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. The Final Report of the Community Visioning process is available for download as a pdf below. Previous studies from the disparate planning processes around the Malls are also available as appendices to the report. 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	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.	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

ECONOMIC JUSTICE CENTER (2004-present): HSC is partnering with the Fifth Avenue Committee’s Economic Justice Initiative on the creation of a Community Center to serve the needs of low-wage immigrant workers in South Brooklyn.	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.