Ongoing

District Design Fellowship

Small businesses are the heartbeat of vibrant neighborhoods, but many nonprofits supporting NYC’s commercial districts lack access to creative tools that champion local merchants. To strengthen these efforts, the District Design Fellowship — developed in collaboration with the NYC Department of Small Business Services’ Building Creative Capacity initiative — partners employees of community-based development organizations (CBDOs) with designers to develop creative, impactful, and innovative “Buy Local” toolkits for their districts.

From Oct 2025–Apr 2026, Fellows will enhance their commercial corridors through design, storytelling, and public engagement. Throughout the program, Fellows are collaborating with dedicated teams of Design Advisors — professionals with relevant expertise in fields such as architecture, graphic design, or urban design. Fellows will also think creatively about design solutions and public space activations in their corridors.

By the end of the fellowship, Fellows will launch “Buy Local” campaigns that celebrate neighborhood identity and harness the power of art and design to boost visibility and foot traffic for small businesses. This suite of materials will enable Fellows to pilot new strategies that strengthen the connection between design, culture, and economic development in their corridors.

Components will include:

• Buy Local Toolkit, which may include cohesive, neighborhood-specific collateral such as brochures, digital graphics, signage, or zines.
• Corridor Design Concept, strategies to leverage a commercial corridor’s public realm. One concept should be implementable as a pilot project during the program duration to test temporary installations, markets, events, or other activation opportunities in their districts.

Quinn Moss of the Central Astoria LDC teams up with ADL Studio, Gensler, and Sarah Saad to build a cohesive neighborhood identity and enliven underutilized lots along Astoria’s Steinway Street. Founded in 1979, the Central Astoria LDC is a not-for-profit community organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the neighborhood of Astoria as a vibrant, affordable, harmonious, and desirable community in which to live, work, and do business.

Jamila Diaz of WHEDco teams up with BD Feliz, Perkins Eastman, and Zhiyao Zhang to improve the pedestrian experience and activate public space around the newly-opened Bronx Music Hall. The Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco)’s mission is to create and bridge access to resources that support thriving neighborhoods: from stable, affordable housing to high-quality early childhood and school-age youth education programs, comprehensive family and community services, business and entrepreneur assistance, and cultural programming.

Evelin Omana Caballero of La Colmena teams up with ORG Permanent Modernity, Thought Matter, and Rosanna Valencia to celebrate the rich history and immigrant community of Staten Island’s Port Richmond Avenue. La Colmena is a nonprofit community-based organization working with day laborers, domestic workers, and other low-wage immigrant workers in Staten Island through organizing, education, culture, and equitable economic development.

Becca Bran of Landmark West! teams up with Brynn Anderson, Buro Happold, and Pentagram to surface histories of the buildings and shop owners along the Upper West Side’s 72nd Street corridor. Landmark West! is dedicated to building an inclusive community and championing a positive neighborhood quality of life for the Upper West Side of Manhattan. They are an architecture, arts, and culture non-profit that has achieved landmark status for individual buildings and historic districts since 1985. They engage in extensive education outreach, diverse programming and wide-ranging research and preservation advocacy to continue to protect and celebrate the Upper West Side’s unique historic environment. 

This time-bound fellowship offers a mix of structured learning, one-on-one design support, peer exchange, and public engagement:

Design Team: Each fellow will work in a team with dedicated professional Design Advisors from the fields of architecture, graphic design, and/or urban design.

Learning Exchanges: Fellows will attend monthly learning and neighborhood exchange sessions led by design experts, showcasing NYC-based projects that exemplify best practices in corridor activations and community-driven design. Workshop topics will include:

• Creative Community Development
• Working with Designers
• Public Realm Activations
• District Marketing and Branding Strategies

District Visits: Fellows will receive support in planning an event in their district to showcase their commercial corridors and local businesses.

Final Presentation: Fellows will present their plans and lessons learned at a culminating summit and celebration, designed to engage peers, funders, and citywide stakeholders.