February 2021 | Honoring Black History Month + Exciting News for New York City's BIDs

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Our team looks forward to continuing to learn together as we celebrate Black leaders in planning and design who have shaped our field, and as we interrogate history that has led to unjust outcomes in planning.

• Attend NYC Parks’ Black History Month virtual events - we can’t wait to check them out.

• Access the Space/Race reading list compiled by architectural historians, art historians, architects, and urbanists.

• Stream The 35th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. here, available through February.

• Read about Flowering Forest, a tree tribute to civil rights leader Representative John Lewis honoring his life and legacy.

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On January 7, Rebecca Karp, CEO and Managing Principal of Karp Strategies, moderated a panel discussion hosted by NYATEP titled “Housing: American Dream to Hardship” with distinguished housing and planning policy leaders: Laura Buxbaum, SVP of Public Policy and Resource Development at CEI; Denise Scott, Executive Vice President of Programs at LISC; and Clyde Higgs, President & CEO at Atlanta Beltline. The discussion focused on the importance of interconnected policies for housing, workforce development, transportation, childcare, health, and job stability. Read more about our reflections from the panel here.

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Congratulations to the Meatpacking District Management Association for their successful Future Streets installation! Karp Strategies designed a stakeholder engagement and messaging strategy that connects businesses in NYC’s Meatpacking District with the benefits of a proposed pilot for public space improvements and pedestrian-prioritized design, which the BID intended to propose following the installation.

The Meatpacking District Management Association operates a business improvement district in the Meatpacking neighborhood in Manhattan, a once-industrial area that is now home to high-end retail, condos, the Chelsea Market, the Whitney Museum, and the High Line. The association looked to meet the demand for flexible and safe open space in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and hired a team led by Arup to develop the pilot program. A three-day Future Streets installment was held in September 2020, a creative reimagining of how the district’s streets could be utilized. This supported the City’s “Open Streets: Restaurants” program and added 13,000 square feet of public space to the neighborhood’s public plazas. Following the installation, the BID intends to take its findings to create a proposal for a pilot for public space improvements and pedestrian-prioritized design. As part of the team, Karp Strategies designed an engagement and messaging strategy to help the BID reach and communicate the benefits of the proposed pilot to its stakeholders, which would ultimately restore the Meatpacking District as a thriving destination neighborhood not just for local businesses and residents, but for New Yorkers across the five boroughs.

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The SoHo-Broadway Initiative serves those living, working, and visiting the Broadway corridor from Houston to Canal Street, a critical thoroughfare in the iconic SoHo neighborhood in New York City. Currently, Broadway faces a myriad of complex issues, from vehicular congestion to a lack of open space, compounded by the pandemic and recession. To address these challenges, the Initiative launched a planning process to develop a public realm vision and execution plan to create a safe, welcoming, and comfortable streets and sidewalks. As part of the Street Plans team, Karp Strategies is developing and implementing an inclusive, meaningful, and importantly, COVID-safe stakeholder engagement strategy to engage a wide array of community members to inform the plan. Read more about the announcement here. Karp Strategies is proud to be working with The SoHo-Broadway Initiative again, following our collaboration for the SoHo Zoning Guidebook.

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In January 2021, the Union Square Partnership (USP), in collaboration with community members and Marvel, announced its exciting new vision for transforming the Union Square-14th Street area into New York City’s most accessible place. The Vision Plan reflects USP’s objectives to foster a transit-rich, dynamic, and inclusive urban space that encourages walking and gathering, celebrate the diverse communities of New Yorkers and its visitors, and make Union Square the most welcoming and accessible place in New York. Read more about the plan here. Congratulations, USP!

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Meet our newest team member, Graduate Analyst Juli Schroeger! Read our welcome interview with her here.

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Join us at the WRISE (Women in Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy)’s 2021 Virtual Leadership Forum! On Thursday, February 18, from 11:30am-12:30pm, Karp Strategies Analyst Cheryl Lim will be speaking about community engagement in renewable energy development alongside Alissa Jean Shafer from the Energy Policy Institute, and Larissa Johnson from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. Join us by registering here.

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Want to continue the conversation? We’d love to hear from you. As always, we welcome the opportunity to connect with your network of partners and clients or to work with you. Feel free to drop us a line at info@karpstrategies.com

December 2020 | What Has This Year Taught Us?

At the end of the year, it’s a tradition for Karp Strategies to look back on the last twelve months and reflect on what we accomplished, what challenged us, and where we are heading in the new year.

But 2020 has been unlike any other year. As a city, a firm, and as individuals, this December requires new attention to creating time and space for deep reflection on the hurdles we have faced and the incredible ways that communities have worked tirelessly to support one another. Our commitment to building stronger communities, cities, and economies has never felt stronger or more urgent.

In the spirit of reflection and of honoring our excitement towards finding new ways to make an impact, our team is sharing what we have learned in 2020 and how we hope to make a change in 2021.

We would love to hear the lessons you have learned in 2020 and how we can work together to bring greater equity and inclusive growth to cities in 2021. Connect with us.

October 2020 | Who is the Future of Urban Planning?

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ELLIS Prep Academy students present their vision for the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, featuring a 3-D model made in Minecraft

The Next Generation of Urban Planners Urban planning vision, ideas, and expertise can come at any age, as demonstrated by ELLIS Prep Academy students in the Bronx. A group of high school juniors and seniors recently met with Analysts Yuri Chang and Michaela Kramer for a virtual field trip to Karp Strategies. In a dynamic virtual setting, Yuri and Michaela shared their recent work conducting stakeholder engagement in Baldwin, Long Island and designing infographics for a market analysis in Long Island City, Queens, and answered questions about their career paths and the best practices for effective outreach. Students then led the way, sharing their ideas and work.

The students presented their process towards developing a community-forward vision of the Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory as a neighborhood anchor. Working with APA-NYM Diversity Committee and Mission Society of New York, the students are researching the site, surveying community members to learn about local needs and priorities, and building a 3-D model of the armory using Minecraft, a video game. Thank you to the APA-NYM Diversity Committee for leading this initiative, and thank you to the incredible students from ELLIS Prep Academy who visited with us.

We were thrilled to continue the conversation with high school students this week at a virtual open house, convened by female leaders working in architecture, construction, engineering, and planning. Michaela Kramer will speak on a panel alongside other industry professionals about opportunities for young people to get engaged in the field. Thank you in advance to the students who are joining us this week.

The ELLIS Academy students and open house participants exemplify how urban planning, when made accessible, is a powerful tool for collaboration and engagement within one’s community. If any company or organization is interested in taking steps toward promoting access to learning, employment, and exposure to students or young professionals and is interested in sharing ideas, please reach out! We are eager to connect and support other organizations committed to promoting a more accessible industry. Karp Strategies will also be hosting Open Houses and career exploration conversations with students on a regular basis. If your organization or school would like to engage, connect with us.

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Congratulations New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) for being name a 2020 Wellbeing Cities Award winner for their outstanding work on the Connected Communities Initiative and Guidebook. The award recognizes the initiative for its support of cohesive communities. Karp Strategies is proud to have supported Connected Communities in delivering its strategic plan to scale this incredible initiative. Learn more about Karp Strategies' involvement in the project on our website and read a recent op-ed by Rebecca Karp and Nicholas Bloom in the Daily News about the importance of reimagining NYCHA campuses.

Every year, our team looks forward to the Hindsight Conference, offered by the APA-NYM Diversity Committee, for its incredible lineup of cross-sector leaders sharing creative ways for achieving more inclusive, just, and equitable communities. This year’s virtual conference, taking place November 12 - 13, is themed Our Health, Our Future, and calls on planners and policymakers to center racial justice in understanding health and the environment. Join us at Hindsight by registering here.

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Welcome to the team, Gopinath Gnanakumar Malathi

Gopinath joins the team as a Graduate Analyst, leveraging his experience working with geospatial analytics to explore the intersection between people and their environment. He uses data collection, analysis, and visualization to support development efforts. Learn more about Gopi.

Welcome to the team, Stephanie Silva

Stephanie brings expertise in community engagement, resilient development, and urban design to her role as Graduate Analyst at Karp Strategies. She is passionate about utilizing creative methods to communicate complex information to stakeholders. Learn more about Stephanie.

Jen Becker is named a 2020 Notable Woman of Consulting Congratulations Jen Becker for being named Crain’s2020 Notable Woman of Consulting. The honor celebrates women shaping the consulting industry. In 2020, Jen advised on several large-scale port infrastructure projects, supported private developers in pursuing offshore wind development, and supported Karp Strategies team members as a mentor. Congratulations Jen and all of the honorees.

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Join us as we keep our finger on the pulse of key issues impacting our region.

AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Virtual Summit 2020, October 13 - 14 | Tune in to hear Rebecca Karp discuss "Meaningful Community Engagement in a time of COVID" during a panel on October 14th at AWEA's annual event. Join us.

IEDC Virtual 2020 Annual Conference, October 13 - 16 | IEDC’s annual conference begins today. The three-day event brings together leaders promoting resilient and sustainable communities. Don’t miss Tania Marinos speaking tomorrow alongside Contente Terry and Rob Hunden, presenting “Partnering with Real Estate Developers and Site Selectors in Creating a Community Engagement Toolkit”, and Ali Sutherland-Brown on a panel with Lara Fritts and Tom Difiore discussing “Salvaging Downtowns in the Wake of Closures”. Register here. ABNY: The X Factor: The Latinx Community and the Future of New York, October 14, 2:00 PM | Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a conversation commemorating the contributions of Hispanic-Latinx Americans on New York City. Register here.

Urban Design Forum: Power After the Pandemic, October 15, 12:00 PM | Tune in for a discussion about the future of community finance and community development after COVID-19. Register here.

ACE NY: Re-Energize New York - Build Back Greener, October 27 - 28 | The Alliance for a Clean Energy New York’s 14 Annual Fall Conference will highlight New York’s ambitious clean energy goals and programs, and the role they can play in job creation and economic stimulus. Register here. Karp Strategies and Arch Street Virtual Toolkit Webinar, October 30, 1:00 PM | Join Karp Strategies and Arch Street Communications CEOs, Rebecca Karp and Nora Madonick, as they share a free virtual toolkit to support you in delivering inclusive and comprehensive engagement. Sign up here to receive the toolkit in your inbox soon, along with more details about the upcoming webinar.

Karp Strategies Learning Club, November 10, 6:00 PM | Join a discussion on the future of mass transit in a post-pandemic world at the November installment of the Karp Strategies Learning Club. Snag your spot here and connect with us on LinkedIn for details and updates.