Staff picks: New NYC lighting design initiative + more

The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) has announced a new Commercial District Lighting Grant, funding nonprofit organizations up to $100,000 to improve lighting conditions on commercial corridors through creative lighting projects. Projects must be implemented between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. As part of this grant, SBS has also issued a Request for Information (RFI) to interested design and manufacturing firms that are able to design, fabricate, and install innovative lighting projects for the awarded nonprofit organizations within this timeline.

For nonprofits, click here learn more about the grant.

For design and manufacturing firms, click here to respond to the RFI.

A PLACE FOR US: Reflections from Chinatown
Thursdays and Fridays in May, 3–6pm
Think!Chinatown, 1 Pike St, NYC

To celebrate the publication of the Chinatown Commercial District Needs Assessment — published in partnership with NYC SBS, Think!Chinatown, and Chinatown BID — Think!Chinatown presents the photography exhibition “A Place for Us: Reflections from Chinatown / 我們的歸宿.” From the grit of Mom & Pop legacy businesses to the joys of reclaiming public spaces, the exhibit touches on the many strengths, challenges and opportunities that lie within Chinatown.

For more information, visit thinkchinatown.org.

BQE 2053: Towards a Decarbonized Sustainable Multi-Modal Transportation Network
Saturday, May 20, 9 am–5:30 pm
Governors Island, NYC

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is crumbling, and federal funding is on the table for repairs, but what about radically reconsidering the entire divisive and polluting highway? How can we use this opportunity to mitigate climate change, redress historic environmental injustice, and significantly improve quality of life for all New Yorkers? These and other questions will be addressed in a series of panels on highway removal, alternative transportation systems, community land trusts, and visions for the future, led by experts and community members.

AIA CES: 5.0 LU | HSW Continuing Education Credits offered.

For more information visit bqe2053.org.