MultipliCITY Spring 2012

ArchitectureSchool of

Volume 3/ Issue 2 Spring 2012

MULTIPLICITY

Table of Contents

1. Commentary from the Editors 32. Introduction 4

3. Student and Faculty Articles How to Occupy Wall Street: Curbing Oligopolies 5 Profiles of Spontaneous Urban Plants 6 Planning by General Assembly 7 Design-Based Learning in Brooklyn 9

4. 2011 Summer and Fall Studios Fundamental Planning for the Lower East Side 11 Community Planning in Mt. Morris, NY 13 Gowanus Works: Planning for Preservation 15 Giving a Voice to the Voiceless 18 Scandinavia by Design 20

5. Letters HPD Director of Sustainability 22 The CSI Annual Convention 23 Water Infrastructure Planning in Grand Bois, Haiti 24

6. Accomplishments 267. Announcements 298. Alumni Spotlight 309. 13 Ways to Give Back 31

Ana Fisyak and Kyle Kozar

Commentary from the EditorsPSPD Graduate Students

Volume 3/ Issue 2/ 3 /

The theme of this issue, Planning with the 99%, like many of our imaginations is inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement. Last fall when Kyle and I began to work on the newsletter we were con-cerned with the question of how planners fit into the discourse coming out of Zuccotti Park. What is our role as planners in this critique? Should we work as negotiators, as advocates or as activists? For whom are we planning? That very question went through a thorough revision inspired by Professor Eve Baron’s Introduction to this issue. We were confronted by the implications in the use of the word “for” in our original theme. What does it mean to plan “for” versus to plan “with”? The vitality of democracy depends on a civil society comprised of citizens knowledgeable of and engaged in the democratic process. To plan “with” is to empower residents to exercise their voice regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, language, education or class. Our role is not only to represent those who are missing from the discussion, but more importantly to empower them to take part in the discussion. At its very foundation equity grows from supporting those

whose place is the most uncertain or precarious within our system. Our role is to amplify the voices of the 99%. To plan “with” is a valuable exercise in organiz-ing the mass of our 99%, the work that results from engaging hundreds of us under the action to change. To plan “with” is a call to democracy.

Ana Fisyak is a second year CRP student interested in the political and civic implications of public space. She is a Fel-low at the Pratt Center for Community Development where she is currently working on a GIS baseline analysis of Brooklyn neighborhoods and the Bedford Stuyvesant BOA.

Joseph “Kyle” Kozar is a second year CRP Student. He is a Research Intern at the Regional Plan Association where he works in the Open Space Department with a focus on the Jamaica Bay Greenway.

Eve Baron

Introduction

Volume 3/ Issue 2 / 4 /

This is Pratt, and students don’t get too far without being reminded that we are planning with the 99%, not for the 99%. Planning with people is a big part of learning how to ensure there is equal access to the city for all its dwellers regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or income. Planning with the 99% means removing barriers to participation in edu-cation, housing, employment, political representation, and communication. Occupy Wall Street vividly brought home the importance of considering the spatial dimension of access. The struggle to secure adequate space for pro-test situated in proximity to the sym-bolic epicenter of decision-making was a huge barrier to the right of assembly. The intricacies of the city’s plaza bonus program created the park and allowed the local commu-nity board to negotiate the rules that govern its use (i.e., that it remain open 24/7). But the intricacies involving the maintenance of the park also fashioned the loophole allowing the police action to eject protesters. How we organize and create access to our public space is truly a reflection of our vision for society. Democratic expression can be noisy and chaotic, especially if it confronts prevailing norms and standards, and can all too easily be perceived as a threat. Commodification of public spaces has the ten-dency to fragment the public and to silence dissent. Imposition of order will protect private investment in the built form (as is the case with Zuccotti Park) but unless basic controls are balanced with true opportuni-ties for expression of basic freedoms then our public spaces are destined to reflect only the needs and con-cerns of the 1%. The next generation of planners will be design-

ing, planning, and setting policy for public space. It’s going to be up to you in part, to make or re-make our Zuccotti Parks of the future. The responsibility lies in planning for social inclusion and overcoming margin-alization and all forms of exclusion. Planning some-times involves struggle and often challenges authority, or requires deconstruction of power relationships. The articles in this quarter’s newsletter spell out the ways planners and others are working to chal-lenge prevailing norms and remove political, economic, and cultural barriers. City Council Member Lander describes NYC’s first experience with direct democ-

racy—constituents are shaping local projects and directly voting to fund them. Claire Nelischer writes about a workshop in East New York where the tables were turned to allow kids to be the planners and designers. Moshe Adler reminds us of how corporate strangleholds over the economy can

result in job discrimination and inequality and gives us some strategies for unmasking power relations. Lisa Brunie writes about the ways in which participatory mapping will result in access to clean water supply in Haiti. These are excellent examples of how to begin planning for social inclusion by creating inclusionary processes and removing obstacles and barriers.

Eve Baron is a Senior Fellow for Planning and Policy at the Pratt Center for Community Development and has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt since 2004.

We are planning with the 99%, not for the 99%.

Moshe AdlerHow to Occupy Wall Street:

Curbing Oligopolies


1. Occupying the Boardroom The first thing to recognize about our big cor-porations is that they have thousands and even hun-dreds of thousands of owners; as a result, there is nobody to mind the store. Nominally, every corpora-tion has an independent board of directors. But as Ross Perot observed long ago, in 1985, “The managers of mature corporations with no concentration of owners have gotten themselves into the position of effectively selecting the board members who will represent the stockholders.” And how does a board that is loyal to the CEO behave? Perot was intimately familiar with the relationship between the board of GM and its CEO at the time, Roger Smith, because he was trying to take over the company. “Is the board a rub-ber stamp for Roger?” Perot asked. “Hell, no!” he said, answering his own question. “We’d have to upgrade it to be a rubber stamp.” The victims of these corporate hijackings are everywhere. Executives fleece both shareholders and workers, paying themselves enormous salaries that bear no relationship to the work that they do, and dipping into company funds to finance political candidates who side with them against the interests of both shareholders and workers (many shareholders are of course workers themselves). Ger-many faced this very problem before the rise of Hitler and has some interesting lessons to offer. The stock market crash of 1929 had even more dire consequences for Germany than it did for the US. The German government had a budget defi-cit at the time, and it financed it by short-term loans from US banks. After the crash the banks could not

renew the loans and the German government wanted to raise taxes. At first, German executives supported the policy because it would have balanced the budget. But when the Nazi executive of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG (United Steelworks) Fritz Thyssens pointed out that forcing the government to cut its expenses would increase unemployment and weaken unions, they withdrew their support. The government then cut its expenditures and unemployment and suffering soared just as the executives hoped they would. Workers concluded that they had no choice but to vote for pro-

labor parties. But they were no match for the executives who used their corporate coffers to finance Hitler who promised to crush the unions. Whether a similar fate awaits the US is impossible to know, but the horrors of Hitler and his regime convinced even conservative Germans that the unchecked power of execu-

tives is incompatible with both prosperity and democ-racy. The consensus was that corporations should be forced to pay their workers decent wages that would nevertheless not jeopardize their financial health, and that they should also be prevented from meddling in politics... [Read this article in its entirety.]

Moshe Adler teaches Urban Economics and Statistics in the CRP Program. He is the author of Economics for the Rest of Us: Debunking the Science That Makes Life Dismal (The New Press, 2010).

An Excerpt from a Faculty Article

This article is reprinted with permission from Counter Punch (http://www.counterpunch.

org/2011/10/25/curbing-oligopolies/) October 25, 2011.

The call to “occupy Wall Street” is a call to occupy corporations. But how do we actually do that? Here are three ways.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/25/curbing-oligopolies/

David Seiter

Profiles of Spontaneous Urban Plants


Although we tend to think of our cities as concrete jungles, our post-new urban environment is awash in plant life. This becomes especially apparent when you begin recognizing all the wild urban plants that have taken root along roadsides and chain-link fences, between cracks of pavement, and within vacant lots, rubble dumps and highway medians. Spontane-ously propagating, these resilient plants find distinc-tive niches to thrive in and inhabit our most derelict landscapes. The environmental benefits of these “weeds” go widely unrecognized when, in fact, this often invisible urban ecology can offer a fresh perspective on how cities perform. With that in mind, we staged an intervention to reveal the overlooked nature of urban weeds to the passerby: we painted rough, bright geometries onto the side-walk along 3rd Street in Brooklyn, outlining spots where spontaneous urban plants have made a home. Using a typical street paint yellow, we drew circles around particu-larly important weeds that have emerged up through our sidewalks and tree pits – essentially taking a highlighter to the streetscape. Most people walk by unaware, only to stop for a brief second to consider why someone would be drawing attention to the weeds in the sidewalk. Sometimes, observant urban wayfarers linger long enough to glimpse the inconspicuous museum placard identifying the plants name, origin and characteristics. “Profiles of Spontaneous Urban Plants” is a project conceived by Future Green Studio, our land-

scape urbanism firm based in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Our studio seeks to make urban interventions that reveal the nuances of our urban landscape in subtle, poetic ways that provide clues to the complex ecology of cit-ies. Working out of a post-industrial neighborhood replete with sidewalk cracks, remnant gravel vestiges and dead end streets, overgrown urban weeds are ubiq-uitous in our daily experience. In colloquial terms, of course, these plants

are most commonly referred to as “weeds,” but are also known as “invasive,” “alien” and “exotic.” Culturally, the prevailing usage of “weeds” relegates these urban plants to an inferior botanical cat-egory because humans did not intentionally cultivate them at the particular site in which they have appeared. It is an understandable human reaction, as we have been taught, generally, that things which require little to no effort to grow, create, or maintain are worth less. But competing perceptions of cer-tain plants reflect the need to think differently about the stigma we attach to these weeds. For example, Dandelion is perceived by subur-ban homeowners as an omnipres-

ent lawn invader. But by children Dandelions are seen as a thing to play with, and by urban foragers they’re understood as food... [Read this article in its entirety.]

David Seiter is founding principal of Future Green Studio and teaches Productive and Performative Landscapes in the UESM Program.

An Excerpt from a Faculty Article

This article is reprinted with permission from UrbanOmnibus (http://urbanomnibus.

net/2011/12/profiles-of-spontaneous-urban-plants/) December 7, 2011.

Future Green Studio Illustration of Com-melina Communis (Asiatic Dayflower). Photo courtesy of Urban Omnibus.

http://futuregreenstudio.com/

http://urbanomnibus.net/2011/12/profiles-of-spontaneous-urban-plants/

Brad Lander and Michelle Conway

Planning by General Assembly?Building a New York City by and for the 99%


When activists first took over Zuccotti Park this fall, many of us wondered what impact the Occupy Wall Street movement would have on our city’s politi-cal climate. Would it disappear into popular memory as a loud but short-lived outcry against corpo-rate greed, inequality, and non-responsive government? Or would it become a longer-lasting force in city politics, affecting public policy decisions? A few months later, it seems clear that—at a minimum—the Occupy movement has transformed the national debate around growing inequality. Instead of a Tea Party focus on fiscal austerity, we are talk-ing again about economic fairness, about progressive taxation, about holding banks accountable for the harm they did to homeowners, com-munities and the global economy. Occupy Wall Street also sent another message to policy makers, one that is especially rel-evant for planners: the 99 percent should have the power to make key decisions about the future. We need transparent, inclusive planning that not only directly addresses the city’s striking inequalities, but also that empowers community mem-bers to participate meaningfully in the process.

In NYC’s 39th Council Dis-trict in Brooklyn, we are hard at work on two initiatives to address both of those objectives. Along with Council Members Melissa Mark-Viverito, Jumaane Williams, and Eric Ulrich, we launched “par-ticipatory budgeting”—an exciting new program that we believe has the power to renew New Yorkers’ faith in local government. Begin-ning with a series of neighbor-hood assemblies across the district in October, we’ve been amazed by the level of enthusiasm the process

has inspired. Nearly 1,000 people contributed ideas—from subway station improvements, to new community spaces, to upgrades to local playgrounds. Constituents have told me they have never felt so engaged in the decisions being made about their neighborhood and they are hungry for more, to be involved in the decisions about transit, education, and policing in our neighborhoods. More than 100 district resi-dents stepped up to serve on com-mittees—to research and evaluate

Alum Article

PSPD Students facilitate a Participatory Budgeting meeting for NYC’s 39th City Council District.

/ 8 /Volume 3/ Issue 2

these ideas, figure out which ones are feasible and how much they cost, and to select the projects that will appear on the participa-tory budgeting ballot. Some got involved because they are excited about one or two ideas that were proposed by their neighbors; oth-ers because they want to be part of this ambitious experiment in grassroots democracy. These “bud-get delegates” have been given the chance to make powerful decisions, and they are putting in the time and developing the expertise to use that power responsibly. Along the way, a few of them have documented their experience in some really compel-ling blog posts that you can check out at BradLander.com/PB. In addition to engaging the “99%” at the neighborhood level, we also need a broader planning pro-cess that is inclusive of all commu-nities, and concerned with whether the outcomes of planning are fair. One area in desperate need of change in this regard is NYC’s so-

called “fair-share” process for sit-ing municipal facilities—includ-ing both “undesirable” (e.g. waste transfer stations) and “desirable” (e.g. parks) uses. It is no surprise, sadly (certainly not to students and practitioners of environmen-tal justice), that the least desired, often environmentally harmful land uses are disproportionately found in lower-income communi-ties of color—while desirable land uses like libraries are more likely to be placed in upper-income and white neighborhoods. We held the first oversight hearing on the fair-share rules in their 20 year history, filed extensive FOIL requests to gather fair-share statements from city agencies, and are preparing a report that will show how flaws in the law prevent agencies from being held accountable for their locational decisions. We will also make recommendations for policy changes so that the decision-mak-ing process for city facilities is more transparent, more inclusive, and—

most important—more fair. Planning by and for the “99%” can channel the energy of the Occupy movement toward change in the decision-making pro-cesses that shape our city. It can give people the power to affect the future of their neighborhoods, and force us all to thoroughly examine and challenge the urban inequali-ties that have shaped our cities for far too long.

Brad Lander is a City Council Member representing the 39th District in Brook-lyn and the former director of the Pratt Center for Community Development. He is an alum of the CRP Program and currently teaches housing policy at Brooklyn Law School. Michelle Conway is an intern in Mr. Lander’s office and a student at Columbia University majoring in Urban Studies.

Participatory Budgeting Events in the weeks to come.

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0KTYD%2BAV5NgaIofYTQLY73miRB0u0rq6

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0KTYD%2BAV5NgaIofYTQLY73miRB0u0rq6

Claire Nelischer

Design-Based Learningin Brooklyn


Progressive, community-based planning approaches encour-age planners to meaningfully engage communities, to solicit active participation in planning processes, and to inspire residents to plan for their own futures. But, despite these well-intentioned objectives, the position of “planner-as-professional” perpetuates the disconnect between citizens and the planning process. This disconnect calls for creative solutions to equip communities with the tools neces-sary to investigate urban issues and formulate positive solutions. LA-based urban planner James Rojas’ tactile, design-based method for community vision-ing presents one such solution. Inspired by Doreen Nelson’s con-cept of “Design-Based Learning,” Rojas’ method seeks to democratize the practice of land use planning by translating its complex lan-guage and tools into activities that are visual, tactile and engaging. His workshops allow participants, working alone or in groups, to build small models of their community vision using thousands of small, colorful found objects. By stacking blocks, twisting pipe cleaners and balancing bottle caps, participants are able to visually express their emotions and experiences of place into a design that clearly communi-

cates its meaning to viewers. Rojas’ method focuses on accessibility to people of all ages and experiences and equips ordinary people with the tools to build their own solu-tions to complex urban problems. On November 1st, the Pratt Center and PSPD welcomed James Rojas to Brooklyn to conduct two workshops based on his method. In the first workshop, hosted at IS 302 in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, a group of 12 and 13-year-olds participat-ing in an after-school program were invited to play the role of the urban planner and to build their ideal city. Fully engaging with the materials,

PSPD Graduate Student Article

James Rojas. Photo Courtesy of Gilda Haas, Dr.Pop Blog.

12 and 13-year-olds designing their ideal city during a James Rojas workshop.


students built models that truly expressed their emotional connec-tion to the built environment and incorporated personal experiences, memories and ideas. The stu-dents did not create replicas of real environments, but produced imaginative designs centered around experiences and interac-tions, inspired by the realities of their daily lives. The second workshop, preceded by a lecture on Rojas’ method, invited Pratt students, faculty and friends to create a collective city. Without any maps or guidelines, participants were free to let their imaginations and intuitions guide the design of their models. Working in larger groups, participants shared values, experi-ences and ideas while constructing and explaining their models. Some were idealized versions of urban realities, others were imaginative

and other-worldly, but all models communicated a certain hopeful-ness for the future of our cities. In both workshops, it was

incredible to see how readily partic-ipants engaged with the materials —reaching across tables, searching for pieces small and large, stacking blocks, and clustering objects. It was clear that this method is truly effec-tive in breaking down the barriers of professionalism, allowing every-one to participate in the planning

process in an instinctive, emotional and tactile manner. The resulting models, built responses to the urban issues presented, revealed the col-

lective values, needs and ideas of the participants, and allowed these sentiments to be commu-nicated and understood through design. Rojas’ method represents a positive solution to traditionally rigid and expert-led approaches to urban planning and is an inspiring example of how citizen participa-tion can be fostered through cre-ative engagement. For more information about

the James Rojas workshop and the Urban Latino Forum.

Claire Nelischer is a first-year CRP student. She is a Fellow at the Pratt Center working on the Arts, Culture and Sustainability Project, and also an intern at Fourth Arts Block.

James Rojas will be visiting Pratt this sum-mer to work with PSPD students on develop-ing a new participatory planning game.

Flier for the Place It! planning design workshop.Conceptual plan produced by students.

http://www.latinourbanforum.com/



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Andrea DeveningFundamental Planning for

The Lower East Side

PSPD Graduate Student

Volume 3/ Issue 2

The neighborhoods that comprise Manhattan’s Commu-nity District Three (CD3) —the Lower East Side, East Village, Two Bridges, and parts of China-town—hold a unique place in New York City history. Once home to many of the city’s immigrants upon their arrival in the 1840s and a vibrant commercial sector servic-ing the entire city, today the area is losing its cultural diversity to rampant gentrification and rede-velopment. For the past thirty-five years, the Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) has been a central force in CD3 addressing these con-cerns through tireless advocacy and organizing efforts, direct services, and education surrounding the issues of tenants’ rights, affordable housing, retail diversity and unem-ployment. Under the leadership of Professors Mercedes Narciso, Juan Camilo Osorio and Ayse Yon-der, the Fundamentals of Planning Studio had the opportunity to work with GOLES, providing an analy-sis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to CD3 and formulating recommendations that address the group’s core con-cerns. CD3 contains the second-largest public and subsidized hous-ing district in Manhattan. This area

also encompasses a large part of the East River Waterfront and serves as a major transportation nexus for NYC. Residents must contend with storm surges and other disas-ter risks associated with severe weather events and climate change as well as heightened air pollution and associated public health risks. On top of these overriding concerns, recently the residents of the public housing units and GOLES’ prime constituency have experienced a noticeable upsurge in the population of rats and a defi-nite increase in sewage problems. Charged with these concerns and based on their analyses of existing conditions in CD3, the studio class developed nineteen objectives and a total of fifty recommendations. These are categorized into five focus areas including Disaster Risk and Environmental Justice; Public

Health, Resiliency, Gentrification; Green Infrastructure; Green Jobs, Businesses, and Economic Devel-opment; and Public Health and Environmental Justice. A snapshot of the accompanying recommenda-tions include developing a disaster preparedness network, creating a database showing expiration dates of building subsidies, advocating for an integrated greenway sys-tem, developing incubator kitchens in existing kitchen spaces, and pro-moting energy efficient heating. In formulating these rec-ommendations, students reached out to relevant agencies, researched global case studies, observed street-side garbage conditions, filmed differentiation in daytime and nighttime commercial activ-ity, and conducted a full land use survey of the area. While select students attended NYCHA meet-

STUDIO: FALL 2011Fundamentals of Planning

Instructors: Mercedes Narciso, Juan Camilo Osorio, and Ayse Yonder

Conceptual Green Infrastructure Sketch of the Lower East Side.


ings, the studio class as a whole received expert advice on com-bined sewage overflow concerns in NYC from Pratt faculty Kate Zidar of the Newtown Creek Alliance and learned firsthand about green infrastructure initia-tives from alum Vlada Keniff of the NYC Department of Envi-ronmental Protection. At the final presentation, GOLES representatives includ-ing Director Damaris Reyes expressed optimism about the potential implementation of many of the studio’s recommen-dations. At Ms. Reyes’ invita-tion, representatives from the studio class will present to the entire GOLES staff. The oppor-tunity to work with an esteemed community-based agency such as GOLES has proven to be an invaluable one for the first-year students in the Fundamentals Studio, whose recommendations contain the real potential for cre-ating a positive impact on CD3. [For access to the full report, feel free to contact Andrea Devening at [email protected].]

Andrea Devening is a first-year CRP student with an interest in his-toric preservation and sustainability. She is a fellow at the Pratt Center for Community Development where she has been working on several projects related to food policy and economic development issues.

EAST RIVER

MN-02

MN-06

MN-01

MN-05

302

MN-02

302

°0 1,000 2,000 3,000500Feet

Vulnerable Land Uses in CB3

MapPLUTO copyrighted by the New York City Department of City Planning.Sources: NYC Dept. of City Planning (DCP), 2010; NYC Dept. of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT), 2009.

NY State Storm Surge ZonesCat 1: surge 6.1-10.5 ft, winds 74-95 mphCat 2: surge 13-16.6 ft, winds 96-110 mphCat 3: surge 14.8-25 ft, winds 111-130 mphCat 4: surge 24.6-31.3 ft, winds 130+ mphUtility/TransportationNYCHA/Subsidized Housing

Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) - Sample Data

Houston

Delancey

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t Ave

nue

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ue B

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Cherry St

Hurricane storm surge zones are based on NOAA's "Sea, Lake andOverland Surge from Hurricanes

(SLOSH)" model predictions of sea level rise (surge height) associated with category 1 - 4 hurricanes.

Con EdisonSub Station

FDR

Drive

Williamsburg

Sanitation GarageDepartment of

Bridge

Manattan PumpStation

In order to address many of GOLES’ concerns, Oscar Nunez created the above COOK Initiative as a potential marketing tool.

The Lower East Side contains high den-sities of residents living in inundation zones that are particularly vulnerable to storm surge and sealevel rise.

mailto:adevenin%40pratt.edu.%20?subject=

/ 13 /

Jennifer Gardner

Community Planning in Mt. Morris, NY


Volume 3/ Issue 2

In October 2011, a group of PSPD students traveled with Professor Ron Shiffman to the Vil-lage of Mt. Morris, in Livingston County, NY, for a five-day inten-sive course with the purpose of exchanging ideas about community engagement, economic develop-ment, and downtown revitalization. Set in the rich hills of the Genesee Valley in western New York, Mt. Morris (pop. 3,266) is a small town where decades of decline have left its Main Street empty and desolate. But a recent revival of interest and investment—stirred by former NYPD officer and DIY Red Hook real estate developer Greg O’Connell—is beginning to transform downtown and galvanize the community around planning and economic development strate-gies that will likely be the start of significant change. Main Street, Mt. Morris is four blocks long. By now, O’Connell owns most of it. O’Connell began buying buildings in Mt. Morris in 2007, when he “retired” to Livings-ton County from his real estate and development practice in Brooklyn. Known for projects like Red Hook’s Fairway Supermarket and resi-dential development that recycled chunks of the West Side High-way, O’Connell has a reputation

for being something of a developer renegade. He greeted us with lunch and a slideshow at the Theatre 101, a community space and home to a local theater group, where our group later led a mini-visioning session with about 50 community members. The community meeting was both a precursor to the plan-ning process we would later recom-mend, and to our own visit in Mt. Morris—a crash course in local issues: from the high property taxes and the loss of the younger popula-tion to other areas with more jobs, to the effects of state interstate construction and big-box retail on the area’s downtowns.

On our first full day in Mt. Morris, we toured the county with O’Connell and Livingston Co. eco-nomic development officials, and met with business owners and other local government officials, many of whom, like O’Connell, were making major personal and financial com-mitments to reviving the towns that they love. An example is the Schmidt family, whose Star Theater in the neighboring town of Dans-ville has been lovingly restored by hand, and where first-run movies play on the single screen of the only locally owned movie theater in the area. We also learned that Mt. Morris and the county have both

INTENSIVE STUDIO: FALL 2011Instructor: Ron Shiffman

PSPD Students meet with Mt. Morris community stakeholders.


faced a number of challenges in the recent past: loss of local indus-try and agriculture, the opening of a prison, questions about how to handle immigration and undocu-mented workers, and a state DOT project that closed downtown through construction and a bypass. With O’Connell’s ongoing investment and curatorial approach to attracting and fostering new ten-ants and their businesses, there is a great deal of hope that the down-town will turn around for good. However, it became clear to our stu-dent group that long-lasting change could only come about through additional community involvement in a committed planning process and through the implementation of strategies that would extended into the region. Livingston County gov-ernment, Chamber of Commerce, business associations in Mt. Morris and other downtowns, local schools and colleges like SUNY Geneseo, state parks and nature conservan-cies, and area service providers all

have an opportunity to connect. The village is at a turning point in terms of redevelopment and there is an opportunity to use existing resources to better connect the community. O’Connell has helped provide the impetus to create big community impacts through small-scale change, but revitalization downtown depends on developing and achieving goals for the broader community, and a parallel revival of the area’s economic base. In presentations to the community at the end of the visit, we offered our impressions, initial assessments, and some ideas and strategies for Mt. Morris that came from our experiences during our stay. Recommendations included concepts for improvements to the physical fabric of Main Street, ideas for building businesses on Main Street and developing value-added regional products, and connecting downtown Mt. Morris to the natu-ral, historic and cultural resources that are nearby, but just out of

reach. The presentations aimed to give the community a kind of tool-kit to use in a continued planning process. Taken together, our strate-gies tried to take a holistic look at how Main Street, Mt. Morris could be an anchor for business and pro-duction as well as for a wealth of natural resources, and as a result better meet some of the needs of the community. While we as students took a great deal away from the five-day experience and hope we were able to offer a fresh perspective, five days isn’t a planning process. This spring semester, students from the fall course and others will revisit the Mt. Morris project, potentially providing ongoing support for a more comprehensive community visioning later this year.

Jennifer Gardner is in her final semes-ter of the CRP Program. Her thesis focuses on New York City’s small man-ufacturers and big industrial infra-structure. She is a Fellow at the Pratt Center for Community Development.

PSPD students visit local Mt. Morris business owners to discuss downtown revitaliza-tion.

/ 15 /

Krista Leahy

Gowanus WorksPlanning for Preservation


Volume 3/ Issue 2

The fall 2011 Land Use Studio presented stu-dents with a unique oppor-tunity to work with five instructors with expertise in economic development, environmental systems management, historic preservation, and urban design. Michael Hag-gerty, Laura Hansen, Ben Margolis, and Jaime Stein teamed-up with City & Regional Planning Chair John Shaprio and Gowanus EPA Community Advisory Group member Beth Bing-ham to lead more than 20 students from PSPD in the development of a plan for the Gowanus neighbor-hood. The interdisciplinary team had a daunting task, as Gowanus is currently one of the most studied areas in New York City. The 2010 designation of the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund Site by the US EPA led to the devel-opment of a Community Advisory Group (CAG), a volunteer-based organization representing various stakeholders. The CAG acts as a liaison between the EPA and the community during the whole of the Superfund cleanup, which could last over 15 years. Volunteers from the CAG provided the studio with

insight about community needs and opinions surrounding development plans for the area. The end result, a holistic plan, known simply as ‘Gowanus Works,’ was an alter-native to the numerous residen-tial-centric plans currently being pushed by eager developers. Students sought to offer something different to the CAG and community of Gowanus and a pushback against the 2007 Depart-ment of City Planning (DCP) pro-posed rezoning of the northern portion of the Gowanus Canal sat the center of the studio’s final four goals and 20-plus recommen-dations. Although currently pend-ing the superfund cleanup, the DCP proposed rezoning would

change historically industrial par-cels into residential parcels that would accommodate much higher density than found in surrounding areas. Numerous plans for the area have begun to reflect the proposed rezoning, and land speculation has resulted in numerous vacant and underutilized parcels, while owners and developers wait for the green light from DCP. Students, however, found that despite what the City and developers believed to be true, the Gowanus neighborhood was alive and working. One of the few remaining industrial areas in NYC, the studio’s research showed that Gowanus houses over 8,100 jobs, half of which are industrial or manufacturing jobs that pay nearly

STUDIO: FALL 2011Instructors: Beth Bingham, Michael

Haggerty, Laura Hansen, Ben Margolis, John Shaprio and Jaime Stein

Conceptual Map outlining the future development and preservation of the Gowanus Canal.


twice as much as retail jobs, with benefits. Recommendations to pro-tect industry and jobs came in a variety of forms, some focused on utilizing the scrap metal yards and other manufac-turing resources while pro-moting shared work and storage spaces to minimize costs; others focused more on job training and creating an incubator space to pro-mote growth of small local businesses. Additionally, students chose to say “no” to as-of-right residential development and instead proposed planning regula-tions that allowed residen-tial housing under very spe-cific criteria and only after indus-trial and manufacturing uses were ruled out. Other planning tools were created to promote preserva-tion and ownership of buildings in the area to maintain affordability

for producers, manufactures, and artists and to ensure a productive Gowanus, now and for the future. On-the-ground research and over 60 stakeholder interviews

also led to the recommendation of a Gowanus watershed-wide mandate that would require all future devel-opment to manage 100 percent of stormwater onsite. The canal has long been plagued by combined sew-

age overflow (CSO), which would only worsen if the City moved for-ward with residential development. Due to the fact that residential units can consume and discharge

upwards of one-third more water than indus-try on average, adding it quickly back into sewer pipes, the implementation of a watershed mandate was just and needed. The mandate would bring nat-ural elements back to the Gowanus in order to man-age stormwater runoff, including a redeveloped wetland at the 4th Street turning basin, much inline with the City’s Green Infrastructure Stormwa-

ter Management Plan. Barging on the canal was a recommendation that sought to bridge environmental sustainabil-ity with economic development and increased neighborhood ties. Barg-

“A lot has been said about the Gowanus but many people seem to be unaware that there is a community living and creat-ing here; that there are jobs here. We think Gowanus works but we also think it can work better.”

Photos from the Gowanus Works Final Presentation illustrating the multiple challenges and opportunities facing the area.

/ 17 / Volume 3/ Issue 2

ing would not only reduce the num-ber of diesel trucks on the road, it would also require more communi-cation between industry and local residents looking to use the canal for recreation. Sustaining the canal as a multifunctional waterway has been shot down in the past, however the idea that improved communica-tion between all members of Gowa-nus based on the canal itself struck a cord with students, who saw the canal as a connector for the neigh-borhood, not a divider. The development of an environmental research lab and a community center were envisioned as a means to bring the talents of Gowanus together. GowanusLab and GowanusCENTER would strive to connect environmental education and apprenticeships to local industry. The two facilities would also aim to increase syn-ergy between artists, production and remediation efforts. This set up would enable local industry and

manufacturing to move towards a more environmentally sound future with the help of local residents; it would also debunk the claim that only residential development can guarantee a clean canal and a suc-cessful future for the neighborhood. Health information for the Gowanus neighborhood was scant and plans to collect this data were collecting dust. As a result, a recom-mendation to create a community health-monitoring coalition was put forward. Using already existing community ties and the work of the CAG, the coalition would develop health guidelines. These guidelines would be used to help educate com-munity members about health and environmental laws in order to put the Gowanus back into the hands of the people who live and work there. While the recommendations addressed a broad-range of issues, three main objectives were clear throughout the 16 weeks: maintain

affordability for industry and cur-rent residents, ensure the preserva-tion and empowerment of a neigh-borhood that helped build brown-stone Brooklyn, and create an envi-ronment that is not only healthy for those who live and work in the area but is also resilient against future environmental degradation. The studio’s final report has taken other planning efforts to the next level by addressing issues of equity throughout the recom-mendations and simply highlight-ing that much of what the City is planning for in other areas already exists and is working in Gowanus.

Krista Leahy is in her final semester of the CRP Program. Her thesis focuses on stormwater management solutions and she currently interns at the NYC Department of Transportation.

Photos from the Gowanus Works Final Presentation illustrating the multiple challenges and opportunities facing the area.

Cara Stampp


Giving a Voice to the Voiceless

The concept of planning is not one-dimensional. It must incorporate a series of carefully planned steps that are carried out to accomplish desired goals. Plan-ning is multifaceted. It requires you to look not just at the physical structures and design, but also at the social, economic, environmental and political structures as well. Ron Shiffman says it best—you build a community by an organized people, not with structures. In the fall of 2011 students were given the tremendous oppor-tunity to work with and support the residents of the Gowanus, Wyck-off, Warren Street and Atlantic Terminal public housing communi-ties in Brooklyn. These communi-ties are, and will be, affected by the construction of the much talked about and controversial Forest City Ratner Atlantic Yards Devel-opment project, which includes the massive Barclays Center Arena that will house the New Jersey Nets, in Downtown Brooklyn. The studio consisted of PSPD graduate stu-dents and was led by professors Eddie Bautista, Stuart Pertz and Ron Shiffman, who led the class with a vast and invaluable knowl-edge of environmental, social, political and economic advocacy. Citizen participation is a

vital factor in the city planning pro-cess. All the stakeholders must be aware and have a say in the actions that will affect the place in which they live and work. The idea of citi-zen participation is good for us all and is the cornerstone of American democracy. I believe that it is the fundamental right of every citizen to demand equal treatment in his or her society. In most situations the client would ask to be helped, how-ever in this situation the professors and the students where tasked with engaging community residents as their client. At first, the clients were hesitant about meeting with the Pratt students. They had met this kind of concern before in the

past and were disappointed. Yet we knew and our professors made it clear to the community that we are here for the long term. Our task was to go into the communities and listen to the concerns and issues of the residents and be a resource for them. We facilitated a visioning session asking community resi-dents to come and voice not only their concerns, but also to identify assets in the community. Our ulti-mate goal was to help give a voice to those who may not have had one before. We were there not just to speak for the residents, but also to give them the tools they need to speak for themselves. The residents expressed their concerns with us


STUDIO: FALL 2011Instructors: Eddie Bautista, Stuart Pertz

and Ron Shiffman

PSPD Students facilitate a workshop with community residents to understand the com-munity needs and concerns.


and we not only offered to support, but also to provide them with the tools needed to have a sustainable resolution to their concerns. Access to quality healthcare is a human right and for the poor and disfranchised among us it is an essential part of survival. The most important thing to a community is the mental and physical health of its residents. If the residents are healthy then the community is healthy. The loss of services in all of these communities was and still remains a major concern. The loss of much needed medical facilities that serve the elderly was a major issue, since these residents are not physically able to visit their doctor, and further affecting their health. After talking to the residents and visiting the communities it was clear and remains to be that there is a need for a health center. The stu-dio continues to work with health advocates who support and pro-mote resident’s health care rights, healthy eating habits and an overall focus on the healthy lifestyle of the community. For the most part economic development projects in urban areas, like the Atlantic Yards Devel-

opment have not helped the low-income residents in the surround-ing communities. Help would usu-ally come in the form of housing subsidies. However, these economic developments should focus more on the creation of businesses and jobs for the residents of these urban communities. Some of the residents in public housing have the opinion that the ultimate goal of these eco-nomic development projects is to price out the long-standing resi-dents to create room for gentrifica-tion. Developers receive incentives and subsidizes that should really be called criminal. The City is cut-ting back on funding for programs in these housing communities leav-ing people in need out in the cold while giving economic developers the world—with millions of dol-lars in their pockets. Neighborhood investment in job training and job creation is essential. Questions that need further consideration are: what would be the impacts of the development on the residents and the surrounding are?; what will the traffic and environmental impacts be on the residents?; will the devel-opment lead to the gentrification of the community?; and will resi-

dents lose healthy food options to an increasing number of bars and restaurants in the community? Theory doesn’t always equal practice, however at Pratt theory must lead us to practice. Service to the community and the people who most need help is a cornerstone of the PSPD philosophy. We are now at the implementation stages; we continue to work with the resi-dents in the community to put into practice what was once theory. We are currently working with resident volunteers in these communities to bring some of the ideas to reality. Some of the recommendations that stood out to us were the interaction between the youth and the seniors, working with health advocates to promote healthy lifestyles among the residents and engaging the youth. As Ron Shiffman says, “Plan-ners should not only be interested in making plans, we should also be interested in making change.”

Cara Stampp is a student in the CRP Program. She concentrates on commu-nity-based planning and hopes to return home to Jamaica to work on sustainable living and community development.

Rendering of the Barclay’s Center, Atlantic Yards Development. Certain resident concerns are clear.

/ 20 /

Krista Leahy and Jonathan Martin

Scandinavia by Design: An Urban Design Studio

Volume 3/ Issue 2

For seven weeks last sum-mer, Professor Jonathan Martin led six PSPD students and three students from other universities in New York and California in an urban design studio taught in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark. Hosted by the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS), students vis-ited world famous architecture and urban design sites that have inspired designers for decades. This was the first time that a significant number of students from PSPD had participated in the Denmark study abroad program, and also the first time the department was able to send one of its fac-ulty members to conduct lectures and teach a studio. The program con-sisted of a Scandinavian design lecture course and an urban design studio. Studio work began with an analysis of precedent projects from planning, architecture and inte-rior design students who worked together to research and analyze a significant Scandinavian building or urban public space. The students built a scale model of the building and made an informal presentation to faculty. These sites were then vis-ited during study-tours throughout

the summer. The study tours took stu-dents to Oslo and Hamar in Norway, Sunne and Stockholm in Sweden, and Ebeltoft and Århus in western Denmark. The tours were used to not only advance student under-standing of urban design principles and improve sketching and analyti-cal techniques, but also to provide

students the opportunity to experi-ence a breadth of Scandinavian cul-ture. Final studio urban design projects focused on a site in Nør-rebro, a multicultural neighbor-hood in northwestern Copenhagen along the most heavily used bicy-cle path in Europe. In preparation for their designs, students visited Bo01, a world-renowned sustain-able mixed-use waterfront redevel-opment project in Malmö, Sweden.

Students also participated in a bike tour of Ørestad, a new and on-going development area within the Copenhagen metropolitan area. All this learning was brought to bear in new design proposals for Nørrebro Square. Students presented their designs to a jury of Danish design professionals during three days of critiques. While all the projects

were exceptional, Isabel Aguirre, a second-year CRP student, was awarded one of the three top archi-tectural design awards given by DIS that summer among the 190 students who participated. The Copenhagen study abroad program was successful on many fronts and PSPD is offering stu-dents the opportunity to

participate again this coming sum-mer. Students interested in study-ing in this exceptional program in 2013 should contact Professor Martin at [email protected].

PSPD participating students in the DIS Summer 2011 program: Iwona Alfred (CRP), Isabel Aguirre (CRP), George Boueri (UESM), Michael Pedron (CRP), John Reclosado (CRP) and Michael Smith (UESM).

PSPD Graduate Student and Faculty

STUDIO ABROAD COPENHAGEN, DENMARK:

SUMMER 2011Instructor: Jonathan Martin

Isabel Aguirre, a second-year CRP student, was awarded one of the three top architectural design awards given by DIS that summer among the 190 students who participated.

mailto:jmarti18%40pratt.edu?subject=


5

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a

b

A

A

B

B

T r a C C e n t e r“The shape of the Environment is a key determinant of social interaction”

Richard Burdett

The physical context around Nørrebro Station holds intrinsic urban potential. The site assigned for the Transportation and Community Center project is located on this strategic urban part of Copenhagen. The various existing and future elements analyzed below claim to be knitted through a people oriented space which would be able to work as a spatial magnet. The proposal creates joining axes that hold the program according to the preexistent functions and activities of the local population. Further, the urban design strategy aims to protect the user from vehicular traffic while generating multiple layers of activities.

CONTEXTExist ing ElementsLyngsies PladsAdjacent publ ic space.Nørrebro ParkenFormer ra i l road track running through NørrebroNørrebro StationNørrebro distr ict S-tra in r ing l ine stat ion.City PlansLoop CityExtended l ight ra i l system.New Metro StationAt Bendtsens Plads.TraC ProjectTraC CenterHub of t ransportat ion andpubl ic act iv i ty, that connects the c i ty through:Mimersgade Shared StreetIncorporat ion of integrated use of publ ic space. TraC ParkUrban playground as a tem-porary use on adjacent s i te.

1

2

3

A

B

I

I I

I I I

1

3

2

A

IB

II

IIIA. CONNECTION

B. RESPONSE

C. PROTECTION

D. SEPARATION

E. COMMUNICATION

PROCESS DIAGRAM

a

b

c

WALKWAYS

LIGHTING

GREEN AREAS

SITTING

PROGRAM

BIKE PATHS AND RACKS

LAYERS OF PUBLIC SPACE

4:4921:58

8:3715:38

17ºC

-1ºC

5.18 m/s

3.72 m/s

sunset sunrise

bikebike pathbike crossing

pedestrian cars public transportationS.togB5 bus

MOVEMENT

S I T E A N A L Y S I S

FUNCTION

CLIMATE

N

commercial mix use residential utilities

J F M A M J J A S O N D

12/21 (10º) 3/21&9/21 (34º) 6/21 (58º)

number of days with rain 0/30 direction of wind temperature

inclination at zenit

4:4921:58

8:3715:38

17ºC

-1ºC

5.18 m/s

3.72 m/s

sunset sunrise

bikebike pathbike crossing

pedestrian cars public transportationS.togB5 bus

MOVEMENT

S I T E A N A L Y S I S

FUNCTION

CLIMATE

N

commercial mix use residential utilities

J F M A M J J A S O N D

12/21 (10º) 3/21&9/21 (34º) 6/21 (58º)

number of days with rain 0/30 direction of wind temperature

inclination at zenit

A. MOVEMENTSITE ANALYSIS

B. FUNCTION

PLAZA

Connection tourban playground

Shops and stores

Bus Stop

Patio A, B and C

Bike parking

Bike lanes

1

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TraC

Forum

Walkway

Terrace

Shops

Exhibit ion

Stage

Bathroom

Ticket Center

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Exhibit ion area at TraC TraC walkway

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4.5 9.5

3

4.5 9.5Section A _ 1:200 Section B _ 1:200 isabel aguirre _ summer _ 11

Final Studio Project: TraC Center

by Isabel Aguirre

Final Studio Project: The Culture House at

Norrebro Stationby Krista Leahy


Christopher Mahase

Making Strides in Sustainability:A Letter from HPD Director of Sustainability

The Department for Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is responsible for most of the affordable housing that is produced in New York City. HPD is the largest municipal developer of affordable housing in the nation. At the end of FY 2011, more than 15,800 units of housing were financed by HPD and its development partners, which brings the total number of housing produced under the Mayor’s New Housing Marketplace Plan to 124,510 affordable units. The recent Housing Vacancy Survey showed that from 2005 to 2008, gross hous-ing costs (rent + utilities) rose by 4.2%, while contract rents rose by 1.6%. This data showed that the increase in utility costs were out pacing the increase in rents. In January 2011, HPD instituted a comprehensive green building policy aimed at provid-ing deeper affordability in the housing the agency produces. All new construction and substantial rehabilitation funded by HPD is required to achieve the Enterprise Green Communities green building certification. In addition, all moderate rehabilitation are required to comply with the HPD Standard Specification, which was upgraded to pro-duce more energy efficient housing. As the Director of Sustainability at HPD, I am responsible for all of the agency’s sustainability initia-tives. I am a 2010 graduate of the Urban Environ-mental Systems Management program at Pratt. The program gave me a broad foundation in sustainability, while providing enough flexibility for me to pursue my

specific interest in building performance and energy efficiency. The program at Pratt in conjunction with my history at HPD enabled me to transition into this role at the beginning of 2011. My main function at HPD is to devise, imple-ment and assess the agency’s green policies and initia-tives. I have the opportunity to work across the vari-ous divisions at HPD to help reassess current functions

and implement more sustainable practices. One aspect of the job I find engaging is working with the agency’s public and private partners. Effectively developing affordable housing in New York City requires strong public/pri-vate partnerships. It is an exciting time to be in the sustainability field in New York City. There is a visible push to tackle the sustainability issues of our time. PlaNYC 2030 is an ambitious attempt to address these issues in NYC. Legislation like the Greener Greater Build-ings Plan is attempting to push

the NYC market in a more sustainability direction. We have seen the rise of services to address the need cre-ated by the legislation. On HPD green buildings most architecture firms do not yet have the capacity to provide the needed energy consulting services. Typically special-ized energy and engineering firms provide the required energy audits and energy modeling. In addition, proj-ects often need support to go through the green certifi-cation process. To fill this need, most projects bring in specialized “green consultants” to facilitate the green

The program gave me a good broad based foundation in sustain-ability, while providing enough flexibility for me to pursue my spe-cific interest in build-ing performance and energy efficiency.

Letter from a PSPD Alum


Letter from a PSPD Studentcertification process. The greening of HPD’s development pipeline has and will continue to pose challenges. There is constant tension between the need to keep development cost under control, while providing more energy efficient and sustain-able housing. There are great examples of this balance in some recent residential affordable build-ings designed by inspired archi-tects. While HPD has made some strides in a more sustainable direc-tion, there is certainly much more to be done. The challenge for the agency is to continue in the direc-tion of a more sustainable future, while dealing with the realities of shrinking budgets and reduced resources. Despite these hurdles it is a worthy endeavour and I am happy to have the opportunity to make a contribution.

Christopher Mahase is the Director of Sustainability at the Department of Housing Preservation and Devel-opment and a recent graduate of the UESM Progam.

Joseph MontebelloThe Construction Specifications Institute

Annual Convention

I am a student in the Con-struction Management program at Pratt Institute. Last month, I was given the opportunity to attend the CSI’s annual convention in Chi-cago. While there I met many inter-esting people, and was privileged to attend six education sessions, ranging from Forensic Evaluation Techniques for Masonry to The Challenges of High Performance Building Envelopes. The conven-tion was not what I had expected. I expected to see more construction students like myself. What I found was many educated and informed professionals eager to share their knowledge about the construction industry. The convention turned out to be greater then I ever imag-ined. I’ve become familiar with the CSI over the past year, as they encourage students within the construction program to become members. Each month I receive the catalog, and read it on the train as I ride back and forth from school. Being in Chicago, fully involved with the members of CSI I real-ized its importance to the industry. The CSI is a place for students and professionals to come together to learn about the construction indus-try. Participating in the conven-tion, speaking with professionals,

listening to the lectures, and visit-ing the many booths at the show, gave me the unique opportunity to learn more about the industry and recognize just what makes it tick. Being inside McCormick Place accompanied by people with years of experience in design-ing and building, I felt very lucky. Although most of my peers know what the CSI is, I do not think they understand the importance of being involved at such a young age.I have realized that in building my construction knowledge, being around those with more expe-rience then I have is extremely important to my development as it allows me to benefit from their experiences and mistakes. Going to the convention expanded my hori-zons and has made me realize how much opportunity exists within the industry today. Thank you to everyone who I met at the show, I had a wonderful time and I hope to see everyone next year in Phoenix!

Joseph Montebello is a Construction Management Program Student. This letter was published on the Construc-tion Specifications Institute Website, 2011.

http://metrony.csinet.org/Functional-Menu-Category/News/Letter-from-A-Student.aspx

http://metrony.csinet.org/Functional-Menu-Category/News/Letter-from-A-Student.aspx

/ 24 /

Lisa Brunie

Water Infrastructure PlanningIn Grand Bois, Haiti

Letter from a PSPD Alum

Volume 3/ Issue 2

This Thanksgiving I trav-eled to Grand Bois, Haiti to vol-unteer with an organization called Serve Haiti. Serve Haiti has been providing health services to the community of Grad Bois for almost 10 years and is working to provide access to clean water, job skills training and education. Grand Bois is a rural region of approximately 65,000 residents, located just 40 miles from Port-au-Prince. Although Grand Bois is not far in terms of distance, it is very removed from the chaos of the city. It is only accessible by a single, unpaved road around five hours from Port-au-Prince that leaves you holding your breath at every cliff ’s edge. The area is extremely remote and has little modern infrastruc-ture, no sanitation system, a severe lack of access to employment, major water quality concerns, and extreme poverty. I traveled to Grand Bois to map the region’s watershed and water resources, focusing on surface water sources that could potentially provide a viable drinking water supply, very limited existing water infrastructure (much of which is in disrepair due to lack of mainte-nance), and existing well locations. In planning for this trip, I submit-ted a general proposal for a com-

munity-based water management program and felt that mapping the water sources through a community mapping process would be the first step in understanding the water-shed and the water related issues that the people of Grand Bois face. To my surprise, community map-ping is the only way things are done in Grand Bois—one gains informa-tion about a local water source by asking the people that use it. In some ways, it was an amazing eth-nographic experience and provided me with a better understanding of not only the present conditions, but


also the people of Grand Bois. I am currently using the information to develop a usable map of the area and doing rough calcu-lations around the supply available. With the help of another organiza-tion, I will soon begin testing the water sources that we mapped. This organization has the potential to provide essential engineering ser-vices including localized capture, distribution, and treatment sys-tems. This project was an impor-tant first step in the long-term project goal of providing Grand Bois with access to safe water and is just the beginning. Putting the area on the map, assessing the existing water sources, and understanding the people’s connection to them will hopefully help to make intel-ligent decisions for implementing water solutions in this area.

Lisa Brunie graduated from the UESM Program in May 2011 and is currently working as an Environmen-tal Scientist at Hazen and Sawyer.

Photos were taken by Lisa Brunie on her trip to Grand Bois, Haiti. Her trip focused on developing a community-based water management program.


PSPD Accomplishments

Alumnus Michael Amabile was awarded one of the ten 2011-2012 German Chancellor Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foun-dation. The fellowship is for practi-tioners from various fields who have subsequently gained work experience and have already shown outstanding leadership potential in their career. As a German Chancellor Fellow, Michael is working with the European Insti-tute for Sustainable Transport to research how different planning and policy decisions encourage sustainable transportation and land-use through interviews and surveys in a number of cities throughout Germany and Northern Europe. Prior to the fellow-ship Michael worked for the New York City Department of Transportation’s division of planning and sustainabil-ity. Click LINK for more information on the German Chancellor Fellowship. In April 2011, Professors Eve Baron and Jonathan Martin, and CRP stu-dents Lacey Taubler and Alexis Rourk-Reyes presented a follow-up to the Fall 2010 East Harlem studio, titled The Semester Ends but the Com-munity Challenges Do Not: A Legacy to Continue the Work in East Harlem, at the 2011 Erasing Boundaries Symposium at Hunter College. The resulting paper is now under consideration to be part of the symposium’s publication.

The Waterfront Justice Project, spearheaded by Visiting Assistant Professors Eddie Bautista and Juan Camilo Osorio, Professor Emerita Eva Hanhardt, and student Nata-

sha Dwyer will present at the 2012 National Training Conference on the Toxics Releasse Investory and Envi-ronmental Condition in Communities: Understanding the Past and Promot-ing a Sustainable Future in Washing-ton DC on April 10-13. Click LINK for more information.

Visiting Assistant Professor and Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, Eddie Bautista, received the 2011 APA New York Metro Chapter Law-rence M. Orton Award for leadership in city and regional planning. At the Environmental Justice Alliance, Mr. Bautista organizes member groups to advocate for the empowerment and just treatment of environmentally overburdened neighborhoods. His recent successful campaigns include the reauthorization of New York State’s power plant siting law, a refer-endum amending the City Charter to include private infrastructure facilities on the City’s “Fair Share” map, and the inclusion of environmental justice provisions in the State Climate Action Plan. He is currently spearheading the group’s campaign to reform the NYC Waterfront Revitalization Program’s designation of Significant Maritime Industrial Areas, which currently encourage the clustering of polluting infrastructure and heavy industries in waterfront communities of color vul-nerable to storm surges and sea level rise.

Visiting Assistant Professor Carl-

ton A. Brown was featured in The New York Times for the development of My Image Studios, a new 20,000 square foot cultural space at 40 West 116th Street. Brown teaches “green” real estate development in UESM and is currently helping develop PSPD’s real estate development courses. Click LINK to read article.

Visiting Assistant Professor and Commissioner of NYC Department of Design and Construction, David Burney, received mention in The New York Times and New York Magazine for the Department of Design and Construction’s role in bringing qual-

ity and enlightened designs to NYC infrastructure.Engine 277, Bushwick.Photo: New York Magazine, Courtesy of NYCDDC and STV

The work of Tyler Caruso, ’10 UESM, and Erik Facteau, ’10 UESM, gath-ering quantitative research on urban farms as green infrastructure was fea-tured in Urban Omnibus. Click LINK to read article.

http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/4074.html

http://www.chemicalright2know.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012-Conference-Agenda_1-31-121.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/arts/design/high-ambitions-for-my-image-studios-in-harlem.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2

http://urbanomnibus.net/2012/02/seeing-green-urban-agriculture-as-green-infrastructure/

/ 27 /

On January 18, Visiting Assistant Pro-fessor Carter Craft spoke at Expand-ing Public Access: A Panel Discussion of Goal #1 of the Vision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan at Cornell University. Presented by the APA Waterfront Committee the dis-cussion focused on improving connec-tivity of the City’s waterfront, includ-ing active programming of our water-ways and the creation of high-quality open spaces.

On October 25, in conjunction with Celebrate Life, students from PSPD hosted an open discussion with the Pratt Institute student body about what New York City, or any built envi-ronment, might look like if it were actually for the 99%, rather than just the 1%. Students were encouraged to bring knowledge from their own dis-ciplines and to consider their role in the development of and participation in the built environment. Different forms of communication were used—from chalk drawings in a physical built space, to pencil and paper, to photog-raphy and poetry.

Visiting Assistant Professor Michael Haggerty spoke at the Urban Work-shop Series entitled Participatory Plan-ning and Informality in Indonesian Cit-ies at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. The lecture centered around the legacy of decentralization in Indonesia and the impacts in munic-ipal governments taking on the role for spatial and infrastructure planning.

Professor Emerita Eva Hanhardt was awarded the 2011 APA New York Metro Chapter Paul Davidoff Award for leadership in housing and equal opportunity. Eva’s career spans the NYC Department of City Plan-

ning, Department of Ports and Trade and Department of Environmental Planning. She is one of the key people responsible for NYC’s first, compre-hensive plan and land use regulatory regime for the waterfront. Her service is equally matched with non-profit and civic leadership in her involve-ment with the Community Service Society, Salvador Education Center on the Built Environment, ImagineNY, Municipal Art Society’s Planning Center, and NYCEJA.

Since 2000, Eva has been the moving force behind Pratt Institute’s lead-ership in sustainability. Eva was a founding member and served as coor-dinator for Sustainable Pratt, and was the institute’s Interim Sustainability Director. An inspiring professor to her students, she was also the re-creator and then Coordinator of UESM. The revitalized program was the first of its kind in NYC, and reflects Eva’s view that sustainability is equally about the environment, the economy and equity.

In February, NYC Council Member and Alumnus Brad Lander partici-pated on the David G. Trager Public Policy Symposium. The full day sym-posium at the Brooklyn Law School focused on post zoning and alternative forms of public land use controls.

In October, Adjunct Associate Profes-

sor Elliott Maltby partnered with artist Mary Miss on an installation at The Noguchi Museum. Entitled R/Call: If Only The City Could Talk, the installation is part of Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City and was fea-tured in Urban Omnibus.

Professor William Menking spoke at the Austrian Cultural Form on a Socio-political Maps: A Participatory Public Discourse on the City, a panel discus-sion moderated by Visiting Professor Olympia Kazi of Van Alen Institute.

Visiting Assistant Professor Gita Nandan was quoted on sustainable street lamp design in New York Mag-azine’s Fall Design Issue. Nandan wrote “The solar panels and the wind turbine on the PortaDyne-Lite each power a battery that allows the street lamp to operate at night, so it uses all the available resources. This is just

Photo by from Urban Omnibus Bill Tay-lor, Courtesy of The Noguchi Museum

Photo: Courtesy of Hybridyne-RHS Inc.


another opportunity to fit green tech-nology onto something we see every day.” Click LINK to read article.

In April 2011, PSPD presented ReConstruction: Rebuilding Dialogues, A Symposium on Diversity to discuss diversity issues in the curriculum, the classroom, and pro-fessional settings. The event featured work-shops facilitated by the Urban Bush Women and Jovan Sage of the Audre Lorde Project, as well as participation by: Bed Stuy Farms, Center for Social Inclusion, Center for Urban Pedagogy, La Familia Verde Garden Coali-tion, NYC Environmen-tal Justice Alliance, Pratt Center for Community Development, Pearls of Wisdom and Super Inter-esting! Over 70 attend-ees enjoyed discussion and reflection, and talked about broad inclusion in the fields of urban plan-ning, sustainability, pres-ervation and architecture.

In Summer 2011, UESM premiered a new course, a green infrastruc-ture design/build, focused on urban agriculture. Led by faculty Gita Nandan, Elliott Maltby and Tyler Caruso, students visited rooftop and community farms in Brooklyn and Queens, and used what they learned to generate ideas for a set of rooftop farms to serve the Bowery Mission, which has served homeless and hungry New Yorkers on the Lower East Side since 1894.

Edward Re Jr., adjunct associate professor, was recognized by the Int. Facility Management Association of New York City with the organiza-tion’s Distinguished Educator Award at their annual Awards of Excellence Dinner on January 26 in Manhattan. Re is a Pratt alumnus (B.S. Construc-tion Management ‘81; M.S. Facilities Management ‘97) and a principal at

Con-Solid Contracting, Inc., where he specializes in large project manage-ment, corporate real estate, real estate investment trusts, facilities manage-ment, and real estate development.

Professor Ron Shiffman was appointed to an expert committee advising the Technical University of Vienna’s planning consulting team to the Sultanate of Oman on the Oman National Spatial Strategy.

Ron Shiffman co-presented a two-part panel at the Center for Archi-tecture. Entitled Freedom of Assembly: Public Space Today the panel focused on issues brought to light by the forced evacuation of Occupy Wall Street from Zuccotti Park. The panel also featured Pratt Almnus and Council Member Brad Lander among notables Rick Bell, Lance Jay Brown, Mindy Ful-

lilove, Michael Kimmel-man and Michael Sorkin. The panel has inspired a multi-authored volume, Beyond Zuccotti Park: Free-dom of Assembly and the Occupation of Public Space, scheduled for release in August through New Vil-lage Press.

Mark Shavitz, ’11 CRP joint-degree program with Brooklyn Law School, had an article featured in City Limits. Co-authored with Marisa Jahn, the article, Green Cart Vendors Face Diet of Challenges, was a com-pendium of a six-month investigation of the City’s Green Cart program. Click LINK to read article.

Sabrina Terry, ’11 CRP, received the 2011 APA New York Metro Chap-ter Robert C. Weinberg Award. The honor is given to outstanding students at the four planning schools in New York City. Sabrina is currently a Policy and Transportation Justice Coordina-tor at UPROSE. Click LINK for more information.

Out of 110 programs, Planetizen’s Urban Plan-ning Graduate Program Directory ranked Pratt Institute 6th nationally of non-PhD graduate pro-grams and ranked 22nd nationally by educators.Click LINK for more information.

http://nymag.com/homedesign/articles/2011/10/design-survey/index14.html

http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4509/green-cart-vendors-face-diet-of-challenges

http://www.nyplanning.org/comm_awards.html

http://www.planetizen.com/schools/directory


Mentorship Program The APA New York Metro Chapter’s Young Planners Group (YPG) invites professional plan-ners to participate in the third round of its Mentorship Program kicking off in early February 2012. The group is seeking both mentors and mentees interested in gaining valuable career advice, skill devel-opment, and networking oppor-tunities. YPG will use a survey to pair participants with like interests and communication preferences, and will provide materials to help ensure the experience is profession-ally and personally rewarding for mentors and mentees alike. Professional planners of all experience levels are encouraged to participate. Interested mentors should have five or more years of professional planning experience while interested mentees should have less than four years of profes-sional planning experience. This round of the program is open solely to professional planners who have already completed graduate school. For more information go to: http://www.nyplanning.org/

PSPD Program in Real Estate Practice By Annie McQuillan

The recent PSPD Faculty Retreat included a roundtable dis-cussion about the addition of a new certificate and degree program

in real estate practice. A proposal designed by Professor Daniel Her-nandez (of Jonathan Rose Compa-nies) and Professor Howard Albert (of the CM/FM Program) was presented for a program that will teach the for-profit foundation of real estate development, but also provide the opportunity for fur-ther study of green development, community and affordable housing, and/or preservation and adaptive reuse—issues that PSPD already addresses. The program will be referred to as Real Estate Practice as it will not be limited to develop-ment. The program will take a “tri-ple-bottom line” approach to real estate development and start with intense study of four coursework areas in real estate—finance, devel-opment, investment and law. Stu-dents will then have the option of an inter-disciplinary set of courses that blend real estate development with one or a combination of con-centrations, which draw upon other graduate programs at Pratt such as green development, community development, preservation and adaptive reuse, and construction and facilities management. Faculty and students will come together with a commitment to exploring and understanding the integra-tion of Economics, Environment, and Equity in real estate practice – the Three Pillar Approach to Real Estate Practice. There will be an option

between earning a certificate in 15 credits (approximately one semes-ter) or a Master of Science in 33 credits (approximately three semes-ters). It will be possible to pursue either of these options alone or in addition to another degree program at Pratt. The proposal met an over-whelmingly positive response by meeting attendees with a decision to go forward. There are still a series of approvals that the proposal must go through but if all goes well the new program in Real Estate Prac-tice should be available in as little as two years.

Green Week 2012 Cultural Per-spectives on Sustainability

A Panel Discussion exploring indigenous cultures and their per-spectives on equity the economy and the environment.

Location: Terian Design Center, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn CampusDate: Friday, March 30thTime: 2 - 4pm

Beginning Monday, March 26th, Green Week 2012 will con-sist of campus wide sustainabil-ity related events. As we celebrate the activities and initiatives taking place on campus we also aim to cre-ate a space for a global exchange of sustainability practice. Under-standing that Pratt’s faculty, stu-

Announcements

http://www.nyplanning.org/

http://www.nyplanning.org/


dents, staff and their professional networks represent a diverse array of cultures and disciplines, profes-sors form the schools of Architec-ture, Liberal Arts & Sciences and Fine Arts will collaboratively con-vene a panel of practitioners from North and South America, South Africa and Asia. Our intention is to begin a global dialogue surround-ing environmental policy, science and design as well as issues of social and economic equity as experienced and practiced by diverse cultures. Through the panel we intend to engage faculty and students, Insti-tute-wide, in a dialogue regarding what Pratt can share and learn on a global platform regarding sustain-ability issues. Infrastructural integration within the Andean and Atlantic Countries of Latin America and the emergent cultural paradigms, which represent conflicting views regarding environmental resources.

Faculty Retreat PSPD held its third annual faculty retreat on January 20th at Pratt Manhattan. Professor Dan-iel Hernandez of Jonathan Rose Companies and Howard Albert (CM & FM) unveiled the new pro-gram in real estate practice. ESM Coordinator Jaime Stein led a meet-ing discussing the fledgling green infrastructure certificate program and recruitment. Professor David Burney led a roundtable about strengthening PSPD’s public realm pedagogy. CM Program Chair Har-riet Markis discussed the forthcom-ing accreditation of the program.

Daniel Murphy (MSCRP, ’10) According to Daniel Mur-phy, to be a successful planning professional requires optimism, flexibility, and celebrating the small successes and also when to demand more. As the Executive Director of the Pitkin Avenue BID, Dan-iel’s day-to-day really brings these traits into a humbling perspective. One year ago, Daniel took the helm of the BID after working as the Brooklyn D.A.’s Community Coor-dinator and then for the planning firm Gedey-Nine Urban Planning, which gave him the opportunity to work on economic development projects in Park Slope and the Grand Army Plaza redevelopment plan. The charge for Pitkin Avenue, Daniel asserts, is to continue its uphill climb, reestablishing cred-ibility with city agencies as life con-tinues to improve from the 1980s. Daniel also knows it’s the commu-nity and dedicated business own-ers that will turn their community around, and with his Pratt planning skills grounding him, progress will be defined by its local impact. You can read more about the Pitkin Ave-nue BID and Daniel’s work in this January 14, 2012 New York Times article.

Vlada Smorganof Kenniff (MSCRP, ’07) Do you ever wonder how the City of New York manages to cap-ture the gaps in their service pro-

vision? Water, our vital, precious resource, is one of the most sneaky (and leaky) to track. Vlada Kenniff in her capacity as Director of the Planning, Projections and Demand Management at NYC Department of Environmental Protection is currently leading the city’s water demand management strategy. Through her leadership, the city is developing a revenue neutral 5% water savings strategy, amounting to over 50 million gallons of water conservation a day! Her in-city water demand model uses GIS and other planning intelligence tools to track and understand water demand down to lot level. Last year, the city also adopted its Green Infrastruc-ture Plan thanks to Vlada’s man-agement of the plan’s development team. All of us New York City resi-dents owe our fellow Pratt alum a debt of gratitude for pushing the city towards its greatest sustain-ability.

Alumni Spotlight

Daniel Murphy Executive Director of the Pitkin Ave. BID

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/nyregion/new-york-citys-optimistic-tone-feels-out-of-reach-in-brownsville.html#comments

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/nyregion/new-york-citys-optimistic-tone-feels-out-of-reach-in-brownsville.html#comments


Alumni Spotlight Many of you have expressed interest in being more involved with Pratt and current Pratt stu-dents but are unsure how to do so. PPAA’s mission is to provide alumni with the opportunity to connect and give back to Pratt PSPD (Pro-grams for Sustainable Planning & Development) planning community in ways that are sensitive to your time, busy lives and to your geogra-phy. Download our guide: 13 Ways to Give Back to walk you through three different tiers of opportuni-ties to support current students in ways that you wanted to be sup-ported while you were in school. You can simply give us an update or take on a mentor. The choice is yours, and we are here to help you.

Level AContact InformationDo you know any alumni who have not been receiving correspondence from Pratt? Please forward this email to them and ask them to share their email addresses with us so we can keep them in the loop. They can contact us at [email protected]

Report Your AccomplishmentsLet us know what your accomplish-ments have been, and expand your professional network to your fellow alums! We share your news in our monthly emails and in the biannual PSPD newsletter.

Suggestions/ConnectionsSuggest an event, speakers, panel-

ists and moderators for Pratt plan-ning events relevant for both cur-rent students and alums. Do you know of a group/organization/institution coming to New York City that should connect with plan-ning students?

PPAA NewsletterContribute to the PPAA newslet-ter. Let us know about job openings, upcoming events and exhibitions. Email us with your contributions at [email protected].

Attendance – a.k.a. Show Up!We love to have alumni attend the wealth of Pratt events offered throughout the year. Whether it’s a weekend workshop, speaker series, panel discussion, or social gather-ing, these events help establish con-nections between alumni and cur-rent students, faculty and alumni and the professionals in the field of planning. The PSPD Spring Lecture Series is one such opportu-nity for those of you in NYC. Stay up to date on the evolution of the field of planning and network with current students at the same time! The PSPD Spring Lecture Series is jammed with excellent speakers and exciting topics covering envi-ronmental justice, climate change, construction & management, and a NYC development case study.

Library DonationsDid you know that the planning office has it’s own library of plan-ning books? Donate your class text-books (which help to defray costs) or other planning publications that

would be helpful to current stu-dents. Feel free to drop off books during regular office hours or leave them on the coffee table in the plan-ning office on the weekend with a note indicating what they are for and whom they are from.

Give a Financial ContributionFor those of you who wish to con-tribute financially to the program, any level of contribution provides current students with a richer and more relevant graduate experi-ence. By using this secure link you can contribute specifically to PSPD (as opposed to the Institute’s gen-eral fund). Please save this link to ensure any funds you so generously contribute now and in the future are directed to PSPD. Particular needs for the department include scholar-ship dollars and funds to support the professional development of cur-rent students to attend conference such as the annual APA National Conference and to travel outside of the NY Metro area for field trips. Again, ANY level of financial con-tribution ($10, $20, $50 . . . $500) provides current students with a richer and more relevant experi-ence at one of the country’s most unique and innovative planning programs. Support our future plan-ning generation today!

Level BGuest CriticProvide your expertise and helpful feedback during a final presentation

13 Ways to Give Back:


of a Pratt course. These are gener-ally held three times a year at the end of each semester. Academic Papers and Presentations Would you like to be connected with alumni who are interested in proposing conference topics, academic paper proposals or magazine articles? We can connect you with like minded alumni who share this interest.

Informational InterviewA 30-60 minute informal inter-view at your work place or over the phone that allows current students to ask questions about your career trajectory and orientation with no pressure of an actual interview and no promise of employment.

Office TourNever underestimate the value of a quick tour of your office. Interested students will learn more about your work place and the type of projects that take place there, supporting them in their career development.

Level CInternshipA formal internship of a length and level of participation of your choosing. The mission of an intern-ship would be for your or someone in your office to serve as a mentor to a current student, allowing them to work on project in your offices and provide you with a deliverable at the end of the experience. The position could be paid or un-paid.

APA MentorshipThe APA New York Metro Chap-ter’s Young Planners Group (YPG) invites professional planners to par-ticipate in the its annual Mentor-ship Program kicking off in every

February. They are seeking both mentors and mentees interested in gaining valuable career advice, skill development, and networking opportunities. This year’s program they are taking a new approach to support only planning school alums rather than current students.

Pratt PSPD MentorshipWe are in the planning stages of developing a mentorship program for PSPD students and alumni that will not be dependent on geo-graphic location. If you have had a

quality mentorship experience that you would like to replicate for oth-ers or even a poor experience that you would like to share, we want your input! Please contact us at [email protected] with your story/experience or sug-gestions. Please leave a phone num-ber to contact you.

mailto:prattplanningalum%40gmail.com?subject=

MultipliCITY Spring 2012

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Transcript of MultipliCITY Spring 2012