Livable Neighborhoods Program
The MAS Livable Neighborhoods Program
MAS hosts the Livable Neighborhoods Training at least two times a year. The full training is held in the spring, while a half-day training is held in the fall. If you’d like information on targeted or advanced trainings, please contact Joel Kolkmann, Project Manager, Policy and Advocacy at jkolkmann@mas.org.
Join Us for the Spring Livable Neighborhoods Training
Co-sponsored by Pratt Institute’s Programs in Sustainable Planning and Development
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer will offer opening remarks.
About the Program
Livable Neighborhoods offers New York City-specific workshops on a range of planning topics including community organizing, the use of census data to understand neighborhood concerns, the role of environmental impact statements, economic development as well as instruction on the creation and implementation of comprehensive plans. Participants also have access to the Livable Neighborhoods Training Toolkit, an in-depth online resource on community planning in New York City.
Classes to be offered in 2012 (attend as many as you like):
- Community Organizing Across the City
- Advocating for Parks and Open Space
- Zoning 101
- Using Maps and Data
- Navigating the Public Review Process: ULURP and Environmental Review
- Historic Preservation and Preserving Cultural Assets
- Neighborhood-Based Economic Development
- Community-Based Energy Efficiency
- Creating and Preserving Affordable Housing
- Advocating for New York’s Changing Streets: Bike Lanes and Public Plazas
- Media and Public Relations for Advocacy
- Turning a Vision into a Plan
History
Created in consultation with grassroots planners and community advocates and first launched at Hunter College in 2007, the program is free and open to the public with a special preference given to members of community boards, community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, and other grassroots community groups.
A Serious Need
The population of the average New York City community district is comparable in size to Bridgeport, New Haven or Waterbury, Connecticut — cities that have hundreds of employees and multi-million dollar budgets to provide services. The responsibilities of New York’s community boards are met by a small staff, typically consisting of the district manager and two administrative assistants. Any extra personnel, such as a planning expert, must be paid for out of the board’s annual budget of approximately $200,000.
For 30 years the city has relied on its 59 community boards, their members, and civic-minded New Yorkers to make critical planning and budgetary decisions on a range of geographically-based issues without regularly providing them with up-to-date training on key land use topics or the latest map-making technology. Instead, the boards must draw on their modest funding to pay for these tools and for a knowledgeable planner to put them to effective use.
A Meaningful Role
As part of a broad civic agenda, Livable Neighborhoods serves grassroots planners in their efforts to transform and revitalize their communities, while also empowering participants to take control over the future of their neighborhoods.
The Livable Neighborhoods Program is made possible through the generous support of the Altman Foundation.
