Archive

1. Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity

   May 22, 2025 4:13 pm Comments Off on Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity

   About

   In Spring 2025, our Design Sprints program partnered with New York City’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to explore the intersection between arts programming and economic development, with a focus on areas with high storefront vacancy.

   Storefront vacancy is a nuanced issue impacting many commercial districts’ quality of life, public realm, and small business engagement. While addressing storefront vacancy requires a long-term strategy for investment and intervention, in the short term, immediate services are needed to address the impact the perception of vacancy has on commercial districts. Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity provides community-based organizations with capacity building and design support, including project design and strategic planning, to understand and address storefront vacancy in creative ways.

   Learn more about our Spring 2025 cohort and their projects below!

   This initiative is supported by the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

   Cooper Square Committee

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   As the oldest anti-displacement organization in the United States, Cooper Square Committee works with residents to preserve and develop affordable, environmentally-healthy housing and community and cultural spaces on the Lower East Side. They collaborated with artist Delphine Le Goff and graphic designer Scott Kelly to activate their storefront window on East 4th Street and two vacant storefronts located in a Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) cooperative — a type of affordable housing co-op that’s collectively owned and operated by residents. Together, they’ve highlighted the history of HDFCs and the small businesses situated in them, and create a digital map showcasing local businesses.

   Placeholders: Revealing the Hidden-in-Plain-Sight World of Storefronts in Affordable Housing Coops

   Location: 165 & 169 Ave C — Loisaida Ave, Manhattan

   Dates: On view through June 30, 2025

   Due to decades of grassroots organizing, the Lower East Side is home to many Housing Development Fund Corporation cooperatives (HDFCs), a unique type of affordable housing collectively owned and operated by residents. HDFCs often rent their storefronts to small businesses, artists, and nonprofits that serve local needs, nurture creativity, and express culture. Collectively, HDFCs offer a stable model for residents and small businesses facing the threat of displacement.

   Offering a glimpse into this vibrant community, Placeholders showcases items from local businesses located in HDFCs in a site-specific installation created by local artist Delphine Le Goff. Items include a camera from Fourth Street Photo Gallery, the city’s oldest Black-owned photography studio; a hand-painted mortar and pestle from Puerto Rican restaurant Casa Adela; and handmade Mexican folk art from La Sirena. The exhibition is supplemented by a map of local businesses.

   Participating Businesses: 3rd & B’zaar, A&C Kitchen, Archie’s Press, Bungee Space, Casa Adela, Clove Hair Salon, El Rinconcito, Ergot Records, Fontanez Martial Arts Success Center, Fourth Street Photo Gallery, Green Map System, Jane’s Exchange, La Sirena Mexican Folkart, Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union, Michele’s Cleaners & Laundry, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, Piccola Strada, Piragua Art Space, Relative Arts

   For more information, visit coopersquare.org.

   

   Community Partner

   Abigail Ellman

   Director of Planning and Development,

   Cooper Square Committee

   

   Network

   Delphine Le Goff

   Artist

   

   Network

   Scott Kelly

   Graphic Designer

   Grand Street BID

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   The Grand Street Business Improvement District (BID) is a nonprofit community development organization creating a vibrant commercial district along Grand Street in Brooklyn through advocacy, beautification, and sanitation efforts. They collaborated with branding and digital designers L&L Studio, ReFrame Architecture, and artist Sylvia Riveros to transform a large vacant corner storefront in Brooklyn. Their storefront window activation features an interactive art project highlighting the East Williamsburg community.

   The People Make The Place!

   Le Persone Fanno Il Luogo! ¡Las Personas Hacen El Lugar!

   Storefronts: 237 & 246 Graham Ave, Brooklyn

   Dates: On view through June 30, 2025

   Public Event: Grand Street Neighborhood Bash | Monday, June 9, 5-7 pm

   Featuring art and archival materials from neighborhood partners, The People Make the Place! spotlights East Williamsburg residents, honors the neighborhood’s leaders, and reflects its culture of co-creating public spaces. On the nearly block-long storefront at 237 Graham Ave, a photo-collage mural by L&L Studio celebrates the past, present, and future of East Williamsburg. Inspired by 1960–70s speculative design, the mural weaves together community-sourced images highlighting key places and people. It is framed by questions in Spanish, Italian, and English — languages historically spoken in the neighborhood — that prompt reflection on how viewers shape their community.

   The mural is complemented by two window activations at Grand Street BID’s headquarters, located across the street at 246 Graham Ave. Re: Place, a series of geometric sculptures by ReFrame Architecture, references the forms of storefronts. Reflective surfaces place the image of viewers within the sculptures, emphasizing the vital role of community in sustaining place. Sylvia Riveros’ photo series Toñita provides an intimate look at the Caribbean Social Club — a long-time gathering space for Puerto Rican and Latin American communities — and its remarkable founder, Maria Antonia “Toñita” Cay.

   Participating Artists: Vanesa Álvarez Díaz; Los Muralistas de el Puente; Danielle Mastrion; and SON-CORO, SINNED + Ria Burns-Wilde

   Participating Organizations: El Puente, Evergreen Exchange, St. Nick’s Alliance, Powers Street Garden

   For more information, visit grandstreetbk.org.

   

   Community Partner

   Francesca Fernandez Bruce

   Executive Director, Grand Street BID

   

   Community Partner

   Yazan Mansi

   Community Engagement Manager, Grand Street BID

   

   Network

   L&L Studio

   

   Network

   Yalda Keramati

   Founder, ReFrame Architecture

   

   Network

   Sylvia Riveros

   Community-Engaged Artist

   Program Advisors

   Throughout the sprint, a team of designers have provided strategic vision and guidance for both teams. MOS Architects advised on the cohort’s long-term plans to address storefront vacancy, with graphic design support from American Design Language. Farzana Gandhi Design Studio helped the teams prepare public programs and community engagement activities.

   

   Network

   Stacey Geller

   Founder & Creative Director,

   American Design Language

   

   Network

   Farzana Gandhi

   Founder, Farzana Gandhi Design Studio

   

   Network

   Hilary Sample

   Co-Founder, MOS

   Program Managers

   Through the sprint and storefront activations, Van Alen Institute and SBS have provided the cohort with hands-on guidance, facilitation and relationship-building techniques, and connections to design resources.

   

   Van Alen Staff

   Joseph Messana-Croly

   Program Manager

   

   Network

   René Cuenca

   Senior Program Manager of Capacity Building,

   NYC Department of Small Business Services

   Resources

   In this virtual workshop presented by SBS and Van Alen, community-based development organizations  learned about low-cost, easy-to-use design tools to create and improve their brand identity. They also discovered how design can amplify the impact of their work and how to collaborate with artists to create projects that respond to neighborhood needs. This workshop was funded by the New York City Small Business Services’ Organizational Development Avenue NYC grant.

   Speakers: Diana Araujo, Architect and Preservationist; Rosa Chang, Co-Founder and President, Gotham Park; BD Feliz, Design Strategist; Martha Hall, Illustrator; Scott Kelly, Graphic Designer

   Press

   Press

   EV Grieve

   ‘Placeholders’ highlights businesses located in HDFC storefronts

   Read More

   Press

   Greenpointers

   New Grand Street Art Installation, “The People Make the Place,” on Display Through June

   Read More

   Timeline

   Dec 2024 – Jan 2025

   Teams Formed

   Van Alen and SBS connect community partners with design professionals.

   Feb – Mar 2025

   Sprint: Design and Strategy

   Teams collaborate for eight weeks, with facilitation provided by Van Alen and SBS.

   Apr 2025

   Fabrication and Installation

   Teams fabricate and realize their projects.

   May – Jun 2025

   Unveilings and Share Out

   Teams unveil their storefront activations, organize public programming, and present their work at Van Alen Institute.

   Supporters

   

   Supporter

   NYC Department of Small Business Services

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

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2. Design Sprints

   December 31, 2024 11:07 am Comments Off on Design Sprints

   About

   “Design is powerful. Let’s use it for good. Let’s use it to be inclusive. Let’s use it to empower communities to make decisions about our own built environment.”
   — Yin Kong, Executive Director, Think!Chinatown and Design Sprints partner

   Design Sprints supports community leaders and interdisciplinary designers as they transform New York City’s underutilized spaces into vibrant public assets. Launched in 2024, Design Sprints has mobilized 60 community leaders who serve 600,000+ New Yorkers. Through design training, technical assistance, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, Design Sprints equips these leaders with resources to create impactful, community-led public space projects.

   Design Sprints follows the lead of people already working towards equity and justice in their neighborhoods. Community partners identify an immediate, pressing challenge facing their area, and Van Alen shapes multidisciplinary design teams uniquely suited to those challenges. We facilitate these collaborations through end-to-end project management and provide seed funding to implement their plans. In addition to public space activations that reflect local priorities, community partners come away with the experience to design and implement future public space projects, and lasting relationships with designers and city agencies.

   Why a sprint? Time-bound projects — with an attainable “definition of done” and rapid learning — help build trust between people who are often siloed from each other. Each challenge also feeds into neighborhood-scale efforts led by our community partners, and work completed through Design Sprints supports their long-term goals.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Cohorts

   Institutional Partners

   

   Network

   Buro Happold

   

   Network

   Pentagram

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   Supporters

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

   The New York State Council on the Arts is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New…

   

   Supporter

   NYC Department of Small Business Services

   The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger…

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3. Design Sprints: Fall 2024

   November 22, 2024 11:16 am Comments Off on Design Sprints: Fall 2024

   About

   Design Sprints is Van Alen Institute’s newest community-led design program. Over eight weeks, five teams of community leaders and designers closely collaborated to create visual identities, wayfinding systems, and advocacy campaigns that activate public spaces and create more interconnected neighborhoods.

   Our community partners wake up every day with an unwavering commitment to bringing about positive change. They advocate for street vendors across the city, restore public spaces that connect communities, give their neighbors a safe place to gather and exercise, engage youth in urban farming practices, and so much more.

   Their design partners started by actively listening to the community partners, learning about their missions, causes, and needs. Before any designs were implemented, they had real conversations about how they could best mobilize their skills to help their partners meet those goals.

   We’re so grateful for our teams’ time, wisdom, and dedication, and our network of supporters who make this work possible. Scroll down to learn more about each team and the results of their collaborations.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   34th Ave Open Streets Coalition

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Operating along Queens’ 34th Avenue between 69th St and Junction Blvd, 34th Street Open Streets Coalition facilitates an outdoor community center and micro mobility corridor along 26 blocks in Jackson Heights. They partnered with WXY Studio to rethink how residents navigate this transformed streetscape.

   The local community actively uses 34th Avenue for walking, running, and biking, and the team sought to encourage even more physical activity. However, they faced the unique challenge of creating clear wayfinding in a community that speaks 167 different languages.

   The resulting system grew from the idea that color can transcend language barriers. The design moves beyond traditional signage conventions and uses a gradient system that turns a recreational loop into an intuitive journey. Runners, walkers, and residents follow a spectrum of colors that mark their progress through the neighborhood. Each hue corresponds to a specific route segment and shows pedestrians their progress. Once the loop is complete, pedestrians have traversed the entire gradient. The team also integrated augmented reality features into the wayfinding system, layering a digital dimension to the street experience that enhances accessibility and the overall experience.

   The result is a wayfinding solution that serves its community at multiple levels — guiding movement, celebrating diversity, and embracing technological innovation without sacrificing its core goal of guiding people of all backgrounds through their neighborhood spaces.

   

   Community Partner

   34th Ave Open Streets Coalition

   

   Network

   WXY

   People

   

   People

   Jim Burke

   Co-Founder, 34th Avenue Open Street Coalition

   

   Network

   Rob Daurio

   Senior Associate, WXY

   

   Network

   Annie Peyton

   Project Manager, Via Collective

   

   Network

   Clinton Van Arnam

   Creative Director, WXY

   

   Van Alen Board

   Claire Weisz

   Principal-in-Charge, WXY

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   Gotham Park

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Gotham Park is the nonprofit grassroots organization reopening, revitalizing and reactivating the forgotten spaces under the Manhattan side of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. They collaborated with Pentagram and emerging designer Shawn Scott to create a comprehensive rebrand.

   Through site visits, team meetings and research, Pentagram developed a deep understanding of Gotham Park’s mission and impact. The team’s goal was to create a brand identity that would resonate with diverse stakeholders — Gotham Park is establishing a new hyper-urban public space that is inclusive and welcoming to all. Situated in one of New York City’s densest areas at the crossroads of Chinatown, the Historic South Street Seaport, Two Bridges, the Financial District and TriBeCa, it is anchored by the 140-year-old Brooklyn Bridge and includes the Brooklyn Banks, a mecca for skateboarders and urban culture since the 1980s.

   The rebrand begins with a custom typeface inspired by the historic granite arches and iconic red bricks that define Gotham Park. The bold and bright new logo captures the dramatic artisanry of the historic bridge masonry and NYC’s unique urban culture. The impactful and timeless logo can resonate with the many ways Gotham Park’s stakeholders view and value this important place, and the flexible typeface lends itself to myriad applications from signage to digital presence to merchandise.

   

   Community Partner

   Gotham Park

   

   Network

   Pentagram

   People

   

   Network

   Shigeto Akiyama

   Associate, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Sewon Bae

   Project Manager, Pentagram

   

   Community Partner

   Megan Brosterman

   Chief Operating Officer, Gotham Park

   

   Community Partner

   Rosa Chang

   Co-Founder & President, Gotham Park

   

   Network

   Luke Hayman

   Partner, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Anna LaGrone

   Photo Editor, Pentagram

   

   People

   Shawn Scott

   Emerging designer

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   James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   A nonprofit organization that maintains gardens, green spaces, and weekly farmers market, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center (JBOLC) fosters a multigenerational and inclusive community through shared love, respect, and appreciation for the beauty and generosity of nature. Together with BD Feliz, they sought to reflect their vitality and progress in a refreshed digital presence, and celebrate their story and history — to reveal their roots.

   Together, they designed and developed a mobile-friendly website with a colorful, garden-inspired palette, custom floral patterns, and an interactive timeline that traces JBOLC’s rich history. This timeline, which JBOLC can easily update, helps tell the story of the events and milestones that have shaped their mission.

   With the Design Sprints timeline limited to eight weeks, BD Feliz prioritized building a site JBOLC will continue to refine, launching fully next year. To support this, BD Feliz provided training that equips their team to manage and update the site independently. JBOLC’s guidance and vision drove the project, ensuring the site would bridge the gap between their outdoor programs and online engagement. This partnership has delivered a sustainable, user-centered website that will grow alongside JBOLC’s mission to foster an interconnected and empowered garden community.

   

   Network

   BD Feliz

   BD FELIZ, Principal

   

   Community Partner

   James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center

   People

   

   Community Partner

   Sung Kim

   Assistant to the Director, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center

   

   Network

   Linda Pollak

   Principal, Marpillero Pollak Architects

   

   Community Partner

   Ray Pultinas

   Director, James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center

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   Red Hook Farms

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Red Hook Farms is a youth-centered urban farm working to bring food justice to the community of Red Hook. They steward two farms in the neighborhood — the Wolcott Street Farm on NYCHA land, and the Columbia Street Farm on NYC Parks land. These spaces are verdant oases in the neighborhood, growing over 20,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables annually. They also host school workshops and are public park spaces with a diverse ecology and opportunities for passive education, exploration, and relaxation. 

   In collaboration with Studio Loutsis, they designed a robust signage and wayfinding system for the Columbia Street Farm. This will increase the public’s ability to navigate the space, allow the farmers to better track crops, and improve street-facing signage in order to encourage members of the public to visit the farm.

   Signage will be fabricated and installed in Winter 2024/25, and the team is confident it will greatly improve the experience and accessibility for all who visit the farm.

   

   Community Partner

   Red Hook Farms

   

   Network

   Studio Loutsis

   People

   

   Community Partner

   Brendan Parker

   Associate Director, Red Hook Farms

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   Street Vendor Project

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   How do you expand an organization’s capacity to build power and support for and among its members?

   For Street Vendor Project (SVP) — a membership-based collective of 3,000+ champions of street vendor rights — this calls for raising awareness and understanding with all of their audiences. Dominant narratives and public misinformation fail to reflect the individuality of street vendors or their positive economic contributions to NYC.

   ThoughtMatter and SVP worked together to develop a new design identity to drive public awareness of their mission and goal of uplifting street vendors who play a valuable and prominent role in many of New York City’s most recognizable public spaces. To help SVP build recognition and extend their reach, ThoughtMatter created a brand toolkit that will consistently reflect the organization’s presence and work in NYC through a unified visual system and messaging framework.

   The team identified the key elements of who SVP is and what they value, then crafted a hero emblem supported by updated colors, fonts, and a series of icons. The resulting toolkit has since been used to create communication assets in support of the organization’s current and future needs.

   

   Community Partner

   Street Vendor Project

   

   Network

   ThoughtMatter

   People

   

   Network

   Mari Andreatta

   Business Development Lead, ThoughtMatter

   

   Community Partner

   Mohamed Attia

   Managing Director, Street Vendor Project

   

   Network

   Sam Barbagiovanni

   Design Director, ThoughtMatter

   

   Network

   Shanti Basu

   Creative Strategist, ThoughtMatter

   

   Network

   D’Angelo Heyward

   Designer, ThoughtMatter

   

   Community Partner

   Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez

   Deputy Director, Street Vendor Project

   

   Network

   Jessie McGuire

   Managing Partner, Thought Matter

   

   Network

   Diana Ross-Gotta

   Account Director, ThoughtMatter

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   Institutional Partners

   

   Network

   Buro Happold

   

   Network

   Pentagram

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   Program Manager

   

   Van Alen Staff

   Joseph Messana-Croly

   Program Manager

   As Program Manager at Van Alen, Joseph creates community-led design programs at Van Alen. Throughout his career, he’s focused on the intersection of design and community engagement.

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   Timeline

   Sep 2024

   Discovery

   Teams define their projects and metrics for success.

   Sep – Oct 2024

   Design

   Teams engage in a collaborative co-design process.

   Oct – Nov 2024

   Fabrication and Application

   Teams fabricate their designs and create a final suite of products for community partners’ use.

   Supporter

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

   The New York State Council on the Arts is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New…

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4. With Your Voice

   August 9, 2024 11:45 am Comments Off on With Your Voice

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   About

   On view July 11—September 9, 2024

   In 2021, the New York City Council approved the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan, transforming (or “rezoning”) former manufacturing sites into residential and mixed-use properties, including an estimated 8,200 new apartments. Residents and community organizers have been working to ensure current Gowanus residents benefit from the rezoning. Their advocacy resulted in the 56 Points of Agreement (POAs) — commitments made by New York City to support housing, infrastructure, public space, community amenities, and business programs. In total, NYC will invest $450 million for these improvements in Gowanus. Approximately $200 million of that total will address high priority needs in Gowanus’ NYCHA developments.

   Created by Juanli Carrión and Rodolfo Kusulas, With Your Voice envisioned change resulting from the 56 Points of Agreement. Megaphoned-shaped sculptures called “Voicers” were installed across Gowanus, each showing images of how that location will be impacted by the POAs. Whether you’re a Gowanus resident, worker, or visitor, these changes will affect your life. Visitors were invited to look through the Voicers, flip through images, and see what change could look like. A VR headset at Van Alen Institute also hosted an expansive library of additional resources, including 3D models, illustrations, interviews, and videos. 

   Visitors scanned the QR code next to each Voicer to leave a voice message about what they’ve learned. Responses were shared with the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, a diverse and representative group of community volunteers that advance the POAs by meeting every three months with city agencies. Your voice will help them illustrate and humanize the POAs to make sure the city stays on track and keeps its promises.

   This is Van Alen’s 15th installation in its ongoing Common Build initiative, which surfaces the work of emerging artists and tests new strategies to bring people together in public space. With Your Voice was supported by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the Council’s Brooklyn Boroughwide Needs Initiative, and with in-kind fabrication from Bednark Studio and engineering review services from Silman. The project was made possible through the collaboration of Brooklyn Public Library, New York City Housing Authority, NYC Department of Environment Protection, NYC Department of City Planning, NYC Parks, Domain Companies, PMG, SCAPE, and Avery Hall.

   Learn more on the artists’ website at withyourvoice.org.

   Locations

   

   Van Alen Institute, 303 Bond St
   Wyckoff-Bond Garden, 195 Wyckoff St
   Powerhouse Arts, 322 3rd Ave
   David Foulke Memorial Garden, 248-250 Bergen St
   Wyckoff Gardens Community Center, 280 Wyckoff St
   C-Town, 239 Bond St
   Good Morning Deli, 303 Dean St
   Brooklyn Public Library, 25 4th Ave
   Siempre Restaurant, 255 3rd Ave
   Office of Councilmember Hanif, 195 Bond St

   Voicers are available to the public during each location’s normal operating hours. Maps are also posted at each Voicer and at withyourvoice.org.

   About the Artists

   

   Network

   Juanli Carrión

   

   Network

   Rodolfo Kusulas

   Juanli Carrión’s work has unfolded over the past decade in the research, development, and education of community-engaged design and artistic practices addressing social and environmental justice. Over the past decade, Carrión has followed the Gowanus Canal’s changes and challenges up close. As Assistant Professor of Creative Community Development at Parsons School of Design, he has used the Canal as a case study for his Sustainable Systems Practices course, in which students map the pollution of waterways using pH reactive natural dyes. He is the co-founder of OSS Project Inc. and his work has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, BRIC, ARTIUM, MUSAC, CentroCentro, MAC Lima, India’s National Gallery of Modern Art, and Serbia’s MOCA. His research has been presented at Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, AIA New York, National Academy of Sciences, and Getty Institute, among others.

   Rodolfo Kusulas is a transdisciplinary creator with a deep passion for social innovation and sustainability who uses his work as a tool to help communities thrive. With experience working internationally, he has a background in industrial design, extensive experience in branding, product and retail. After winning a global competition for the 140th anniversary of Heineken, Kusulas joined VBAT as a creative in the Latin American office. Since 2018, he’s developed programmatic design and creative community development work with KOUS studio, which he co-founded in 2016, and in collaboration with artists and nonprofit organizations.

   As a duo, Carrión and Kusulas share interest in transdisciplinary research about how art and design can be used to visualize the layers of identity that compose communities. They transform stories, data, materials, actions or information into art and design strategies that serve as tools for sustainable community development. This manifests in community lead initiatives including public art that becomes urban agriculture, product design and art pieces that become small businesses as supplemental source of revenue, interactive murals and workshops that become tools for education on water pollution and jewelry that becomes therapeutic tools to confront environmental devastation.

   Points of Promise

   With Your Voice is part of Points of Promise, an initiative to create public art and design tools that support civic engagement and foster connection among Gowanus residents in the midst of significant neighborhood redevelopment.

   In 2021, the New York City Council approved the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan, transforming (or “rezoning”) former manufacturing sites into residential and mixed-use properties, including an estimated 8,200 new apartments. Residents and community organizers have been working to ensure current Gowanus residents benefit from the rezoning. Their advocacy resulted in the 56 Points of Agreement (POAs) — commitments made by New York City to support housing, infrastructure, public space, community amenities, and business programs. In total, NYC will invest $450 million for these improvements in Gowanus. Approximately $200 million of that total will address high priority needs in Gowanus’ NYCHA developments.

   Points of Promise calls on artists and designers to create local temporary art installations or public space activations that help inform Gowanus residents about these immense changes. Artists are invited to respond to an RFP (request for proposals) that addresses a topic present in the 56 Points of Agreement. To create these public art and design tools in truly community-led and responsive ways, Van Alen seeks artists and designers with demonstrated experience facilitating community-engaged social practice work that centers the lived experiences and needs of the respective communities they collaborate with.

   This initiative was developed with the support of a selection committee of Gowanus residents and local stakeholders from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Gowanus Houses Tenants Association, the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, and Gowanus Mutual Aid.

   See the 56 Points of Agreement

   Related Projects

   

   Common Build

   Ongoing

   The Dear Neighbor Project

   On long-term view, Tiffany Baker’s public art project increases public awareness of flooding in Gowanus.

   See Project

   Press

   Press

   The Architect’s Newspaper

   With Your Voice, a new public art project in Gowanus, educates locals on neighborhood investments

   Read More

   Press

   Untapped Cities

   Must-See Public Art Installations in NYC, August 2024

   Read More

   Press

   Caribbean Life

   Van Alen Institute unveils ‘With Your Voice’

   Read More

   Finalists

   Podwalk

   “Designed for a variety of levels of engagement, this podwalk combines mini-podcast episodes with a walking tour bringing people to eight locations in Gowanus, beginning at the 9th Street bridge and ending at Thomas Greene Playground, to highlight both community benefits garnered through the Points of Agreement and reveal the stories behind them told by community members who were instrumental in advocating for and negotiating the agreements, and/or who are or will be influenced by their implementation.”

   

   Network

   Lynn Neuman

   

   

   

   

   End the Loop

   “This proposal seeks to keep residents and business owners “in the loop” by converting existing vehicles presently providing services to the community and pilot them as a medium to disseminate information, broadcast resident’s voices, and support the thriving culture and diverse community present in Gowanus. Adapting local vans, such as the Memory Center mobile bus, the proposal indents to preserve and cultivate the Gowanus community identity in the midst of rapid neighborhood development due to zoning changes, before it all becomes a memory.”

   

   Network

   Immanuel Oni

   

   

   

   

   Who We’re Working With

   

   Network

   Bednark

   

   Network

   TYLin

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   Supporters

   

   Supporter

   New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

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   Selection Committee

   

   Network

   Andreas Tyre

   Community Activist

   

   Network

   Bahij Chancey

   Planner, WXY Studio;

   Gowanus Oversight Task Force member;

   former Van Alen Fellow

   

   Network

   Candelaria Mas Pohmajevic

   Associate Director at Resilient Cities Catalyst;

   Gowanus Oversight Task Force member

   

   Network

   Diana Gruberg

   Landscape Director, Gowanus Canal Conservancy

   

   Network

   Elisa Smilovitz

   Publicist

   Member, Gowanus Mutual Aid

   

   Network

   Frank Dubinsky

   Chief Operating Officer, Monadnock Development

   Network

   Nilda Lino

   Game Changer Membership Consultant, Assure for Life;

   Gowanus Oversight Task Force member

   

   People

   Tony Ruiz

   Communications Committee Co-Chair, Gowanus Oversight Task Force

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   Resources

   Resources

   Gowanus Neighborhood Plan

   Read More

   Resources

   Gowanus Oversight Task Force POA Tracker

   Read More

   Resources

   Survive and Thrive: Towards a Justice-Focused Gowanus Neighborhood Plan

   Read More

5. Design Sprints: Spring 2024

   April 18, 2024 10:25 am Comments Off on Design Sprints: Spring 2024

   About

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Over eight weeks, a five-team cohort comprising community leaders and design professionals collaborate on short-term solutions and tools to meet immediate neighborhood needs. In our first cohort in Winter/Spring 2024, we were delighted to welcome back several partners from our Neighborhoods Now initiative and welcome two new collaborators to this model of community-led design.

   82nd Street Partnership + Librería Barco de Papel

   

   

   

   

   

   For Neighborhoods Now, the 82nd Street Partnership, Librería Barco de Papel, and N H D M created a comprehensive proposal for the renovation of Librería Barco de Papel — NYC’s only Spanish-language bookstore and a critical meeting space for Jackson Heights’ immigrant community. To help raise funds for the renovation and make the space more visible among its community, they collaborated with Pentagram created a cohesive and culturally appropriate brand identity.

   Taking inspiration from the bookstore’s name — Barco de Papel (Paper Boat), after a work by Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén — the Pentagram team considered the tilt of a boat’s mast and how that echoed the slant of books on a shelf. They developed a flexible new logo system that captures the activity and liveliness of the bookstore and its neighborhood, and created several applications for social media campaigns, print brochures, postcards, and more. With limited resources of the bookstore in mind, the logo is black so it can be easily printed on colorful paper for different uses.

   

   Community Partner

   82nd Street Partnership

   

   Community Partner

   Librería Barco de Papel

   

   Network

   N H D M

   

   Network

   Pentagram

   People

   

   Network

   Nahyun Hwang

   Principal, N H D M

   

   Network

   Jean Im

   Architect, N H D M

   

   Network

   David Eugin Moon

   Principal, N H D M

   

   Community Partner

   Paula Ortiz

   Barco de Papel

   

   Network

   Camila Pérez

   Project Manager, Pentagram

   

   Community Partner

   Leslie Ramos

   Executive Director, 82nd Street Partnership

   

   Network

   Andrea Trabucco-Campos

   Partner, Pentagram

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   Press

   Press

   QueensLatino

   Librería Barco de Papel busca nueva identidad

   Read More

   Equality for Flatbush

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Founded in 2013, Equality for Flatbush (E4F) is a Black Lives Matter organization working against police violence, gentrification, and displacement in Brooklyn. Their Black Rapid Responders initiative trains Black residents to respond to community crises as an alternative to police intervention. With a trauma-informed approach, they support survivors of elder abuse and domestic violence and neighbors with immediate housing needs. Their trained responders are often women, building on their community and cultural clout to deescalate crisis situations.

   Together with designer and activist BD Feliz and young designer Khaliyq Taylor they created visually cohesive promotional materials for the Black Rapid Responders initiative. Emphasizing the core principle of showing up with love, a colorful poster campaign features E4F’s network of women rapid responders and rhyming taglines that directly address specific issues faced by community members. They also created a black-and-white version that can be printed on standard 8.5×11″ paper, a social media campaign including a video for Instagram and TikTok, and a suite of templates so E4F can easily adapt the campaign for future uses.

   

   Community Partner

   Equality for Flatbush

   

   Network

   BD Feliz

   BD FELIZ, Principal

   

   Network

   Youth Design Center

   

   Network

   Khaliyq Taylor

   Graphic Designer, Youth Design Center

   People

   

   Community Partner

   Imani Keith Henry

   Executive Director, Equality for Flatbush

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   FABnyc

   

   

   

   

   

   FABnyc is a team of artists and organizers working to grow and preserve the cultural vibrancy of the Lower East Side. Building on their Neighborhoods Now partnership, FABnyc and Marvel created a bespoke map that demystifies New York City’s capital construction process for Sara D. Roosevelt Park and helps advocate for the community’s influence within the capital process.

   Extending across 7.8 acres between Houston and Canal Streets, Sara D. Roosevelt Park is often perceived and used in a fragmented way. The team created a 24×72” map that emphasizes the park as a unified space, with individual overlays that show current uses by residents and local organizations, the land’s history, current and upcoming capital projects, and cultural activities. FABnyc is now using the map as an engagement tool at community board meetings, in discussions with elected officials about capital planning, and other forms of community advocacy. Made of durable, water resistant plastic canvas that quickly rolls up, they can easily transport the map to meetings and outdoor activities.

   

   Community Partner

   FABnyc

   

   Network

   Marvel

   People

   

   Network

   Ishita Gaur

   Associate, Marvel

   

   Community Partner

   Ryan Gilliam

   Executive Director, FABnyc

   

   Network

   Juan Guzman Palacios

   Associate, Marvel

   

   Network

   Guido Hartray, AIA

   Founding Partner,

   Marvel

   

   Network

   Eduardo M. Llinas Messeguer

   Architectural Designer, Marvel

   

   Community Partner

   Ari-Duong Nguyen

   Programs Assistant, FABnyc

   

   Network

   Jaime Palacios

   Junior Landscape Architectural Designer,

   Marvel

   

   Network

   Yadiel Rivera-Díaz

   Partner, Marvel

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   Loisaida Center

   

   

   

   The Loisaida Center is the home of Loisaida, Inc., a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary arts and culture community development organization founded in 1978. The Loisaida Center provides space, mentorship, resources, and opportunities to emerging community leaders, artists, and creators working in diverse disciplines. With Pentagram, they created a suite of communications tools for their Ecolibrium project — which analyzes hyperlocal environmental conditions in lower Manhattan to improve public health.

   The team carefully considered how to balance Ecolibrium‘s advanced scientific work of with its grassroots identity, landing on a bright color palette and unified icon styles for the project’s various activities. They applied this identity to an upcoming website redesign, social media campaign, poster templates, and concepts for merchandise. To better inform neighbors and peers about Ecolibrium‘s efforts and invite them to take action, the team also created a slide deck that communicates the project’s breadth in a concise presentation.

   

   Community Partner

   Loisaida Center

   

   Network

   Pentagram

   People

   

   Network

   Sewon Bae

   Project Manager, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Raul Barreneche

   Senior Brand Strategist, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Patrick Crowley

   Art Director, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Alejandro Epifanio

   Executive Director, Loisaida Center

   

   Network

   Paul Garrin

   Program Director, ECOLIBRIUM

   

   Network

   Luke Hayman

   Partner, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Gracia Lee

   Designer, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Promise Gladys Jimenez

   Administrative Assistant, Loisaida Center

   

   Network

   Antonio Nogueira

   Senior Designer, Pentagram

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   Think!Chinatown

   

   

   

   Think!Chinatown is an intergenerational nonprofit in Manhattan’s Chinatown that works at the intersection of neighborhood engagement, storytelling, and the arts. With Farzana Gandhi Design Studio and fwd | A+U, Think!Chinatown created an exhibition concept and community engagement activities to explore placemaking/placekeeping strategies, authentic vs. staged cultural production, and the history of Paifang (ornamental gateways) in Chinatowns across the United States. The exhibition responds to the upcoming city-led redevelopment of Chinatown’s Kimlau Square, which proposes a new Paifang as a gateway to the neighborhood.

   To build residents’ capacity to engage with city officials regarding Kimlau Square’s redevelopment, the exhibition and accompanying activities will prompt visitors to consider the uniqueness of Manhattan’s Chinatown, the myriad ways it might be represented, and alternate forms of gateways. Pentagram is continuing to collaborate with Think!Chinatown to create the exhibition’s design and graphic identity.

   

   Community Partner

   Think!Chinatown

   

   Network

   Farzana Gandhi

   Founder, Farzana Gandhi Design Studio

   

   Network

   Fu Wilmers Design | Architecture + Urbanism

   

   Network

   Pentagram

   People

   

   Network

   Sewon Bae

   Project Manager, Pentagram

   

   Community Partner

   Meg Chew

   Civics & Communications Associate, Think!Chinatown

   

   Community Partner

   Kerri Culhane

   Board Member, Think!Chinatown

   

   Network

   Kate Dunham

   Urban Design Consultant,

   Fu Wilmers Design | Architecture + Urbanism

   

   Network

   Jonie Fu

   Partner,

   Fu Wilmers Design | Architecture + Urbanism

   

   Network

   Farzana Gandhi

   Founder, Farzana Gandhi Design Studio

   

   Network

   Luke Hayman

   Partner, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Jenny Hung

   Associate Partner, Pentagram

   

   Community Partner

   Yin Kong

   Director/Co-Founder,

   Think!Chinatown

   

   Network

   Ben Law

   Graphic Designer, Pentagram

   

   Network

   Chad McCabe

   Art Director

   

   Network

   Patty McKee

   Landscape Architect + Project Manager

   Fu Wilmers Design | Architecture + Urbanism

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   Institutional Partners

   Collaborators providing support across multiple team projects in 2024:

   

   Network

   Buro Happold

   

   Network

   Pentagram

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   Program Manager

   

   Van Alen Staff

   Joseph Messana-Croly

   Program Manager

   As Program Manager at Van Alen, Joseph creates community-led design programs at Van Alen. Throughout his career, he’s focused on the intersection of design and community engagement.

   ---

   Timeline

   Jan – Feb 2024

   Discovery

   Teams define their projects and metrics for success.

   Feb – Mar 2024

   Design

   Teams engage in a collaborative co-design process.

   Mar 2024

   Production

   Teams fabricate their designs and create a final suite of products for community partners’ use.

   Supporter

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

   The New York State Council on the Arts is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New…

   ---

6. Ugly Beauties

   March 8, 2024 1:58 pm Comments Off on Ugly Beauties

   About Ugly Beauties

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   March 8–May 2, 2024

   The Plaza at 300 Ashland, Brooklyn

   Curry J. Hackett’s Ugly Beauties champions Black resilience, celebrating the belonging of both Black people and spontaneous plant growth in urban environments. Made of construction netting and steel scaffolding, Ugly Beauties features images of Black people juxtaposed with native and invasive plant species — so-called “weeds” — that flourish in New York City, prompting viewers to consider society’s perception of beauty and belonging. Dandelion, yarrow, burdock, and other wild plants all bear ecological and cultural value, yet are commonly dismissed as weeds. In Ugly Beauties, however, their beauty is championed in a lush collage of imaginary weedy worlds, celebrated in parades, dinner parties, costume designs, and churches.

   Ugly Beauties borrows its name from Thelonious Monk’s haunting ballad: a subtle invitation for views to explore the harmonies between the “uglies” and beauties in their streets and backyards. The tapestry is one of visual jazz — a rich composite made with artificial intelligence using Midjourney’s text-to-image generator.

   Ugly Beauties is part of Van Alen Institute’s Common Build program, intended to surface the work of emerging designers and test new strategies to bring people together in public space. The installation is co-produced by Van Alen Institute and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Presented with support from Two Trees Management Co.

   Lighting design by Jelisa Blumberg. Lighting by Jamaul Douglas, scaffolding by Steel Construction LLC, and mesh by Britten Inc.

   About Curry J. Hackett

   Curry J. Hackett is a transdisciplinary designer, public artist, and educator. His practice, Wayside, looks to undertold histories to inspire meaningful art and critical research. Recently, Curry has been experimenting with artificial intelligence tools, with which he braids Black aesthetics, kinships with nature, and pop culture to imagine surreal scenes of Black joy. This work has been featured widely, most notably in Bloomberg and Architect Magazine. His ongoing research project, titled Drylongso, explores relationships between Blackness, geography, and land. This project has received funding the Graham Foundation, Journal of Architectural Education, and Washington Project for the Arts. Curry earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University, and is currently completing his Master of Architecture in Urban Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

   

   People

   Curry J. Hackett

   Designer, Artist, and Educator

   Visitor Info

   The Plaza at 300 Ashland is conveniently situated in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District, at the intersection of Lafayette Ave and Flatbush Ave. The plaza is easily accessible – located only a short walk from the B, Q, 2/3 and 4/5 subway lines at Atlantic Barclays, the G train at Fulton St, and the C train at Lafayette Ave, as well as a number of bus stops. There is also paid parking along the surrounding streets.

   Tag us in your photos! @curryhackett | @van_alen | @downtownbrooklyn

   Press

   Press

   Time Out New York

   ‘Ugly Beauties’ by Curry J. Hackett

   Read More

   Press

   Time Out New York

   The best outdoor art in NYC this spring

   Read More

   Press

   Brooklyn Magazine

   23 THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

   Read More

   Press

   Brooklyn Eagle

   AI-Generated ‘Ugly Beauties’ on Display in D’town Brooklyn

   Read More

   Finalists

   Finalist submissions for the 2024 iteration of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Design Installation.

   Outersides

   Outersides is a stark interactive public sculpture made from aluminum tubes, metal, dye, LEDs, concrete, and wood. The sculpture weaves together historical architectural motifs and cultural migration to reframe our perspective and invite us to reach for future dreams. The form is inspired by the pointed arches that are found in historical temples throughout Asia, religious architecture in Europe, and also the façade of the 1927 Williamsburg Savings Bank that was located in what is now downtown Brooklyn. Outersides transforms the pointed arch, once a symbol of dominance, into an intricate convergence of lines and angles. Outersides’ verticality hints at aspirations beyond reach, slightly tilted to evoke a sense of transition and slippage through dimensions. This permeable installation fosters connection and inclusivity. Outersides radiates joy, togetherness, and community. As we stand within the boundaries of our present circumstances, Outersides urges us to fix our gaze upon the horizon.

   

   Network

   Eto Otitigbe

   

   

   

   

   

   White Space | White Noise

   White Space | White Noise is an multi-sensory installation that encourages visitors to the plaza at 300 Ashland to selectively filter the rich cacophony of city life, providing moments of contemplation and connection through visual framing and aural isolation. It is designed to offer both meditative/individual, and shared/collective experiences. The installation comprises three reflective pavilions with corrugated mirrored exteriors and mirrored seating within, designed to frame and isolate specific urban vistas. The
   interior of the pavilions consists entirely of integrated uniform “whitespace” lighting and is accompanied by isolated and amplified sound elements that correspond to each carefully framed subject. The installation aims to celebrate the sights and sounds of individual elements of the city. It is about observing the things we see and listening to the things we hear.

   

   Network

   AE Superlab

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Supporter

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

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7. GLOwanus

   January 10, 2024 9:51 am Comments Off on GLOwanus

   

   About

   On view January–December 2024.

   GLOwanus is a public art project designed to inform Gowanus residents about water quality in the Gowanus Canal. When GLOwanus flashes, it’s signaling that untreated wastewater is polluting or has recently polluted the Canal.

   The recent rezoning of Gowanus is bringing approximately 20,000 new residents to the neighborhood, yet the local water management system is already past its capacity. The Gowanus Canal is a site for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) which requires new sewage containment plants to be built around the canal. But in the years before these are completed, a shift needs to occur in public education, awareness, and participation around water quality issues.

   Designed by Brooklyn-based artists Manav Singla and Ridima Jain, GLOwanus is a small lantern that cycles through different colors when the Gowanus Canal is under a City-issued waterbody advisory — meaning there’s a good chance CSO has recently spilled or may soon spill into the Canal. Placed in homes and businesses near the Canal, GLOwanus alerts people to this serious environmental issue. Using less water in your home or business, especially immediately before and during rainstorms, is one way to help reduce the level of CSO.

   The GLOwanus team is led by Gowanus residents Francesca Bastianini and Steven Koller, two fellows from Van Alen Institute’s Neighborhood Design Fellowship program with continued support from Van Alen. They’ve built on their experience in the fellowship to develop the GLOwanus light installation, paired with an information campaign with tips on how to help prevent CSO and hold authorities accountable for the Canal’s cleanup.

   Currently, our storefront windows are displaying information about CSO with illustrations by Martha Hall— stop by to learn more about this issue.

   To request a GLOwanus light installation for your home or business, fill out this form.

   Request a GLOwanus

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   GLOwanus lamps are programmed by an open source code developed by Stuart Lynn.

   GLOwanus Open Source Code

   Press

   Press

   Brooklyn Paper

   Gowanus locals mix technology and design to cut back on flooding with the GLOwanus Lantern

   Read More

   Press

   City Limits

   As Gowanus Rezoning Moves Ahead, Are the Sewers Ready?

   Read More

   Press

   Fox 5 New York

   GLOwanus Lantern is Brooklyn’s new ally against water contamination

   Read More

   Press

   Brooklyn Downtown Star

   GLOwanus–Using Light To Influence Water Quality

   Read More

   Contact

   For questions about GLOwanus, contact:

   

   Van Alen Staff

   Andrew Brown

   Director of Programs

   Email

   What is CSO?

   

   

   

   

   

   

   CSO, or Combined Sewer Overflow, occurs when New York City’s water management system is overwhelmed by rainwater. To learn more about CSO and how this project hopes to raise awareness within the Gowanus community, we spoke with Steven Koller, a Neighborhood Design Fellow and an Environmental Science and Policy PhD student at The University of Miami. He explained:

   “New York City has a combined water management system, partially due to the fact that it’s quite an old system. 60% of the city’s water management is combined, meaning that when you flush the toilet, take a shower, or wash your dishes, all of that water gets combined into the same pipe as the water that’s flowing off the street via grates. Most of the time, that’s not an issue. But when you have a rain event — and it doesn’t need to be a big one — the system gets overloaded.

   “And this water is normally tied to a wastewater treatment plant, of which there are quite a few around the city. But during these rain events, the system can’t pump it all to the wastewater treatment plant. And so it’s released to roughly 700 outfall points around the city in all five boroughs, including at the head of the Gowanus Canal at Butler Street. On average, the canal receives roughly 270 million gallons of CSO annually.”

   Timeline

   Apr – May 2022

   Community Workshops

   Residents and students from Gowanus will learn about how water works through natural systems and city infrastructure to impact our daily lives, and how they might impact our lives in the future. Participants learn how to advocate for change through a better understanding of the problem, knowledge of where they can have an individual impact and where they have an impact at the community level.

   

   Oct – Dec 2022

   Installation Prototype

   Van Alen Institute will exhibit a prototype of the light installation in our storefront windows at 303 Bond Street.

   Jan – Dec 2023

   Community-Wide Installation

   The light installations will be distributed to residents and businesses in the Gowanus community, raising awareness of water quality throughout the neighborhood.

   Who We’re Working With

   

   People

   Francesca Bastianini

   Co-Founder and Principal, Sighte Studio

   

   People

   Steven Koller

   Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

   ---

   Resources

   Open Sewer Atlas: Independently-run map that uses data from New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) to show where and how much CSO occurs at various outfalls around the city

   Combined Sewer Overflows: NYC DEP’s primer on CSOs, including individual actions that can be taken to reduce CSO

   Waterbody Advisories: NYC DEP’s real-time, site-specific info about water quality, largely driven by CSO events

   Gowanus Rezoning Environment Impact Statement, Water and Sewer chapter: Detailed information on how the rezoning and Superfund cleanup actions will impact future CSO

   Related Projects

   

   Urban Room

   Archive

   Neighborhood Design Fellowship: Gowanus

   Gowanus residents work toward the future they imagine for their community.

   See Project

   Supporters

   

   Supporter

   National Endowment for the Arts

   

   Supporter

   New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

8. Neighborhoods Now

   September 13, 2023 12:42 pm Comments Off on Neighborhoods Now

   About

   April 2020—December 2022

   As the COVID-19 pandemic took root, its uneven impact on the lives of New Yorkers became painfully clear. While our city’s well-resourced communities quickly purchased expertise necessary to navigate a changed world, neighborhoods where many of our essential workers live did not have the same access and resources.

   In response, in Spring 2020 the Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute tapped into our collective network of architects, designers and engineers. By building interdisciplinary partnerships, Neighborhoods Now has supported local organizations leading their communities’ recovery. Over three years, the initiative evolved from rapid, tactical responses to long-term recovery strategies on a wider scale. Led by community organizations, seven interdisciplinary teams have enlivened and programmed public space, provided technical support to small businesses, and strengthened cultural activities.

   What began as a responsive six-week sprint developed into a platform for enduring partnerships and collective activism. Scroll down to learn more about each team.

   Neighborhoods Now was made possible through a grant from Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund.

   Who We Worked With

   

   Network

   Urban Design Forum

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   Community Partners

   

   Community Partner

   82nd Street Partnership

   

   Community Partner

   Asian Americans for Equality

   

   Community Partner

   Bed-Stuy Gateway BID

   

   Community Partner

   Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation

   

   Community Partner

   Community League of the Heights (CLOTH)

   

   Community Partner

   FABnyc

   

   Community Partner

   Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC)

   

   Community Partner

   Think!Chinatown

   

   Community Partner

   Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association

   

   Community Partner

   Cooper Square Committee

   

   Community Partner

   University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP)

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   Funding provided by

   

   Teams

   Additional Expertise

   Wraparound Experts

   

   Network

   Fried Frank

   

   Network

   Gehl

   

   Network

   Pentagram

   

   Network

   Kramer Levin

   

   Network

   TYLin

   

   Network

   Thornton Tomasetti

   

   Network

   Sam Schwartz

   

   Network

   VHB

   

   Network

   Two Twelve

   

   Network

   National Development Council

   

   People

   Luisa Borrell

   Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, CUNY

   

   People

   Dustin Duncan

   Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

   

   People

   Gina Lovasi

   Drexel University

   

   People

   Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes, Columbia GSAPP

   

   People

   Eve Klein

   CUNY Graduate Center

   

   People

   Javier Otero Peña

   CUNY Graduate Center

   

   People

   Alison Mears

   Healthy Materials Lab, Parsons School of Design

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   2020–21 Report

   The results of our work in 2020-21 were a set of design recommendations and prototypes addressing immediate needs for COVID-19 awareness campaigns, open air dining, and outdoor education and cultural programming. Several prototypes have now been implemented, and Van Alen Institute and the Urban Design Forum are supporting additional implementation through 2022. Neighborhoods’ needs also went beyond design and physical interventions. Working groups organized financial workshops for small businesses, drafted legal templates, and collaborated with senior staff at City agencies to help neighborhoods navigate programs like Open Streets and Open Restaurants.

   Press

   Press

   Collective Impact Forum

   Designing to Inspire Community Joy and Connection

   Read More

   Press

   Next City

   A Night Market Has Popped Up in NYC’s Chinatown

   Read More

   Press

   Fast Company

   COVID-19 decimated NYC businesses. This free program is helping them recover

   Read More

   Press

   Bedford + Bowery

   The Matchmaking Service That Pairs Visionary Designers With Covid Conundrums

   Read More

   Press

   Curbed

   The Secret to Year-Round Streeteries? What Greenhouses Can Teach Us

   Read More

   Press

   Architect’s Newspaper

   Van Alen Institute and Urban Design Forum launch online design toolkit for COVID-19 recovery efforts

   Read More

   Public Programs

   Neighborhoods Now Summer Summit

   July 22, 2021

   In our 2021 update, presenters from the Chinatown, South Bronx, and Lower East Side working groups shared their achievements, reflections on interdisciplinary practice, and plans to carry their work forward.

   Sreoshy Banerjea (EDC NYC), Fauzia Khanani (Studio Fōr), Yin Kong (Think!Chinatown), Carlos Naudon (Ponce Bank), and Carol Rosenthal (Fried Frank) then joined to discuss how community organizations, city agencies, funders, and design professionals can best collaborate to help communities recover from the pandemic and thrive going forward.

   Presenting Working Groups:
   Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association; FABnyc; and Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) and Think!Chinatown

   Neighborhoods Now Summit: Strategies for Reopening and Recovery, Day 1

   October 6, 2020

   In this two-part public forum, our participating designers and our community partners reflected on how collaborative design can inform neighborhood recovery strategies.

   Presenting Working Groups:
   82nd Street Partnership, Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), and FABnyc

   Neighborhoods Now Summit: Strategies for Reopening and Recovery, Day 2

   October 7, 2020

   In this two-part public forum, our participating designers and our community partners reflected on how collaborative design can inform neighborhood recovery strategies.

   Presenting Working Groups:
   Bed-Stuy Restoration, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, Community League of the Heights (CLOTH), University Neighborhood Housing Program, and Cooper Square Committee

   Neighborhoods Now Kickoff

   June 26, 2020

   This roundtable session brought together the Neighborhoods Now community partners with diverse panelists to build a foundational knowledge for the working groups’ process and to help inform the public about the issues at hand.

   Community Partners:
   Leslie Ramos, 82nd Street Partnership; Rachel Joseph, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; Medina Sadiq, J.D., Bed-Stuy Gateway BID; Leah James, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition; Jackie Tesman, Community League of the Heights; Yvonne Stennett, Community League of the Heights

   Panelists:
   Luisa Borrell, CUNY; Melissa Fleischut, New York State Restaurant Association; Alison Mears, Parsons Healthy Materials Lab; Andrea Batista Schlesinger, HR&A Advisors; Barika Williams, Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development

   Contact

   Email

   Support

   Information about sponsorship opportunities can be found here.

   To learn more about how to support Neighborhoods Now, including helping our community partners realize their recovery strategies, please contact:

   

   Van Alen Staff

   Kate Overbeck

   Director of Strategic Partnerships

   Want to share your skills, expertise, or ideas? Fill out this form.

   Supporters

   This project is made possible with support from

   

   Supporter

   New York Community Trust

   

   Supporter

   The Home Depot

   

   Supporter

   Deutsche Bank

   

   Supporter

   The Altman Foundation

   

   Supporter

   New York State Council on the Arts

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   Lead

   

   Network

   KPF

   

   Supporter

   Citibank

   

   Supporter

   Ponce De Leon Foundation

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   Benefactor

   

   People

   Alloy

   

   Supporter

   Ponce Bank

   

   Supporter

   Apple Bank

   

   People

   Snøhetta

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   Advocate

   

   Network

   Studio Libeskind

   

   Network

   nARCHITECTS

   

   Supporter

   Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union

   

   Supporter

   The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation

   

   Network

   WRNS Studio

   

   Supporter

   Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll & Bertolotti LLP

   

   Network

   James Corner Field Operations

   

   Network

   DLR Group

   

   Supporter

   PNC

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   Patron

   

   Network

   Civitas

   

   Network

   Bednark

   

   Network

   Grimshaw

   

   Network

   Stantec

   

   Network

   COOKFOX

   

   Network

   Perkins&Will

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   Supporting

   

   Supporter

   Signature Bank

   

   Supporter

   Innisfree

   

   Network

   Thinc Design

   

   Supporter

   Daraja Capital

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9. Placemaking Evaluation Fellowship

   March 31, 2023 4:49 pm Comments Off on Placemaking Evaluation Fellowship

   

   Overview

   The Van Alen Placemaking Evaluation Fellowship provides hands-on experience evaluating the power of design to bring life to public spaces. Seven undergraduate and graduate students evaluate the quality of public life at 2-3 sites in New York City using the tools and methods of Gehl, a pioneer in understanding how design of public spaces can improve civic life.

   Participants gain the opportunity to learn valuable skills in evaluating public spaces, while exploring the city through Van Alen’s co-produced installations and programs, and sharing their insights and skills with Van Alen’s community organization partners.

   With the support of the Senior Fellow the cohort take its collected data and observations, and produce a variety of creative, impactful images that express the insights they have gained into how public spaces serve communities, and how those spaces might be made more inclusive.

   Core Components

   • In-person training on using Gehl’s Public Life Tools
   • Collecting data on-site at the Van Alen Block Party in Gowanus
   • Collecting data on-site at 2-3 installations co-produced by Van Alen Institute in NYC
   • Educational workshop on methodologies for observing and analyzing public life in public spaces
   • Learning how insights are applied in Van Alen’s partner organizations
   • Optional field trip to share fellows’ observations and skills with Van Alen’s community partners in Albany, NY

   Meet the Fellows

   

   People

   Sofia Kavlin

   Senior Fellow,

   Van Alen Placemaking Evaluation Fellowship

   

   People

   Marium Naveed

   

   People

   Nadine Nelson

   

   People

   Natalie Quah

   

   People

   Pramity Shah

   

   People

   Akshay Shetty

   

   People

   Joanne Wu

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   Who They’re Working With

   

   Network

   Gehl

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   What They’re Working On

   Neighborhoods Now

   Archive

   Neighborhoods Now: Bed-Stuy Gateway BID

   Building on Winter Wonderland, an open-air holiday market supporting local small businesses.

   Read More

   

   Ongoing

   Common Build

   Surfacing the work of emerging designers and testing new strategies to bring people together in public space.

   Read More

   

   Updates

   Van Alen Block Party 2022

   This spectacular day transformed a Brooklyn block into an epic celebration of community and public space.

   Read More

   

   Contact

   

   Van Alen Staff

   Andrew Brown

   Director of Programs

10. COMMON GROUND

    March 1, 2023 2:02 pm Comments Off on COMMON GROUND

    About COMMON GROUND

    On view March 1–May 1, 2023

    The Plaza at 300 Ashland, Brooklyn

    Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong’s COMMON GROUND is a site-specific, interactive public artwork comprised of a colorful seating landscape and floor motifs that dance across the plaza. Drawing inspiration from the geometry of shrines and sacred spaces and referencing the terraces of the site, this architectural intervention transforms the plaza into an oasis for sitting, socializing, and gathering by day and by night. COMMON GROUND creates a bold, joyous space, and offers a playable topography to embrace the here and now. As a community hub, COMMON GROUND aspires to cultivate togetherness and resilience, while encouraging moments of pause, reflection and play.

    During the evening, COMMON GROUND creates a shared synesthetic experience. The pavilion is illuminated with color-changing lighting and sensors that register environmental audio. Light animations shimmer across the sculpture in response to nearby sounds — the movements of passersby, footsteps climbing on the structure, voices, the hum of traffic. These dynamic colored lights blend with the vibrant hues of the topography, playing with our perception of color. Here, COMMON GROUND is a place of joy and light, celebrating inclusion, diversity and togetherness.

    Lighting design and programming by Xena Petkanas and Christoph Gisel of Arup. Lighting and controls provided by Nanometer and Electric Lighting Agencies.

    COMMON GROUND is part of Van Alen Institute’s Common Build program, intended to surface the work of emerging designers and test new strategies to bring people together in public space. The installation is co-produced by Van Alen Institute and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Presented with support from Two Trees Management Co.

    Video edited by: Eloise Sherrid
    Footage by: Eloise Sherrid, with selected footage by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong and drone footage by Selvon Ramsawak

    COMMON GROUND: FORUM

    Ongoing at Van Alen Institute

    COMMON GROUND: FORUM is composed of wooden modules from the temporary installation COMMON GROUND (2023) by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong and Arup. Post-exhibition, the artists separated COMMON GROUND’s modules from each other and reassembled them at Van Alen so that the original piece can make a longer-lasting contribution to public space.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    About Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong

    Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong is a New York-based artist and trained architect working at the intersection of art, architecture and the public realm. Wong’s work investigates the transformation of space over time and seeks to challenge social and political boundaries through sculpture, installation, performance and site-specific architectural interventions. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Cheryl received her B.A. in Art and Italian at the University of California at Berkeley, studied sculpture at Brera Academy in Milan, Italy and earned her Master of Architecture from Columbia University GSAPP. She has completed public art commissions with various institutions to activate underused public spaces, including: New York State Thruway Authority, New York City Parks, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, City of Calgary, City of Inglewood and Washington DC Public Schools.

    Visitor Info

    The Plaza at 300 Ashland is conveniently situated in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District, at the intersection of Lafayette Ave and Flatbush Ave. The plaza is easily accessible – located only a short walk from the B, Q, 2/3 and 4/5 subway lines at Atlantic Barclays, the G train at Fulton St, and the C train at Lafayette Ave, as well as a number of bus stops. There is also paid parking along the surrounding streets.

    Tag us online using the hashtag #CommonGroundDTBK:

    @cherylwzw | @van_alen | @downtownbrooklyn

    Performances

    NuTribe Dance Company + Mark Morris Dance Group

    Wednesday, March 1
    6–6:30 pm

    We celebrated the launch of COMMON GROUND with an improvisational performance in the art of Waacking and Krumping by NuTribe Dance Company and Mark Morris Dance Group teaching artists CocoMotion and Luffy.

    Peniel Guerrier and Kriye Bode

    Thursday, April 6
    7–8 pm

    Peniel Guerrier and Kriye Bode brought Haitian Rara to the plaza with an enchanting performance that called all to rejoice in the energy of life as a community.

    Kendra J. Ross

    Thursday, April 13
    7–8 pm

    Kendra J. Ross, dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist, gave us a glimpse of her latest work in progress.

    Soles of Duende

    Thursday, April 20
    7:30–8:15 pm

    Soles of Duende, the all-female multicultural trio, presented a spirited collaboration across disciplines in celebration of Tap, Flamenco, and Kathak dance.

    JUNIOR THESIS

    Saturday, April 22

    Pratt Institute’s fashion department closed out their academic year with JUNIOR THESIS, a fashion performance featuring selected works from year-end collections.

    Press

    Press

    Brooklyn Magazine

    Colorful new public art in downtown encourages ‘reflection and play’

    Read More

    Press

    Time Out New York

    This new colorful installation in downtown Brooklyn is the perfect Instagram shot

    Read More

    Press

    6sqft

    New public artwork turns a Downtown Brooklyn plaza into a playful, colorful oasis

    Read More

    Press

    SecretNYC

    This New Installation Is Bringing Vibrant Colors To Brooklyn Just In Time For Spring

    Read More