On Saturday, May 8, nearly 150 New Yorkers attended the fourth annual Livable Neighborhoods Training Program (LNP) at Hunter College. The LNP was created to provide communities with the knowledge, tools, and training needed to strengthen neighborhood decision-making and transform local vision into effective plans. Since its inception in 2007, it has served more than 600 New Yorkers.

This year’s program was especially exciting as we reached new constituents from communities throughout the five boroughs, with Queens and the Bronx being more strongly represented than in previous years, thanks, in part, to assistance from the offices of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall. Participants took part in a full day of training in topics including community organizing, affordable housing, and planning for parks and open space. Check out the slide show above to learn more about the day’s training program and to learn more about the courses offered, click here.

The event speakers and discussion facilitators came from community-based and advocacy organizations, as well as government and academic institutions. They included: Anthony Borelli from the office of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; Wendy Fleischer of the Pratt Center for Community Development; Yolanda Gonzalez from Nos Quedamos/We Stay; Betty Mackintosh, New York Department of City Planning; and Mary Beth Betts from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The Livable Neighborhoods Program is made possible through the generous support of the Altman Foundation. To learn more about the Livable Neighborhoods Program, please contact Sideya Sherman at ssherman@mas.org.