshop series, the Center for Social Inclusion [CSI] and Pratt will develop a document summarizing the workshop
series and its outcomes and create a resource guide of syllabi and other resources for each topic covered in the workshops. CSI and Pratt will publish the document and resource guide, proactively publicizing it among interested localities, colleges and universities and community groups nation-wide. CSI will also work continuously to engage journalists and bloggers to cover innovation in mitigation and adaptation strategies within low-income communities and communities of color. As a capstone to the RAMP programs, in the fall of 2013 CSI will convene an invitation-only salon of interested city leaders in business, government and non-profit sectors to discuss resiliency and adaptation in New York City, and hold a public convening on race, adaptation and climate change. Keep an eye out for additional details to come! For more information, visit www.pratt.edu/ ramp or email RAMP.Pratt@gmail.com.
Artists and Community Based Planning:
Brooke Mayer is a second year CRP Student concentrating in environmental planning. She previously worked as a Pratt Center fellow focusing on energy efficiency incentives and financing, and as a consultant for an energy efficiency and management startup company. She is now working on community resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change. Yvette Shiffman is currently a planning consultant with 40 years of experience in housing and community development. A graduate of Pratt with a Master of Science in City and Regional Planning, she has worked in city government and the non-profit world, focusing on neighborhood stabilization efforts. In the last year, she has been assisting the Pratt Planning faculty to document its activities in response to Hurricane Sandy and to plan for its RAMP program. Ron Shiffman is a world renowned urban planner, professor of City and Regional Planning and founder and director emeritus of Pratt Center for Community Development. See pages 22-24 for Ron’s latest accomplishments.
Demonstration of Professional Competence by Juliana Dubovsky
An Opportunity for Creative Collaboration in Community District 1, Queens I found my Demonstration of Professional Competence (DPC) via a deflating defeat in community organizing. In the summer of 2012 I was working to garner local support for a NYCDOT proposed pedestrian plaza in Astoria, a neighborhood in Community District 1 (CD 1), in northwestern Queens. Despite diverse support and other successful plazas and pedestrian streets in neighboring areas like Corona and Jackson Heights, the Newtown Plaza was quashed. Businesses, property owners and CB 1 were opposed to the noise, garbage and public activity it could foster. After Newtown Plaza’s defeat, I decided to focus my DPC on the nexus between creative assets and community development. As the 2011-2012 Community Planning Fellow for CB 1, I was asked to research how to bring arts and cultural organizations into a more active role in neighborhood advocacy and in partnership with the board. As the result of my organizing experience and findings of my fellowship, my DPC explored community cultural/creative development (CCD) and advocated for its use by CB 1. m CITY | Spring 2013
CCD encapsulates the integration of the broad definition of cultural and creative resources with community building strategies, cross-disciplinary partnerships, municipal planning and decisionmaking systems (Social Engagement Lab, n.d),. Developed by the Urban Institute’s Culture, Creativity and Communities Program, the Arts and Culture Indicators in Community Building Project (ACIP) provided a standard framework to track and measure arts, culture and creative expression at the community district level. I used Sharon Zukin’s concept of “urban imagery,” as described in The Naked City (2010), to analyze the everyday ACIP indicators, like local media and landscapes, which also convey the presence, participation and support for local creative expression. A pedestrian plaza in Corona, Queens, served as a case study illustrating how a community board worked with local artists and arts institutions to address urban planning issues and engage in community based planning. As Jackson notes in Cultural Connects All: Rethinking Audiences in Times of Demographic / 12 /
Change (2011), artists and cultural organizations often strive to stay vital and relevant, asking “what they can offer to communities; how can they improve quality of life; and how can they be understood as essential to a neighborhood.” These are not unique questions to the arts per se; community boards confront them as well. Creative collaborations can mitigate weaknesses, such as the perception that community boards and the creative sector are peripheral or exclusive, rather than integral parts of sustainable communities. While my DPC recognizes that arts and non-arts partnerships are not always easy to maintain, they can be mutually beneficial when done well. I continue to advocate for integrating CCD into CD 1, as a process and an outcome of communitybased planning, and in partnership with the board. Juliana R. Dubovsky awaits her CRP degree. She works for Manhattan Community Board 3 as Assistant District Manager and is a community activist in Queens.
Wallabout Green Manufacturing District Client: Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project The objective of my demonstration of professional competence project was to establish a prototype for sustainable industrial building renovation that improves building energy efficiency while preserving the character of industrial districts and employment. The Wallabout Green Manufacturing District is a proof-of-concept that examines the feasibility of strategies that integrate principles of sustainability with regards to building retrofits, manufacturing processes and urban infrastructure. Sustain-
ity of projects that could spur additional sustainable redevelopment of other existing buildings in the area. This study establishes strategies for greening existing industrial buildings, attracting industrial business types that achieve high environmental performance, and creating regenerative social and physical infrastructure at the district-scale. The Development Proposal was supported by six components of quantitative and qualitative research:
Demonstration of Professional Competence by Simon Kates potential revenues of appropriate business types that provide the jobs needed by residents in the surrounding neighborhoods, including public housing and graduates from nearby universities. Ultimately, the development pro forma indicated that development costs associated with building acquisition and renovation would not be supported by affordable industrial rents. In order to improve the energy efficiency of existing industrial buildings while maintaining the industrial character of the neighborhood additional subsi-
Surveyed vacant lots, available buildings, vacant buildings, storage facilities and parking lots.
ability is defined at both the building and district scales to include energy efficiency, reduction of stormwater runoff, employment training for local residents, and business practices that contribute to sustainability citywide. The goal of the Wallabout Green Manufacturing District is to show that there is a place in cities for sustainable industry that generates financial capital, but also supports human capital by providing living wage jobs to local residents and natural capital by dramatically reducing the environmental impact of industrial operations. Envisioned as the initial phase of this transformation in Wallabout, this project consists of development proposals for eight existing buildings and district-scale urban design interventions for a four-block section of Wallabout. The goal of this initial study is to explore the feasibil-
• An outline of the historical, economic and environmental contexts of Wallabout; • Real Estate Market Analysis to guide the development proposal; • Financial Feasibility Analysis to test the proposal; • Fiscal Impact Analysis to estimate the impact of development on tax revenues; • Economic Impact Analysis to estimate the impact of development on job creation; and • Recommendations to further support the sustainable industrial building renovation Operating cost-savings of green building strategies were considered with the goal of determining whether development costs can be supported by the current industrial rental market and / 13 /
dies are required. I conclude the study with a recommendation to provide additional gap funding in the form of a blend of grants and low-interest loans. Grants in year one would reduce the effective capital cost of the project, which would reduce loan service payments. Low-interest, short-term loans would shift more of the repayment burden onto early years when existing incentives and tax abatements are active. Simon Kates graduated from the City and Regional Planning Program in February 2013. His work at Pratt focused on affordable housing and sustainable real estate development. Simon has also received an M.Arch from the University of Oregon and has worked in architecture, energy efficiency incentive policy and energy efficiency finance. He is currently pursuing a career in sustainable development. m CITY
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Matt Garcia
Graduate Studio
Recommendations for Affordable Housing in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn The South Williamsburg area of Brooklyn is a dynamic, culturally diverse and trendy neighborhood. This combination of characteristics together with recent rezoning and land use decisions (Broadway Triangle redevelopment, the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment, etc.) creates a challenging situation in terms of providing adequate and appropriate housing in the area. In the fall 2012 semester, Pratt Institute City and Regional Planning students dove into this community for the Fundamentals Studio, to examine the existing conditions in the area and provide recommendations to increase affordable housing options for current neighborhood residents. The client, Churches United for Fair Housing, Inc., is a faith-based grassroots organization that works to improve the housing options, open
space and economic development of the area. CUFFH was concerned that current Southside residents were being pushed out due to rising housing prices. In addition, affordable housing options in the area either are not tailored to the needs of community members or are unavailable because New York City’s city-funded affordable housing options are open to all residents of the City through a lottery system, and thus providing no guarantee that a current community member could secure a spot. As a result, CUFFH looked to other means of providing affordable housing to community members. For example, they previously secured a deal with a private developer who developed half affordable and half market-rate housing for the community members in exchange for a lease on a local church-
Ingenuity and critical thinking become essential skills for future planners. owned property. In bypassing the city’s official affordable housing mechanisms, they were able to both provide affordable housing and prioritize current community members as occupants. The Fundamentals Studio, with instructors by Eve Baron, Mercedes Narciso, Juan Camilo Osorio, and Ayse Yonder, was tasked with providing existing conditions and recommendations for affordable housing possibilities on churchowned properties in the area. After meeting and discussing the goals and expectations of the work with Rob Solano, Executive Director, and Bruno Daniel, Coordinator of CUFFH, the class divided into four teams to begin work on documenting the existing conditions of the study area. The teams focused on: • • • •
PSPD student Thom Stead presents an existing conditions overview of the studio study area in South Williamsburg to PSPD faculty, students, and community members in December.
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Housing and economic development; Land use, zoning, urban design and open space/parks; History, demographic and socioeconomic profile; community facilities; and political structure; and Environmental issues; transportation and infrastructure linkages to the rest of the city; disaster risk and environmental justice issues.
To begin the research process, students visited the study area (bounded by Grand and Metropolitan Avenues to the north, Bushwick Avenue to the east, Flushing and Bedford Avenues to the south, and the East River to the west) to document current conditions, land use and
familiarize themselves with the area. Existing conditions findings included the very high proportion of the youth population in the area, poor air quality due to nearby waste transfer stations and truck routes, and an extremely low open space to people ratio. The class presented complete existing conditions at a community meeting in South Williamsburg to local political officials, community members and representatives from local advocacy organizations. This meeting was intended not only as an educational opportunity, but as a method to get feedback from community members on what they saw as priorities for the neighborhood. The completion of the existing conditions report and community feedback transitioned the class to the recommendations phase of the studio. Using CUFFHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previously successful
disaster response and new park and open space. These recommendations were intended as starting points for discussions between churches and CUFFH to explore possibilities in maintaining their local congregations. The Fundamentals Studio class presented their Recommendations Report to CUFFH in December, highlighting church-owned properties that held the most promise to create affordable housing in the community. CUFFH commended the class with creating a resource that could be used as the technical basis to begin development conversations with local churches. While the
Fundamentals Studio forced students to work together, focus on the needs of a specific community and imagine creative solutions for complex problems. As the students continue their studies, it is a hope that the Fall 2012 studio report can help to continue the community-led change in South Williamsburg around affordable housing. While South Williamsburg and New York City in general continue to evolve and communities work to keep their neighborhoods theirs, ingenuity and critical thinking become essential skills for future planners to address their prob-
The Fall 2012 Fundamentals Studio encouraged students to work together, focus on the needs of a specific community, and imagine creative solutions for complex problems. methodology as a model, the class divided the study area into four subzones, each with churchowned properties, to explore what might be possible in terms of affordable housing. Examining the legal possibilities of each lot, the teams put together redevelopment scenarios centered on affordable housing. Recommendations focused on housing included lot mergers for adjacent church-owned properties, inclusion of community facilities for increased building rights, and the inclusion of green infrastructure in new developments. While many church-owned properties were too small to realistically have affordable housing redevelopment potential, the existing conditions report highlighted other issues that these smaller spaces could address for community members including, for example, community facilities for
The Google SketchUp illustrates a proposed lot merger (different lots in shades of amber) and razing of underutilized buildings (shown in red) on diocese-owned properties to build approximately 83 affordable housing units.
specific scenarios outlined in the report might not be implemented, each highlighted city processes, funding incentives and the bureaucratic structure in which any development could take place. These processes, combined with the innovation showed in the report for use of local church-owned properties, could provide the inspiration for developing affordable housing for current residents in the area. While South Williamsburg, and New York City in general, continue to evolve and communities work to keep their members, ingenuity and critical thinking become essential skills for future planners to address their problems. The fall 2012 / 15 /
lems. The Fall 2012 Fundamentals Studio forced students to work together, focus on the needs of a specific community, and imagine creative solutions for complex problems. As the students continue their studies, hopefully the fall 2012 studio report can help kick start community-led change in South Williamsburg around affordable housing. Matt Garcia is a first year CRP student. Previously with Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian advocacy group, he is currently a Graduate Research Fellow at Transportation Alternatives working on advocacy tools promoting pedestrian, bicycle and public transit use in New York City. m CITY
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Brooke Mayer and Leonel Ponce
Graduate Studio
Transformative Visions:
Reconnecting Communities to the Harlem River through Urban Design
The Harlem River, a tidal strait running for 8 miles between the Bronx and Manhattan and connecting the Hudson and East Rivers, travels through a diverse landscape of neighborhoods. Though a popular recreational area until the 20th century, its banks have since been populated by many industrial and commercial uses and lined with heavily used transportation corridors, leaving the surrounding neighborhoods disconnected from this shared asset. This fall, led by Professors Jonathan Martin and Ronald Shiffman, a class of PSPD students explored opportunities to reconnect local communities to the Harlem River waterfront through urban design. This effort built upon the work of a PSPD studio from the previous semester, which focused on building community awareness of the river as an asset through defining a community vision plan. That studio collaborated with the Harlem River Working Group [HRWG] and the Trust for Public Land in a series of participatory visioning sessions, evaluating previous plans for the riverfront and collecting new ideas from residents to inform the Harlem River Greenway Project. From that studio, one portion of the River and future Greenway presented an opportunity for further study—the northern portion between the University Heights Bridge and the Broadway Street Bridge. This section of the river, with complex land ownership constraints, an abundance of industrial land uses and transportation infrastructure, and dramatic topographic grade changes, became the study area for Fall 2012’s Land Use and Urban Design Studio. Students analyzed both the Manhattan and Bronx sides of the river between the University Heights Bridge to the South and Broadway Bridge to the North. Bounded by major transportation corridors and characterized by dramatic topography and industrial uses, the site featured many physical m CITY | Spring 2013
Students collectively constructed a large-scale model as a tool of analysis as they developed design proposals. The model included the study site as well as the larger area surrounding it. The model’s construction allowed students to insert their own models of the study area in order to view them in context.
and psychological barriers to waterfront access. The studio set to develop formal design proposals to reconnect area residents and workers with the waterway. The site’s span across both banks of the river lent opportunities for conceptual and physical connections between neighborhoods. In the spirit of reconnecting residents and employees to the waterfront, an underlying theme of the design investigation was to reestablish the human experience and scale within a landscape largely dedicated to industry and transportation. Instead of displacing existing industrial uses, / 16 /
students felt it was important to work within existing opportunities and constraints so that the human scale and working landscape could coexist. Students analyzed existing and emerging conditions through a series of site visits and critical research, and documented this data in graphically-evocative diagrams illustrating connectivity and access issues, pedestrian flows, land use and environmental conditions, and demographic patterns on the site. The class continued to explore design concepts in teams,
through an iterative process using sketches, small sketch models, and a large-scale model that the class collectively built. Each team developed a unique approach and design philosophy, expanding on ideas they felt were critical to reconnecting people with the landscape. With the Greenway as the fundamental feature of each team’s proposal, common themes included interventions focused on environmental sustainability and community resilience such as stormwater infrastructure and flood hazard mitigation, alternative and decentralized energy, and ecology-based on-water learning and recreation. Proposals also incorporated flexible space that could be defined by users and provide opportunities for local economic development, including multi-purpose street furniture, pop-up retail and performance venues, and community spaces. Connectivity to upland neighborhoods through innovative bridging and navigational approaches was also a critical piece to each proposal. A mid term review encouraged students to begin thinking of the timing and logistics of how these designs would be implemented, for instance, incorporating the use of interlocking versus phased components in an effort to enhance the flexibility of implementation. While thinking critically about the “how,” students continued to use bold, broad strokes in their design proposals. This dynamic promoted creative, novel solutions and visions for the Harlem River. The Fall 2012 studio culminated in an exploration of the transformative power of urban design, in an effort to reconnect local communi-
PSPD Students exploring the Harlem River study area. Nature has reclaimed areas left undeveloped, creating an interesting juxtaposition with the industrial landscape found along the River’s banks.
ties to the Harlem River waterfront. These proposals, informed by community visioning sessions from the previous semester and infused with critical research and experiential observation, can provide original, alternative futures for the Harlem River, its Greenway project and neighbors. Brooke Mayer is a second year CRP student concentrating in environmental planning. She previously worked as a Pratt Center fellow focusing on energy efficiency incentives and financing, and is now engaging in work on climate change and disaster resilience.
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Leonel Lima Ponce is a second year UESM student. He has worked as Green Infrastructure Fellow for Pratt’s DEP Grant projects, and is currently working on his capstone project on participatory sustainable infrastructures in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas.
Connectivity to upland neighborhoods through innovative bridging and navigational techniques was a critical piece to each proposal. Featured here is the Movers+Shakers’ proposal for establishing waterfront access over the MTA rail yard.
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Alix Fellman and Humberto Martinez
Graduate Studio
Creating a Sustainable Melrose Commons With Nos Quedamos
Melrose Commons, a neighborhood in the South Bronx, has a long and impressive history of community based planning. After the City proposed an urban renewal plan for the area that would have displaced many community residents, a group of neighbors joined forces to create an alternative plan that was successfully adopted by the City in 1994. Those neighbors formed an organization called Nos Quedamos, or “We Stay”, which was the client for the Fall 2012 Sustainable Communities Studio. Led by Eddie Bautista and
Pratt student Jose Lim Cardenas works with Melrose residents at a community planning charette.
Stuart Pertz, the studio built upon Nos Quedamos’ history and community values to develop a set of recommendations to guide the organization’s next steps in serving Melrose Commons. Over 15 weeks, the small studio group (Ryan Chavez, Alix Fellman, Nicole French, Peter Furst, Jose Lim Cardenas, Humberto Martinez, Catalina Parra and Ankita Rathi) met with local residents and compiled a wealth of knowledge about this tight-knit neighborhood. Melrose Commons is a 35-square-block area m CITY | Spring 2013
in the heart of the South Bronx. In the 1970s, this area saw some of the worst destruction and abuse that plagued the Bronx that decade. By the early 1990s, Melrose Commons was a neighborhood filled with vacant lots, abandoned buildings and one of the highest poverty rates in the U.S. The City of New York created an urban renewal plan for the area, which would have displaced many existing residents with low-density residential development. In response to that plan, Nos Quedamos formed and successfully stopped the
development, environmental protection, and advocacy. The studio team was challenged to live up to the incredible history and ambitious goals of Nos Quedamos. Students were responsible for the development of a sustainable neighborhoodbased plan, where economic, social and environmental opportunities for area residents are maximized. This comprehensive approach would ensure that the final recommendations would help Nos Quedamos achieve their vision without
Rendering of the proposed public plaza in front of the Old Bronx Courthouse
City’s plan from moving forward. The City was now obligated to work with the residents of Melrose to plan the future of the community. Nos Quedamos, led by founder Yolanda Garcia, successfully organized residents to create a new plan that resulted in the construction of 13 LEED certified mixed-use buildings. In addition to overseeing the implementation of the community’s plan, Nos Quedamos seeks to develop an economically productive, sustainable, and healthy community through programming in housing / 18 /
compromising their values. The studio team worked closely with current Executive Director Jessica Clemente to understand the transition that has taken place over the last twenty years of successful development. Ms. Clemente joined the class frequently to hear guest speakers, like Petr Stand of MAP Architects and Harold DeRienzo of Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, tell stories of surviving the Bronx fires and working with Melrose residents to craft a successful community plan.
After developing a comprehensive historical foundation and assessing existing conditions, the studio team went on to evaluate the area’s current challenges and identify community assets. The team went straight to the source – the residents of Melrose Commons. Through two community charrettes, residents were invited to share the things they like and the things they would change about their neighborhood. Residents were pleased with the availability of affordable housing, good food and shopping. They liked the diversity of the neighborhood, the cultural events, and the ease of transportation to Manhattan. However, they also identified areas for quality of life improvements, especially public safety and youth programming. Residents wanted more of everything – more opportunities to exercise, to gather socially, to participate in the arts, and to preserve and use their historic properties. To address residents’ concerns, the studio team developed recommendations under seven categories: reclaiming public space; activating streets; building community through the arts; youth empowerment; better police/community relations; economic development and financial independence; and community engagement through history and planning. After the course ended for the semester, Humberto and Jose presented the final recommendations to the Nos Quedamos Board of Directors. The Board was very pleased with the work and has decided to pursue the creation of a DOT plaza near the historic Bronx Courthouse (part of reclaiming public space), a series of cultural programs called Melrose Week (part of building community through the arts), and financial counseling for Melrose residents (part of economic development and financial independence). Alix Fellman is a second year City and Regional Planning graduate student at Pratt Institute. Her professional background is in nonprofit fundraising and administration. Humberto Martinez is a second-year CRP Student with an interest in community development and physical planning. His thesis focuses on the role of business improvement districts in lower-income communities.
Sustainable Agonda:
Studio Update by Isabel Miesner
Community Planning in Goa, India Before we left for Agonda, Goa, our studio class was divided into two groups, Land Use and Design. The Land Use group was to create a plan for sustainable development in Agonda and the Design team, which I was a part of, was to come up with design guidelines for site development. Our work would be building upon community and student recommendations from past workshops hosted in Agonda in 2010 and 2011. We had a faint idea of what we were to accomplish, but the scope of the project was a little overwhelming and our objectives vague. We as the design group kept asking each other, “What exactly is a design guideline?” We were worried that by the time we got to Agonda, we still wouldn’t know what to ask or how to ask it.
You enter the project mindful that you are just a visitor and that the difference between being seen as a facilitator or as a dictator can often be a fine balance. Like any studio, local or international, you enter the project mindful that you are just a visitor and that the difference between being seen as facilitator or as dictator can often be a fine balance. You risk a detrimental shift in balance if you fail to fully grasp the project and its process. But the time we spent traveling though India, roaming the streets of Agonda and not thinking about studio helped eased us into the community with more cultural sensitivity. Once we understood who and what we were planning and designing for, our process and goal became much more clear. In conversation, Indians often shake their head side to side with a slight wobble. It’s a gesture we don’t have in America—the best / 19 /
description I can give is that it looks like a spinning top as it slows right before falling over. When you first encounter this, it is very confusing and misleading. Was that yes? A no? Or wait, a maybe? And let me tell you, it happened all through the workshop. Our time on the ground allowed for us to absorb different cultural mannerisms like this one so that when we finally sat down and seriously talked with the villagers, we knew the ‘wobble’ was a sign of understanding and agreement. That comfort we felt with the community and they with us made for a very successful workshop, one that ultimately helped define our own work and objectives. The Goa Studio will complete their recommendations and report this spring—a full studio article will be featured in the next Summer issue of multipliCITY. See the class blog is here. Isabel Miesner is a second year student in City and Regional Planning.
Villagers discussing waste management options in day two of the workshop. Photo by Isabel Miesner.
m CITY
| Spring 2013
Meric Ugdul
Graduate Study Abroad
A Trip through Time:
Historic Preservation Students Explore Rome
In the spring of 2013, under the supervision of Professor Anne Hrychuk, second year Historic Preservation students traveled to Rome, Italy to learn how a city could preserve it’s more than two thousand and a half year old history and develop to become what it is today. We arrived in Rome to a wonderfully sunny Sunday. The easygoing vibe of this day rubbed off on us and invited us to explore the neighborhood of Trastevere, which is situated across the Tiber River from the rest of the old city. These five days were going to be a chronological journey through time.
Preservation is about maintaining the history of place for the next generation. The next day our first guided tour began in front of the Theatre of Marcellus in the “Field of Mars” with Professor Jan Gadyne. We dove head first into the city’s long history since its foundation in 753 BCE and the spring weather helped us walk through the ruins of several ancient sites such as the Largo Argentina Temples, the Mausoleum of Augustus and the Pantheon. We were amazed to discover the historical and cultural value of these sites. Being in the presence of a catalog of architectural history maked us wonder about the lives of those who came before us. Preservation is about maintaining the history of place for the next generation. The afternoon began with Early Christian Rome and thus we entered the Middle Ages. Professor Gadyne continued his discussion at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, and then we made our way back down the Aventine focusing on the ruralization of the city and patterns of residential development. Rome’s m CITY | Spring 2013
Foreground: San Carlo al Corso Basilica. Background: St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican.
population had fallen during that time from a million in the second century to 35,000 only three hundred years later. This had created a city with vacant structures interspersed with ruins and vegetation around the ancient part. At the end of this tour we had the chance to see part of a / 20 /
Corinthian column in a Roman’s bathroom! Professor Gadyne opened our eyes to the newer constructed buildings that have incorporated ruins into not only facades, but into the interior as well. It was a subtle insight into the respect the Romans have towards their past.
View from “Field of Mars” looking toward the Temple of Apollo Sosianus and the Santa Maria in Campitelli.
Group Photo from left to right: Hung-Hsi Chao / Francine Morales / Meric Ugdul / Professor Jan Gadyne / Professor Anne Hrychuk / Michelle Duncan
By Wednesday we had become acclimated to the city and its routine. We woke up to a grey and wet Rome. But it was highlighted with a unique and exclusive visit to the Temple of Portunus, an ancient Roman temple that was converted into a Medieval church. Professor Lisa Ackerman, the Executive Vice President of the World Monuments Fund, arranged the site visit and two others like it just for us. These sites are still in the restoration phase and are not open to the general public. This was an incredible privilege and learning experience that few HP students get to enjoy. We later embraced the cold and made our way up the Capitoline Hill to our tour of Renaissance and Baroque Rome with Professor Jeffrey Blanchard. The rest of the day was spent in a series of amazing churches and learning about Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini and Caravaggio. The last day was crowned with the exhaustion of the previous tours, but also the excitement of seeing different parts of the city. We stepped out of the tourist-oriented parts of the city with a visit to the Testaccio neighborhood with Professor Pia Schneider. We discussed and explored Rome after 1870 and the urban affects of the cities development as the capital of Italy. The city inside the Aurelian Walls has a Category A protection. There cannot be any alterations to the interior or exterior of any building regardless of its historical significations without the consent of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. Furthermore, it is really hard to make any transformation to the cityscape because anywhere they dig, they come across a historical ruin. Our five days in Rome were an amazing experience that illustrated the importance of studying preservation, architecture and history together. All HP students should visit this city at least once in their lifetime and we were lucky enough to have this great opportunity. Being at the heart of such an ancient, yet resilient city, with incredible professors to guide us gave us hope that everything could stand the test of time and—with vision—create a cohesive livable city. Meric Ugdul is a Turkish graduate student in the Historic Preservation department due to complete her degree in May. Before coming to Pratt, she studied architecture in Paris at the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture (ESA). She is interested in architecture, preservation, history and photography.
A dome at the Santa Maria in Campitelli.
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m CITY
| Spring 2013
multipliCITY Editors
Faculty Highlight
Ron Shiffman
Receives Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award and the APA Pioneer Award The Jane Jacobs Medal was created by the Rockefeller Foundation in honor of the legendary community activist. Today, the Medal recognizes “New Yorkers who use the urban environment to build a more equitable city for everyone”. For over 50 years, Pratt Professor Ronald Shiffman, FAICP, Hon. AIA, has embodied this goal to foster equity in New York City. From his work in the 1960s to assist the residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant in planning for their futures and creating the first Community Development Corporation in the country, to the founding of the Pratt Center for Community Development, Ron has assisted countless communities throughout New York City in planning for equitable, sustainable futures. The following is the text of Ron’s acceptance speech, delivered at the Jane Jacobs Medal award ceremony this past March, 2013. “I am truly honored to be this year’s Jane Jacobs awardee. Jane played a pivotal role in forging the way we think about people, cities and the economy. The position I filled at Pratt 50 years ago was ironically created because of Jane’s advocacy against a Pratt planning proposal for an area of Brooklyn now known as Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill– an action I will forever be grateful for. Brooklyn benefitted because a well intentioned but misguided plan was defeated and I benefitted because I got the job opportunity of a lifetime - for that I would like to thank my mentor, George Raymond. I had the honor to meet Jane a few times, almost always with my good friend Roberta Gratz. In the early 70’s, Roberta and I took Jane on a tour of the South Bronx where my colleagues and I were working with community residents committed to rebuilding their communities - the Peoples Development Corporation and Banana Kelly. Jane immediately sensed that this -- not planned shrinkage as proposed by some --was the way to rebuild our vulnerable communities. m CITY | Spring 2013
Left: Ron Shiffman accepting his Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership at the ceremony this past March Right: Ron Shiffman accepting his National Planning Award for a Planning Pioneer at the APA’s 2013 National Planning Conference
One of Jane’s greatest attributes was to give voice to those who struggled to preserve and revitalize their community, an effort which many others were engaged in -- Elsie Richardson, Don Benjamin and Judge Jones in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ramon Reguiera in South Brooklyn, Elizabeth Yeampierre in Sunset Park, Yolanda Garcia and Kelly Terry-Sepulveda in the South Bronx, Fran Goldin in Cooper Square, Chino Garcia, Rabbit and Ruthie Nazario and Demaris Reyes in the Lower East Side, Ellen Lurie and Roger Katan in East Harlem, Luis Garden Acosta, Frances Lucerna in Williamsburg, and Pat Simon and Jeanne DuPont in the Rockaways, and many others. Jane understood the struggle of groups like Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, where Daniel Goldstein and Shabnam Merchant whose opposition to the misuse of eminent domain and the abuse of power by some in the development community pitted them against the some of the city’s most powerful entities. She inspired jour/ 22 /
nalists like Norm Oder to put voice to their struggles. She set the stage for community organizers like Eddie Bautista to mobilize communities to speak out against environmental injustices. This award must be shared with them and many others in and outside of this this room. I would be remiss not to mention that Jane’s influence was enhanced by knowing and working with advocates like Paul and Linda Davidoff, Chester Hartman, and Walter Thabit, Jon Kest and the rest of the activists at ACORN as well as folks like Richard Kahan, Joe McNeely, and Mayor David Dinkins. I also want acknowledge my wife and partner of close to 54 years, Yvette –whose influence and support has been immeasurable. This award is as much hers as it is mine. I want to acknowledge my kids and their respective spouses, and my brother and sister–in-law –all have been a source of motivation and support. My grandkids motivate
every action I engage in. I will always be indebted to those that worked with me at the Pratt Center – Rudy Bryant, Brian Sullivan, Cathy Herman, Naomi Johnson, Eva Alligood, Rex Curry, Frank DeGiovanni, Mercedes Rodriguez, Mannix Gordon, Eve Baron and Joan Byron, and many others too numerous to mention, for they all sacrificed and contributed mightily to the work we engaged in collectively. I’d like to acknowledge my successors at the Pratt Center -- Councilman Brad Lander and Adam Friedman and to the Pratt administration that supported our efforts – President Thomas Schutte and Richardson Pratt before him and trustees Mitchell Pratt and Gary Hattem. My thanks go especially to to the students of Pratt that kept us focused on innovation and true to the principles we espoused, and to my colleagues on the Pratt Planning faculty –Eve Baron, Eva Hanhardt, John Shapiro, Ayse Yonder, Carlton Brown, Jaime Stein, Eddie Bautista and Stuart Pertz ably led by John Shapiro. Most importantly, I want to thank the people we worked with that taught me to build upon their assets to help them overcome their problems— problems often spawned by public policies that fostered displacement and allowed poverty to fester in many corners of our city. We have accomplished much over the years that I am proud of, but we have left yet undone a plethora of problems that the next generation of planners, community activists and organizers must continue to address: * the social, economic and environmental injustices that make us all weaker, * the privatization of public space and public functions, * the growing economic segregation of our city or, as Mindy Fullilove, my friend calls it, the “sorting” of the city, and * the challenges of climate change – which we must aggressively and creatively confront. On behalf of my grandkids and their generation, I fervently pray that all of us in this room are ready to tackle these problems with renewed vigor. As an unapologetic optimist, I do believe that we will overcome these challenges with vision, commitment and an ever-abiding trust in our neighbors and that we will prevail.
Ron Shiffman has been at the center of community advocacy in NYC and internationally for over four decades
This April, at the American Planning Association’s 2013 National Planning Conference, Ron was also awarded the National Planning Award for a Planning Pioneer, the APA’s highest honor. The Pioneer Award is presented to innovators in the planning profession who have made significant posiitve impacts on the academic, practice-, or theory-based realms of planning. Ron was recognized for his over 5 decades of work as a planner in New York City and his focus on providing assistance to low-income communities in planning for their own neighborhoods. His trailblazing efforts to rebuild Bedford-Stuyvesant by creating the country’s first community development corporation were highlighted, as well as his incredible ability to bridge public and private resources to support housing and community development projects. More information about the APA’s Pioneer Award is available online.
A video highlighting Ron’s work, produced by the Rockefeller Foundation to accompany the Jane Jacobs Medal award, is available online. / 23 /
The PSPD’s book Intractable Democracy documents the contribution of Ron Shiffman and others in founding and promoting communitybased planning and advocacy. Copies available by emailing Dana Feingold at dfeingol@pratt.edu. m CITY
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Accomplishments Ron Shiffman, ‘69 CRP, in addition to last years
2012 Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership, has been award the American Planning Association’s Award for a Planning Pioneer! This award reflects Ron’s remarkable 50 year planning career and is given to those who have made “personal and direct innovations in American planning that have significantly and positively redirected planning practice, education or theory with long-term results.” Ron has been a professor at Pratt Institute and Co-founder and Director Emeritus of the Pratt Center for Community Development for nearly fifty years. Most recently, he is an editor and contributor to Beyond Zuccotti Park: Freedom of Assembly and the Occupation of Public Space. In one of his many recent speaking engagements, Shiffman spoke at NYASLA’s panel “NYC’s Post-Sandy Recovery: How’re We Doin’?” to discuss post-Sandy planning and recovery efforts this February. Shiffman was also featured in a New York Times interview on sustainable planning and development in New York City. In the article, Ron asserted the necessity of green real estate and development, resilient and sustainable buildings, and livable urban environments. Congratulation from the entire PSPD community! An article on the Pratt Disaster Resilience Network and the involvement of Pratt students in post-Sandy recovery efforts was featured in Pratt’s community newsletter, Gateway. The full article is available online at here. Construction Management students Timothy
Keaton, Joshua Koller, Joseph Montebello, Brandon Rabbie and Kelsey Schaffer attended the 23rd Annual Associated Schools
of Construction conference and competition in Morristown, New Jersey this past November, funded by a grant from the New York Building Foundation. The ASC promotes development and advancement in construction education. New York City Council Member Brad Lander, a Pratt Planning alumnus and former Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, was recently named one of the top 50 social activists in the nation in an article featured on m CITY | Spring 2013
The Huffington Post titled “50 Young Progressive Activists Who Are Changing America”.
Michael Flynn, ’06 CRP is the recipient of this
year’s Early Career Award from Pratt Institute, given to alumni who have graduated within the last 10 years and have earned distinction in the early stages of their career and demonstrate tremendous future potential. Michael is currently the Director of Capital Planning and Project Initiation at NYCDOT as well as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development. The PSPD Alumni Association January Bulletin featured an article on HP ’09 Alumnus Tara Kelly, who is currently the Executive Director of FRIENDS of the Upper East Side Historic District. The article focused on Tara’s work with FRIENDS and the value of her non-profit internship experience while studying at Pratt.
Kiumars Q. Amiri, NYSERDA Project Manager
and Pratt UESM alumnus spoke on a panel on Sustainable Buildings, alongside Christopher Mahase, HPD Director of Sustainability, this January. The panel was part of the 2013 Buildings and Energy Forum, discussing changes in housing, building and energy sectors in the Tri-state area. Construction/Facilities Management Professor Russel Olson received the Distinguished Educator Award from the New York City Chapter of the International Facility Management Association this spring. PSPD instructor James Rojas recently wrote an article for KCET titled “How Yellowstone Led to Los Angeles” on discovering Los Angeles’ historic sense of place through his unique art practice and model-building. In February, PSPD students and faculty participated in a Hurriplan Training Session held at Pratt Manhattan. Conducted by the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC), the session prepared a team of New Yorkers to assist in upcoming training programs at the AIA Center and other venues throughout the year and invited participants to contribute to making the program applicable to New York City. / 24 /
UESM instructor Paul Mankiewicz was recently interviewed by Urban Omnibus about his work on Stratford Avenue in the Bronx where he is retrofitting tree pits to enhance stormwater capture as well as on GaiaSoil and urban infrastructure post-Sandy. PSPD instructor and NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney participated in an AIA Planning and Urban Design Committee panel discussion on Walkable and Healthy Communities this February. Professor Ron Shiffman was interviewed for a Citiwire.net column titled “Planning for People: Fifty Years and Counting” regarding his decades of community planning and activism and his current focus on sustainability and resiliency. CRP Student Thom Stead was featured in the March issue of Pratt’s community newsletter Gateway “Student Spotlight.” Thom’s interview focuses on how his interest in bike advocacy led to his decision to pursue a community-based approach to transportation planning at Pratt. The full video is available online here.
Kate Spaulding, ’08 CRP was selected last
year to be one of 20 fellows of the New Leaders Council and she was recently asked to join the New Leaders Council Board and serves as Curriculum Committee Co-Chair. Kate is currently the Special Projects Manager and Senior Assistant to the Deputy Borough President in the Office of the Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer as well as an Adjunct Professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies.
Michael Amabile, ’10 CRP has recently
returned from an 18-month German Chancellor Fellowship with the Alexander von Humboldt where he studied how cities are supporting sustainable transportation through planning, policies and programs and interviewed experts and collected bestpractices throughout Germany. Michael is currently a consultant with the RBA Group helping NYCDOT apply for federal recovery and reconstruction funding related to Hurricane Sandy.
Pratt Disaster Resilience Network In response to Superstorm Sandy PSPD graduate students formed the Pratt Disaster Resilience Network (PDRN). PDRN works with the Pratt community across departments to support grassroots action and long-term planning for disaster mitigation and resilience. In the days after the storm, students collected and distributed non-perishable food, blankets, clothing, toiletries and cleaning supplies to affected neighborhoods as well as over two hundred sandwiches to the Rockaways in coordination with the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance
PDRN members creating “Investing In People, Coming Together.”
(RWA). RWA has worked with PSPD studios in the past and works closely with PDRN member Joseph Kozar on the Jamaica Bay Greenway Coalition, an initiative that is staffed by the Regional Plan Association. On November 10 students participated in RWA’s neighborhood cleanup, Re:vive Re:new Re:build, and made additional deliveries of emergency supplies to the Rockaways as well as to the Gowanus Houses and Coney Island area in Brooklyn. PDRN members Ana Fisyak, Michael Pedron, Renée Crowley, Elisabetta Di Stefano and Sarah Shebaro worked with the art collective Not An Alternative to design and install wayfinding signs in the Rockaways to direct people to Occupy Sandy hubs. PDRN was also involved in researching the effects of Sandy on the Newtown Creek waterfront. PSPD students and faculty used balloon aerial photography to survey damage for the Newtown Creek Alliance, a non-profit group. Fred Wolf continued the environmental impact analysis by collecting and submitting soil samples to
An update by
Rebecca Gillman Crimmins
Vassar and Marist College’s SUDS Program (Send Us Your Dirt from Sandy). SUDS analyzed and identified chemical residue left from the floodwaters and results were published on the web and Wolf was subsequently interviewed on the project by Brooklyn News 12. Over the months after the storm PDRN members Brooke Mayer, Alix Fellman and Rebecca Crimmins worked closely with the department to coordinate and incorporate resiliency planning into summer classes and future studios. This new curriculum will be featured in the RAMP Summer
Pratt pitching in at the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance’s Re:vive Re:new Re:build clean up event.
2013 Institute. In recognition of PDRN’s work in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the group was recently awarded Pratt Institute’s Outstaning Campus Program Award. Most recently PDRN’s video, “Investing in People, Coming Together” was selected in MoMA PS1’s EXPO 1: New York Rockaway Call for Ideas. Featuring Columbia Professor Mindy Fullilove, PSPD Professor Ron Shiffman, and the hands of PDRN, the video calls for social cohesion to support sustainable and resilient Rockaways. PDRN members Sadra Shahab, Ana Fisyak, Brooke Mayer, Rebecca Crimmins, Chris Hamby, Leonel Ponce, and Fred Wolf storyboarded and shot the film and created a miniature model of the Rockaways. Sarah Shebaro provided many of the images and Sara Khaki edited the film. The video was one of five selected to be publicly presented in a series of presentations and lectures organized by MoMA PS1 in its temporary relief and cultural VW Dome 2 in Rockaway Beach beginning April 2013.
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In the future PDRN is looking forward to working with other student groups—potentially to partner on design competitions and projects. PDRN continues an active social media presence on Facebook and Twitter (@PrattDRN) and posts upcoming events, articles, reports and maps on resiliency, climate, change and adaptation. PDRN is honored to have been nominated for a Pratt Student Leadership Award. Rebecca Gillman Crimmins is a second year CRP student and an ANHD/Morgan Stanley fellow working as a community organizer and affordable housing developer at Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC).
Hello PSPD Alums! The PSPD Alumni Association represents all graduates of Pratt’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development and we look forward to providing alumni with relevant events, networking opportunities and a monthly Bulletin that is informative and interesting. In March, we hosted a PSPDAA Happy Hour in Manhattan and we look forward to hosting more happy hours in the future to give alumni the opportunity to connect with friends and new colleagues. Check out all upcoming events, announcements, Alumni Spotlight interviews and job listings in our monthly Bulletins, which are sent to all PSPD alumni. If you would like to contribute to the monthly Bulletin (any announcements, events, job postings, alumni achievements or future Alumni Spotlight interview candidates), we welcome and appreciate your suggestions! Please send content to PSPDAA Co-Chairs Anna Peccianti and Ryan Cunningham at pspdalumni@ gmail.com. Thank you!
m CITY
| Spring 2013
School of
Architecture
m CITY | Spring 2013