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Join us for the two-part Neighborhoods Now Summit: Strategies for Reopening and Recovery, a culminating event reflecting on how collaborative design can inform neighborhood recovery strategies.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute joined forces to launch Neighborhoods Now, an initiative connecting NYC neighborhoods hit hard by the pandemic with coalitions of architects, engineers, lawyers, planners,  and community health experts. Together, they co-created safe and effective reopening strategies for the short- and long-term.

On October 7, Part 2 of the Summit convened the Bed-Stuy Restoration, Bed-Stuy BID, Washington Heights, University Neighborhood Housing Program, and Cooper Square Committee working groups to discuss their achievements, their goals for the future, and the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to recovery. 

The Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute also debuted a digital toolkit, including actionable resources for city governments, community organizations, and design firms keen to take on similar projects. Explore the website here: neighborhoodsnow.nyc

Listen back to Part 2 of the Summit below:

About the Presenting Working Groups ↓

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn: AE Superlab, Farzana Gandhi Design Studio, James Corner Field Operations, JB&B, and KPF collaborated with Bed-Stuy Restoration.

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn: Design Advocates, Grimshaw, Jaklitsch/Gardner, Moody Nolan, and W Architecture collaborated with the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID. 

Washington Heights, Manhattan: Arup, Design Advocates, Gensler, Stantec, and Woods Bagot collaborated with the Community League of the Heights (CLOTH).

Kingsbridge, Bronx: Dattner Architects and MBB collaborated with University Neighborhood Housing Program.

Lower East Side, Manhattan: Curtis + Ginsberg Architects collaborated with the Cooper Square Committee