Neighborhood Empowerment Project Launch, April 18 2019
Channel: BetaNYC
Date: 2019-04-20

New York City is a city of iconic, unique neighborhoods. Yet, one thing all NYC neighborhoods have in common is a lack of public ownership over the public realm. City agencies provide basic services and address network solutions but do not have the capacity to address all the small details, street by street and curb by curb, that affect the quality of life. This model of centralized bureaucracy disempowers local residents and provides no framework for neighborhoods to solve their own simple problems. 

At the launch of the Neighborhood Empowerment Project on April 18 2019, a panel discussed these problems, presented some exciting solutions that are happening in communities throughout the US and considered how we can apply these solutions here.
 
INTRO
Mark Garton, Chair, OpenPlans
 
PANEL
Christine Berthet, Co-Founder of CHECKPEDS
Laura Hansen, Public Realm Activist
Ed Janoff, Senior Director of Project Development, StreetPlans
Katie Lorah, Senior Director of Community & Marketing, ioby

MODERATORS
Janet Liff and Lisa Orman, Co-Directors of the Neighborhood Empowerment Project @ Open Plans


ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT PROJECT 
The Neighborhood Empowerment Project will advocate for the city to create and fund a government structure that supports and enables local public space ownership. This structure will include a local Public Space Manager and maintenance staff that will be housed in each District or City Council office and be mandated to respond to the requests, needs, and ideas of the local stakeholders. This team will implement and maintain changes that turn public spaces into places that work for its residents.
https://openplans.org/


ABOUT BETA NYC
BetaNYC is a civic organization dedicated to improving lives in New York through civic design, technology, and data. We envision an informed and empowered public that can leverage civic design, technology, and data to hold government accountable, and improve their economic opportunity. https://beta.nyc/

VIDEO by Internet Society Livestreaming https://isoc.live

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