HESTER STREET COLLABORATIVE

Education | Neighborhood Initiatives | Exhibitions & Publications



ALLEN & PIKE STREET PEDESTRIAN MALLS (2008-present): As part of United Neighbors to Reviatlize Allen and Pike (UNRAP), HSC coordinated a series of “Take Back Your Park” events and activities this summer to engage community members in the redesign of the Allen and Pike Street Malls and ensure that the renovated malls respond to local residents’ needs. Currently the Department of Transportation has incorporated many of these community recommendations into their temporary improvements along the corridor, completed in the Fall of 2009. In 2010 the Department of Parks & Recreation will be finishing its design process for the permanent renovation of the pedestrian malls. Downloads (PDF): Allen and Pike Final Report Appendix 1 PPS Report Appendix 2 Inter-Agency Planning Study Appendix 3 Walking Tour Booklet Appendix 4 Transcript of Community Interviews Appendix 5 New Design High School Proposals Links: NYC DOT Allen/Pike Street Improvements	SARA D. ROOSEVELT PARK (2005-present): HSC is currently working with the SDR Park coalition on the participatory redesign and reconstruction of the Hester Street Playground at Sara Delano Roosevelt (SDR) Park on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Facebook Photo Galleries: Hester St Playground GroundbreakingView photos from the groundbreaking for the new Hester Street Playground Hester Street Playground InstallationView photos of the Mosaic Wall installation built by local students for the new Hester Street Playground in SDR Park	EAST RIVER WATERFRONT(2008-present): HSC is working as part of the O.U.R. Waterfront Coalition to ensure that the City’s plan for the redevelopment of the East River Waterfront meets the needs of the local community. HSC has supported the coalition's work by helping to organize an extensive community visioning process which informed the People's Plan for the East River Waterfront published in the Fall of 2009. Links: O.U.R. Waterfront website Downloads (PDF): A People's Plan for the East River Waterfront

IMMIGRANTS & PARKS COLLABORATIVE (2007-present) Links: Immigrants and Parks Website Asian Americans for Equality Watch the Immigrants & Parks Collaborative video on YouTube:	THE AVENUE OF THE IMMIGRANTS (2004-2006): “The Avenue of the Immigrants” celebrates the immigrants, artists, activists, and even buildings that have contributed to the rich cultural history and diversity of the Allen Street neighborhood. The installation is the culmination of a 2-year inter-generational collaboration between local residents, cultural organizations, and public school students at M.S. 131. This project is the materialization of the community-led effort to reclaim the Allen and Pike Street corridors and advocate for preservation of the Lower East Side’s indigenous communities. DOWNLOAD THE GUIDEBOOK	EAST NEW YORK URBAN YOUTH CORP (1997-1999): A nonprofit group specializing in building rehab and community outreach approached us to work on an affordable housing project and Community Center. LSS designed and built a series of playful interventions for the courtyards and lobby with local sculptors and tile makers and future tenants, replacing standard tiles with mosaics and hand carved clay tiles and installing ferro-cement planters in the courtyard. The transformation was dramatic; and, the project has been maintained with loving attention.