Welcome to our new website!

A quick hello and welcome to the new vanalen.org! We’re thrilled you’re here. We’re still very much under construction, but we hope you’ll start poking around. We welcome your feedback anytime.

Van Alen Institute has an updated mission: To help create equitable cities through inclusive design. In an equitable city, communities are engaged in the conception and creation of their built environment, regardless of income or personal circumstances. Community-driven decision-making builds resilience, social infrastructure, and ultimately, more just cities.

In line with this mission, we want our website to be just as lively and community-centered as our work on the ground. It’s our goal to share more about our processes while they’re happening, be transparent about the ways we work, and highlight the voices and expertise of our many partners. We also want to our website to be a tool for two-way engagement and feedback — not just publishing. As we keep building out the site and our current projects, you’ll see more and more prompts on how to get involved with us in New York City and beyond.

Thank you to our wonderful design team Partner & Partners, a worker-owned design practice focusing on print, exhibition, interactive, and identity work with clients and collaborators in art, architecture, government, and activism. We can’t recommend them enough.