Placemaking News Archive

Expounding on the many challenges when addressing housing insecurity, this New York Times article features the work of Community First, an initiative of our Midtown Community Court. The goal of Community First is to build trust with homeless populations in order to get them into longer-term housing and support. As program director Lauren Curatolo states, “We want to support you so that you eventually want to have a bed in a space.” 

In an effort to bring the community together, over a dozen mothers, grandmothers, and other family members are creating more green space at their NYCHA development. Thanks to funding from the Mayor’s Action Plan and working along with Neighborhood Safety Initiatives, the “Harlem Garden Ladies” are expanding and adding more green space to the Polo Grounds Towers in Harlem. If you were to ask them, these women say "they are planting seeds and then watching the good in the community grow."

How can designers and advocates reckon with the uneasy history of safety in environmental design? This article explores how our Neighborhood Safety Initiatives, in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice are working in public housing communities to build stronger, healthier public spaces.

“Each of these safety interventions was created by residents for residents as innovative solutions to addressing community safety,” says Danielle Brutus of the Center for Court Innovation on The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice virtual summit. Bringing together NYCHA resident leaders, local government officials, and policymakers to discuss how safety interventions can influence policy, 400 registered attendees heard panels and discussions on the legacy of the stop-and-frisk policy and “Physical Space as an Innovative Design and Policy Opportunity.” 

The Stapleton Houses' Resource Hub initiative consists of five pop-up mobile kiosks near the development’s tennis court area. A product of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, the program is effectively operating a hub to connect the community to requested services, resources, and programming. Some key issues for Stapleton’s resident stakeholder team have included health and overall wellness, safety and justice, connection to resource information, as well as youth programming and development. 

New York City Councilmember Alicka Ampry Samuel tours local programs enriching the neighborhood on Belmont Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn, including our Brownsville Community Justice Center. 

From Blocks to Beats is a 6-month music program that teaches youth how to make and perform music, in partnership with the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety and Tompkins Houses. The program's first graduation event included 10 graduates and a night filled with powerful performances before a cheering audience. 

Residents of the Wagner House are proposing for the expansion of social programming at the development, as part of their work with the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety. The proposal is dedicated to issues such as mental health, peer support, conflict resolution, restorative justice, and youth development. This resident-run initiative will transform a dilapidated lawn into a community gathering and event space featuring new planters, lawn furniture, a removable stage, a mural, and more.

This article features the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety and the Patterson Housing tenants—known as the NeighborhoodStat team— who have decided to invest in local gardens with the goal of increasing community engagement and collective efficacy. The article highlights James Reddick of the Center for Court Innovation, along with images of tenant and stakeholder, Eric Murray, taken in the Patterson garden.

Can proactive policing continue to reduce crime while also limiting the disproportionate number of African Americans currently being arrested and jailed? Our director, Greg Berman, says yes: refine police tactics, engage communities, and invest in community crime prevention.