Pratt Center for Community Development

Join us June 24th for a new data training workshop: Starting your data journey - https://mailchi.mp/prattcenter/starting-your-data-journey

Pratt Center Director Adam Friedman spoke with WNYCs Beth Fertig about our work in the Garment District. https://www.wnyc.org//threading-needle-apparel-company-ow/

Our May Newsletter out today highlights new research underway and data trainings on the horizon, familiar faces joining our team, and what we're reading. - https://mailchi.mp/prattcenter/newsletter_may2021

Today has been one year since the world watched the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota on social media and on television. These tragic extra-judicial execution...s of Black people happen all the time. The same day as the conviction of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd’s murder this spring, Columbus police killed Ma’khia Bryant. The onslaught of institutional violence against Black people has not ended and it implicates all of us. We are all called on in this moment to commit to rooting out anti-Blackness that infests every facet of our society. Without eliminating it we can never be rid of racism against all people. This only works when we are in solidarity with one another, regardless of whether another name is trending on our Twitter feeds. At North Star Fund, we remain committed to organizing that centers Black leadership and believe that is central to how we can create a better world together. See more

This morning on BronxNet Community Television our Senior Planner Tara Duvivier joined Paloma Hernandez Urban Health Plan, Inc. to share about #HuntsPointForward, a community-planning process underway to help shape the future of Hunts Point. youtu.be/P70dnQh5PpU

https://gothamist.com//stitching-together-business-garment

City Planning maintains that zoning changes don’t exacerbate gentrification or have disparate racial impacts. But everyone on the street knows otherwise. #Tellthetruth https://prattcenter.net/news/tell_the_truth

Urban planning and truth telling - https://mailchi.mp/prattce/urban-planning-and-truth-telling

We started off this week sharing about our new identity and the process behind it. Today we're sharing some resources we've posted on our website highlighting the lessons we’ve learned along the way. 1) A conversation about how design can help advance mission with Yeju Choi https://prattcenter.net//meet_the_designer_behind_pratt_ce... 2) Some dos and don’ts when it comes to web design from our web development team at GrayBits https://prattcenter.net//four_common_mistakes_to_avoid_whe 3) How we incorporated our commitment to environmental sustainability into our new website https://prattcenter.net//why_digital_does_not_equal_green_

Pratt Center's new identity celebrates our nearly 60-year history by reviving some of the visual elements of Street Magazine, which Pratt Center published in the 1970s and we believe is still so relevant today. Street covered a variety of urban environmental issues, big and small, from legislative actions to street tips on how to throw a block party, in a robust and dynamic yet no-frills verbal and visual language. You can find and browse two digitized issues of Street below...: Issue 7 (1972) http://prattcenter.net//STREET_ISSUE_7_OCT_1972-for_web.pdf Issue 15 (1975) http://prattcenter.net//STREET_ISSUE_15_WINTER_1975-for_we The timeless, pragmatic and democratic Helvetica is our primary typeface, a font prevalent from the days of Street to now. A variety of secondary typefaces (also inspired by Street) and colors are used to represent the unique voices of our projects and our flexibility as an organization.

When we began working on a new visual identity all the way back in 2019, little did we know what a grounding and validating process it would be for us in these uncertain times. We collaborated with designer Yeju Choi who, over the last two years, got to know our team and helped us see how an effective organizational identity can be a tool for inward reflection as much as outward presentation. We’re grateful for this process and eager to share the results with you starting to...day with the new logo, which breaks up our long name into two equally important parts, forming a distinguishable P structure. The logo’s concreteness and its consistent placementon the bottom leftrepresent our longstanding dedication to working on the ground alongside communities, building trust and partnering (even over several decades) to see projects through to implementation. A single line reinforces the P but the whole logo remains open and flexible in scalerepresenting our openness to collaboration, new partnerships, and exploring new approaches to community development.

We've curated a list of online data resources that can help advocates, organizers, and community groups visualize and compare how COVID-19 is affecting different neighborhoods and geographies across NYC. Take a look: https://prattcenter.net/resources/covid19_data_repository

As COVID-19 continues to devastate families and communities across NYC and the fault lines of racial and economic inequality continue to be exposed, our choices about what we value will fundamentally shape the future of the city. Pratt Center's newest report,Our Hidden Treasure,affirms that the value of thecity lies in its people and the strength of its communities and illuminates how untempered real estate speculation, ill-considered zoning changes, and privatization of public assets undermine this foundation. In this report, we call for bold strategies that would recover value in reparative and redistributive ways to accrue benefit for our communities.

Our new report out today, Our Hidden Treasure - https://mailchi.mp/prattcenter/2m2jmj1zqw-3896126

Join the Thriving Communities Coalition as we share a new platform of demands to transform our city’s approach to land use and planning from one that reinforces systemic racism and inequality to one that helps create a future where all of us can thrive. Tomorrow: Wednesday, October 28th from 6-7 pm. Click on the link to RSVP Hear grassroots leaders, policy advocates, and planners talk about how land use and planning connect to all of our daily lives - and what we can do to c...hange how the city does business and fight for our communities’ visions and needs. #planforequity #landusejustice #thrivingcommunities http://ow.ly/rufj50C4lK2

Today in City Limits, our ED Adam Friedman pushes back on current narratives about NYC being anti-job or anti-business. What these narratives are doing is ignoring the realities of a planning and development process that doesn't consider, truly listen to, or integrate the real needs of the communities already here. NY Is Not Anti-Business. But It’s Not a Pushover, Either http://ow.ly/n9e150C1ayg

For those of you who have been following the Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning, especially those of you living in and/or working with the community - tomorrow, October 22nd at 6 pm there will be a presentation by DCP at the BK CB6 Land Use Committee Meeting. Sign up to attend here: http://ow.ly/JPqu50BYXFq Get more info on the rezoning at CM Lander's website here: https://council.nyc.gov/brad/gowanus-neighborhood-rezoning/... And use this form to submit feedback: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLScclsi_e4oMkNhZeT/viewform

Join us October 30 for a free training on how to use our Neighborhood Data Portal mapping tool: Visualizing Data for Greater Impact - https://mailchi.mp/prattcent/visualizing-data-training-test

During #EEDay2020 Pratt Center wants to highlight how our new website is designed - in hopes to inspire those who care about climate change and environmental justice- in thinking about the invisible ways the tools we use everyday can be contributing to the problem of rising emissions. Until we did our redesign, we had no idea, we were wasting so much precious energy! #EnergyEfficiency http://ow.ly/ktT450BMpsc

October 9 is the deadline for registering to vote in New York. Make sure your registration is still active here: https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/ If you aren't registered, go to the BOE site to find out how you can register and get it done by this Friday! https://vote.nyc/page/register-vote Elections have consequences for our city and this one is no exception. Let's get to the polls and do this.

Made in NYC Week 2020 is here! https://madeinnyc.org/minycweek-2020 Our annual celebration of manufacturing in NYC is shaping up to be the best one yet - despite 2020's trials and tribulations.... Explore how NYC's vibrant manufacturing community has been grappling with a global pandemic, climate change, and systemic inequities while never losing sight of their creativity and innovation. For the full event line up and to register https://madeinnyc.org/minycweek-2020/explore-the-week/ Some highlights: 10/5 Business Futures: Worker Ownership Conversions Join Made in NYC partners SBIDC, BOCnet and The Working World to learn about how manufacturers can can sell and pass on their business to their employees. 10/6 Who Made Your Clothes? An Equitable & Innovative Fashion Workforce This panel will focus on the pathways towards a more equitable fashion industry, looking at innovative worker-ownership models and the role of home making before, during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. 10/7 Sustaining Our Food Supply Chains COVID-19 has illuminated the fragility of our modern food supply chains and need for hyperlocal, regenerative food systems is clearer than ever. Learn how the city’s food producers and advocates responded to our current crisis with creative solutions and what to expect moving forward. 10/8 Manufacturing Workforce Solutions for the Disabled Community Join Made in NYC partner Turnstile Tours for a panel discussion around innovations in the manufacturing workforce through employment of disabled communities. Featured will be business owners and organizations who have prioritized inclusive hiring practices that enabled growth. 10/8 Manufacturing Pivots & Industry Resilience This spring, the city’s manufacturing community rapidly pivoted away from pre-COVID day-to-day operations to produce PPE and help fellow New Yorkers endure an unprecedented crisis. This panel will amplify stories that demonstrate the critical role of manufacturing in New York City’s local econ

Today is a great day to sign up to volunteer to help get New Yorkers counted for the 2020 Census. Every person counted is $$$$ for vital city services and data to help ensure communities receive the services they need. There are so many ways and you don't have to even leave your neighborhood - check out all your options here: http://ow.ly/Xwaj50BHLrt

Last week we started introducing the newest members of our team. Next up: Richard Jiménez, our Operations Manager, who joined us just before we closed our office back in March, but nevertheless, eagerly got to work introducing new systems and tools to keep our team connected while working remotely. He hails from the Bronx, and we're so glad he tolerates a pretty extensive daily commute to join our team in Brooklyn. Head over to our Instagram to read a short Q&A with Richard. https://www.instagram.com/p/CFvOz4ijqmz/

Our Made In NYC initiative, which supports manufacturers across the five boroughs, kicks off its third annual Made in NYC Week this Friday with a virtual party from 7-8:30 pm. We'll hear from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices at the forefront of sustainable fashion in New York City and an exclusive performance by Adeline. The first 100 tickets also include a gift box of locally-made items like chocolate, hand lotion, cold brew and hot sauce. RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/made-in-nyc-week-2020-kickoff-