https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc Neighborhood Commons Mon, 11 Apr 2022 17:54:15 +0000 https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc en https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Cover-Page Fri, 01 Apr 2022 15:23:33 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Cover-Page Neighborhood Commons Reimagining Public Space Governance and Programming in Commercial Districts <img width="1200" height="327" width_o="1200" height_o="327" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d6ce36790747002b02c56cf12bde4ea44308ae3de8248fa6b5f48d5d5973f9b8/Design-Trust-logo-white-smaller.png" data-mid="139506712" border="0" data-scale="100" data-no-zoom alt="Design Trust for Public Space Logo" data-caption="Design Trust for Public Space Logo" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d6ce36790747002b02c56cf12bde4ea44308ae3de8248fa6b5f48d5d5973f9b8/Design-Trust-logo-white-smaller.png" /> <img alt="Rotating slideshow of three images in background: Photo of a child driving their pink and black scooter through a small puddle at an intersection in Manhattan. Photo of a person wearing summer clothes looks at their phone at the corner of sidewalk cafe in a neighborhood. Photo of an aerial view of the busy Corona Plaza, with bright orange umbrellas, seating, and vendors under white tents decorating the open space. In a corner of the plaza, adults and kids crowd around StreetLab children’s play station. "> https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Exec-Summary-Divider Sun, 10 Apr 2022 17:22:31 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Exec-Summary-Divider EXECUTIVE SUMMARY&nbsp; ︎︎︎ &nbsp;EXECUTIVE SUMMARY&nbsp; ︎︎︎ &nbsp;EXECUTIVE SUMMARY&nbsp; ︎︎︎&nbsp; https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Executive-Summary-1 Fri, 01 Apr 2022 15:23:35 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Executive-Summary-1 Neighborhood CommonsExecutive Summary Over the past few years, New York City’s public spaces have taken on new meaning, becoming lifelines for businesses and necessary escapes for neighbors. Design Trust for Public Space partnered with the New York City Department of Small Business Services on Neighborhood Commons: Plazas, Sidewalks &amp; Beyond to look into how public spaces in commercial corridors are managed and programmed to support this multitude of uses. At a time when so many regulations were changing by the day, this was an opportunity to explore these challenges, to think outside of the box, and to recommend ways we can improve the current model of public space governance and lower barriers to participation in our public realm.As one community collaborator said: “We have a watershed moment, a giant turning of culture. How will we manage the entirety of what happens in public space for public access and commerce?” Throughout the course of researching Neighborhood Commons, our team of fellows found that the citywide policies and programs that currently shape how public spaces may be used and managed not only inhibit innovative and creative programming, but also often exclude local groups and individuals from participating in the management and activation of these public spaces in commercial corridors. A complex web of rules governs our use of public spaces and on top of that, a variety of city agencies enforce and interpret these rules, levy fines, and oversee permitting, making it incredibly burdensome for local stakeholders to understand who to turn to when they want to utilize and activate these spaces. We spoke to community leaders across the city, in 12 different neighborhoods, about their current work in public spaces. We heard time and again about the need for fostering better agency coordination, increasing resources in underserved communities, and addressing commerce holistically in public space. In this report we’ve identified nearly 20 recommendations that would benefit how our public realm is managed and activated specifically along commercial corridors through increasing funding, providing technical assistance or changing processes. The first goal that informs our recommendations is to prioritize user experience and establish clear and transparent regulatory processes that lower barriers to participation. This can be done by giving power to applicants to self-certify/self-declare on public realm activation permit applications, where appropriate. The second goal is to foster new and long-term coordination across city agencies that inform the design and use of the public realm, which can be accomplished through things like an interagency working group. The third goal is to ensure inclusive design of programs and policies with technical assistance and financial resources for lower-resourced neighborhoods. Providing a pay scale system or fee/insurance waivers based on areas of need, or developing a self-sustaining Open Streets funding model would greatly benefit communities with fewer resources available than their neighboring communities. The final goal is to support commerce and entrepreneurship in the public realm. Licensed street vendors are a core part of our public realm. These entrepreneurs activate our streets, sidewalks and plazas. They need to be included in the planning and management of our public spaces. With these goals in mind, Design Trust for Public Space is looking forward to working with the City to put these recommendations into action in order to create a more equitable and interconnected public realm across our city. Recommendations ︎︎︎ Appoint an inter-agency ‘Public Realm Working Group’, that owns the ‘Start’ button for application process and serves as overall program administrator. ︎︎︎ Create unified digital and analog public space permit application processes — across multiple languages. ︎︎︎ Give power to applicants to self-certify / self-declare on public realm activation permit applications, where appropriate. ︎︎︎ Use pay-scale system or fee structure and establish&nbsp; insurance waivers based on areas of need. ︎︎︎ Provide pre-approved list of local on-call technical assistance providers and equipment/furniture vendors. ︎︎︎ Establish a public realm activation grant and public realm design guidelines. ︎︎︎ Match public space maintenance and programming crowdfunding programs set up by local organizations. ︎︎︎ Develop a self-sustaining Open Street funding model by creating a template License Agreement that may be entered into between an approved “Open Street Partner Organization” and the City of New York. ︎︎︎ Expand year-round cleaning support on City-owned plazas. ︎︎︎ Allow and encourage local organizations to apply for public realm activation permits as coalition of community partners. ︎︎︎ Create community outreach and engagement resources and training for place-based organizations supporting the management and activation of the public realm. ︎︎︎ Identify neighborhood / district Open Street representative to oversee in-person and on-the- ground outreach. ︎︎︎ Create guidelines and programs for licensed street vendors for the activation of the public realm. ︎︎︎ Establish a city-wide permit and technical assistance program for retail experiential markets. ︎︎︎ Make Open Storefronts a permanent City program. https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/INTRO-DIVIDER Sun, 10 Apr 2022 16:57:20 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/INTRO-DIVIDER INTRODUCTION&nbsp; ︎︎︎&nbsp; &nbsp;INTRODUCTION&nbsp; ︎︎︎ &nbsp;INTRODUCTION&nbsp; ︎︎︎&nbsp; https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Corona-Plaza Mon, 11 Apr 2022 17:54:15 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Corona-Plaza ︎ Streetlab <img alt="Photo of an aerial view of the busy Corona Plaza, with bright orange umbrellas, seating, and vendors under white tents decorating the open space. In a corner of the plaza, adults and kids crowd around StreetLab children’s play station."> https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Introduction Sat, 02 Apr 2022 15:30:16 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Introduction Section 1Introduction Design Trust for Public Space and the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) have partnered on Neighborhood Commons: Plazas, Sidewalks &amp; Beyond, a project that will explore opportunities to improve the current model of public space governance and programming. The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated, more than ever before, the unique and key role that small businesses play in the livelihood of our neighborhoods and public spaces. With the crisis hitting commercial corridors and main streets hard, Neighborhood Commons is a timely initiative that will provide small businesses and place-based organizations with tools and strategies to recover as community anchors that support our main streets. https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Aims Sat, 02 Apr 2022 15:27:25 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Aims Working with Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and local businesses,&nbsp; Neighborhood Commons Aims To:&nbsp; 1 Explore alternative models for public space management, and ways that these approaches could work within current legal frameworks in NYC. 2 Examine potential new funding mechanisms for public space maintenance and programming. 3 Explore different types of physical interventions and strategies for innovative public space programming that further support commerce and local arts/culture. 4 Refine existing and/or develop alternative governance models that enable inclusive decision-making processes to produce unique, locally-customized programming and space activation. https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Intro-Pt-2 Sun, 10 Apr 2022 17:18:37 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Intro-Pt-2 The project, which will culminate in a pilot activation in Brownsville, Brooklyn&nbsp; and a photo exhibition with partners in Jamaica, Queens in June 2022, includes a comprehensive research process that has encompassed a review of citywide policies impacting public space use and management, as well as stakeholder engagement with business improvement district and other place-based organization leaders across 12 neighborhoods. &nbsp; https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Milestones Sat, 02 Apr 2022 18:10:07 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/Milestones Milestones &nbsp; November 2020—Launch Neighborhood Commons with a press release and Call for Fellows. December 2020—Formation of Advisory Committee. Advisory Committee Meeting #1. January 2021—Hire Fellows with backgrounds in Urban Policy, Design, Engagement and Communications and determine program scope. February 2021—Background research and select case study neighborhoods. Advisory Committee Meeting #2. April-June 2021—Stakeholder engagement. July-September 2021—Pilot project planning &amp; stakeholder engagement in Jamaica. Advisory Committee #3. October 2021—Pilot project stalled. November–December 2021—Policy research and publication draft. January-March 2022—Pilot project design and planning. Advisory Committee Meeting #4. April 2022—Publication release. June 2022—Pilot project launch. Photo exhibition launch. https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/THE-BRIEF-DIVIDER Mon, 11 Apr 2022 00:20:11 +0000 Neighborhood Commons https://neighborhoodcommons.nyc/THE-BRIEF-DIVIDER THE BRIEF / THE CHALLENGE ︎︎︎&nbsp;