Plan of the Month

The Community-Based Plan of the Month highlights plans included in Planning for All New Yorkers: An Atlas of Community-Based Plans in New York City, an interactive map created by the Municipal Art Society and the Community-Based Planning Task Force.  As the recent economic slowdown gives us the opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate New York City’s planning processes, community-based plans can provide a framework for a future that works for all New Yorkers.  The plans featured in this column provide examples of how inclusive planning processes work on the ground, and ideally will help inspire future community planning efforts.

• May 2009: Oak Point Eco-Industrial Park – In honor of May Day, we feature a plan from Sustainable South Bronx and Green Worker Cooperatives to bring green jobs to an abandoned site in the South Bronx.

• April 2009:  Sharing Diversity Through Community Action – Manhattan CB9 197-a Plan:  Manhattan Community Board 9, along with partners Pratt Center for Community Development and Harlem CDC, created a comprehensive plan for the future of the district, which focused on sustainable growth.

• March 2009: Rockaway Waterfront Park Plan for Seagirt Beach: The Rockaway Waterfront Alliance engaged the community in a plan to reactivate mapped park space in Far Rockaway, Queens.

• February 2009: the UNITY Plan: A community-based alternative plan to Atlantic Yards.

• January 2009: Sunset Park 197-a Plan: Brooklyn’s Community Board 7 and many local organizations and stakeholders have created a comprehensive plan for the future of the Sunset Park waterfront, addressing many issues, from infrastructure, manufacturing, and transportation, to the environment, open space and waterfront access, to housing, quality of life, and job creation.

• December 2008: Stable-izing Brooklyn: Did you know that there is a horse-riding stable in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn? This plan addressed community character and safety in an eight-block area surrounding Kensington Stables.