imagine flatbush 2030

7/29/2019 Imagine Flatbush 2030

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IMAGINE FLATBUSH 2030

A Community Visioning Project of

in partnership with theFlatbush Development Corporation (FDC)and with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation


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IMAGINE FLATBUSH 2030A Report to the Neighborhood / January 2009

A Community Visioning Project of The Municipal Art Society of New Yorkin partnership with the Flatbush Development Corporation (FDC)and with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation


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3Imagine Flatbush 2030 / A Report to the Neighborhood / January 2009

Imagine Flatbush 2030 / A Report to the Neighborhood / January 2009 3

Table of Contents

1 AboutUs 4

2 Introduction 6

A Flatbush at a Glance 6

B General Findings 7

3 ImagineFlatbush2030SustainabilityActionAgenda 8

4 ProjectBackground 22

A Jane Jacobs and PlaNYC 2030 23

B Sustainable Indicators 25

5 FlatbushProle 27

6 ImagineFlatbush2030Process 49

A Advisory Board Meeting 52

B Stakeholder Meeting 53

C Workshop 1 54

D Workshop 2 55

E Workshop 3 56

F Follow-up Meeting 57

G Community Board 14 Presentation 58

7 Findings(Goals,Indicators,Measurements) 59

A Economy 61

i. Economic Well-Being

B Environment 62

i. Local Environment

ii. Public Health

iii. Recreationiv. Neighborhood Character

C Society 64

i. Youth and Educational Attainment

ii. Housing Access

iii. Civics

iv. Neighborhood Diversity

v. Mobility

8 WorkingWithPlaNYC2030Opportunities 66

9 Appendices 69

A Assets and Challenges/11-19-07 Stakeholders Meeting 70

B Quality of Life Issues/12-12-07 Workshop 73

C Final Goals/01-24-08 Workshop 75

D Measures and Actions/02-28-08 Workshop 77

E Handout/Designing Sustainable Measures 87

F Handout/Glossary 88

G List of Participants 89

10 Resources(DataSources) 93


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ThefollowinginformationisbroughttoyoubytheMunicipalArtSociety(MAS),inpartnershipwiththeFlatbushDevelopmentCorporation(FDC)andwithfundingfromtheRockefellerFoundation.Itdescribesajointinitiativethattookplaceoverthecourseofsixmonths,beginninginNovemberof2007andculminatinginMay,2008.Eachoftheseorganizationshasadifferent

missionbutcametogetheronthispilotprojecttobeginaddressingissuesofsustainabilityattheneighborhoodlevel.

TheMunicipalArtSocietyofNewYork (MAS.org) is a

non-prot membership organization whose mission is to

promote a more livable city. Since 1893, the MAS has worked

to enrich the culture, neighborhoods and physical design of

New York City. It advocates for excellence in urban design

and planning, contemporary architecture, historic preserva-

tion and public art.

FlatbushDevelopmentCorporations (fdconline.org)

mission is to enhance the quality of life for all segments of the

Flatbush community. FDC identies and responds to neigh-

borhood needs and concerns, proactively creating programs

and campaigns that work towards a healthy, safe and vibrant

community. Their economic development, housing, youth,

and immigration programs serve the exceptionally diverse

needs of our constituents.

TheRockefellerFoundation (rockfound.org) was estab-lished in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller, Sr., to promote the

well-being of humanity by addressing the root causes of

serious problems. The Foundation works around the world

to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people and

to help ensure that globalizations benets are more widely

shared.

1/ About Us


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1/ About Us

AcknowledgementsA very sincere thank you to the Flatbush Development

Corporation for their partnership and for the dedication of

FDC staff members Mannix Gordon, Robin Redmond, and

Aga Trojniak. Thanks also to former FDC Executive Director

Susan Siegel.

Thank you also to advisory committee members State Senator

Parker, State Assemblyman Brennan, State Assemblywoman

Jacobs, New York City Council Member Eugene, Lucretia

John of Senator Parkers ofce, Kevin Parris of Brooklyn

Borough President Marty Markowitzs ofce, Lindsey Lusher

of Transportation Alternatives, Gretchen Maneval of the

Center for the Study of Brooklyn, and Anne Pope of Sustain-

able Flatbush for sharing their thoughts and insight. A special

thanks to Ryan Buck and Mitzu Adams of Brooklyn College

for the generous use of their space. We also want to extend

special thanks to the Center for the Study of Brooklyn and to

Gretchen Maneval for her leadership, sustained participation,

and expertise. (See Appendix G for a full list of participants.)

We want to express our gratitude to the staff members and

volunteers who shared their skills and time including Chaka

Blackman, Willemine Dassonville, Kody Emmanuel and

Public Allies, Eddy Disla, Jasper Goldman, Cheryl Herber,

Keenan Hughes, Lisa Kersavage, Michele Luc, Alexis Meisels,David Parrish, Genevieve Sherman, Hans Yoo, and Kate Zidar.

Most importantly we would like to acknowledge the work of

the Flatbush community members who participated in this

project, lending us their time over a series of four workshops

and sharing their thoughts, ideas, and enthusiasm.

This project was made possible through the generous support

of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Imagine Flatbush 2030 debuts at the 2007 Flatbush Frolic


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ImagineFlatbush2030isademonstrationproj-ectlaunchedinNovember,2007bytheMunicipal

ArtSocietyinpartnershipwiththeFlatbushDevelopmentCorporation(FDC)andwithfund-

ingfromtheRockefellerFoundation.The basic idea was to test an approach to sustainable develop-ment that builds on local knowledge, emphasizes consensus,

and identies ways to assist local stewardship of sustainabil-ity through measurable goals.

Imagine Flatbush 2030 builds on Mayor Bloombergs 2007PlaNYC2030a citywide sustainability agenda that lays the

groundwork for achieving and maintaining affordable hous-ing, open space, good transportation, clean air, water, and land

and reliable energy. The objectives of Imagine Flatbush wereto use PlaNYC as a framework that allows communities to col-lectively generate their own sustainability goals; create their

own measures for progress toward those goals; and developand manage the data sets that will be used for these measures.

During the course of the project another objective emerged:the need for a set of action items as a platform for further

community engagement on the issues identied during work-shops. The overall goal of the project was and is to provide

the neighborhood organizations, residents, business people,local elected ofcials, and city agencies with informationabout community priorities as they related to sustainability,

generated through a community-based and consensus-drivenprocess.

As the next step, the creators of Imagine Flatbush 2030

have produced a report that provides information about thebackground and purpose of the initiative, a detailed socio-economic prole of Flatbush, the process by which informa-

tion on community goals and measures of progress towardthose goals was gathered, and how the information gatheredmight be used in the future by both the community and by

government agencies. This report provides information on:

What methods were used to develop the initiative and

how this process relates to comparable efforts elsewherein the United States and abroad.

A detailed socio-economic description of Flatbush,

Brooklyn.

The participatory process used to build reciprocal un-

derstanding by neighborhood stakeholders of traditionalconcepts of sustainability; of PlaNYC 2030; and of sustain-

ability dened as the overlapping of economic, environ-mental, and social concerns.

The priorities that emerged from neighborhood work-shops;

A suggested agenda that is offered by the Municipal ArtSociety as a collection of action steps for Flatbush resi-

dents and organizations to use to engage the city aroundthe priorities in Flatbush.

A/FlatbushataGlanceWe worked with multiple organizations and resources to

identify the generally-accepted boundaries of the neighbor-

hood of Flatbush: Parkside Avenue to the north; the railroadcut just below Avenue H to the south; roughly, Coney Island

Avenue to the west, and Bedford Avenue to the east, with

some meandering east and west south of Ditmas Avenue. The

primary land use is residential, with concentrations of com-

mercial uses along Coney Island Avenue, Flatbush Avenue,

Church Avenue, Cortelyou Road, Foster Avenue, Avenue H,

Newkirk Avenue, and Newkirk Plaza.

This area is divided into thirty-one census tracts. According

to the 2000 census, there were a total of 148,737 people living

in these tracts. Young people are the largest group: those aged

5-17 make up 21 percent of the population. The largest groupsare: African-American (53 percent of the total population),

White (21 percent), and Hispanic (14 percent). The median

household income in Flatbush is $32,103. Most people rent;

only 16 percent are owners.

The neighborhood is served by one major open space: the

Parade Grounds to the north, primarily given over to ball

elds. There are four historic districts: Albermarle Kenmore

Terraces Historic District; Prospect Park Historic District;

Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park, and Ditmas Park Historic

2/ Introduction


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2/ Introduction

District which cover parts of the area containing historic de-

tached Victorian-style homes. Brooklyn College, a part of the

City University of New York system, is in the southern part of

the area. There are eight public schools serving the area.

B/GeneralFindingsThroughout meetings and workshops, special attention was

paid to maximizing and documenting all community input.

The framework of sustainability allows for much discussion

about the interconnections among issues and while discus-

sions of sustainability are often reduced to concerns about

the physical environment, people in the Flatbush workshops

were encouraged to think about the interconnections among

issues. For example, housing affordability relates to supply of

housing (a question, often, of development) but also relates

to wages and the purchasing power of prevailing wages. The

state of community health relates to air quality and oppor-tunities for local recreation but also to food access, access to

health care, and access to information, for example.

When asked to identify key neighborhood assets that contrib-

ute to the quality of life in Flatbush, many people pointed to:

Diversity: cultural; socioeconomic; ethnic; religious

Access to Prospect Park

Well-served by subways

Affordable housing

Strong community institutions

Great schools

Abundant tree cover

Strong community character

And when asked to identify key challenges, people often

pointed to:

Trafc

Threats to affordable housing

Energy inefciencies, and lack of education about energy

efciency

Public safety concerns

Concentrated poverty in some parts of neighborhood

Lack of community meeting space

Lack of community centers

Insufcient supermarkets

Lack of bike paths

Disengaged youth

Lack of space for artists

Lack of retail diversity

(See Appendix A for full listing of Assets and Challenges)

However, setting agendas means looking for common themes

and much of the labor in the workshops was devoted to

prioritizing issues and concerns. The predominant concerns

to emerge were:

A supply of housing that suits a range of income levels and

a range of household sizes;

Retail diversity to expand choice and provide opportuni-

ties for entrepreneurship;

Intensied civic engagement;

Space for public assembly;

Sustaining a diverse population;

Improving access to healthy foods;

Improving air quality and reducing noise pollution;

Promoting harmony between historic buildings and new

construction;

More, and better, alternatives to traveling by car;

Improved community interaction.

(See Appendix C for full listing of Final Goals.)


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ParticipantsintheImagineFlatbushprocessmadeitknownthatinadditiontothecreationofneighborhoodsustainabilitygoalsandindicators,theyalsodesiredthattheMunicipal

ArtSocietycompilealistofrecom-mendationsfromworkshopresponsesthatcouldserveasaneighborhoodactionagendaandguidefutureparticipationinneighborhoodaffairs.

We present the following action agenda, distilled from

workshop feedback and offer it as a set of suggestions formoving forward on the sustainability agenda. It is divided into

the categories used during the workshop discussions. Actionsteps are further identied by what can be accomplished inthe short-term (steps that can be accomplished within the

next six months), mid-term (steps that can be accomplishedwithin the next year), and long-term (steps that will take a

year or more to complete).

3/ Imagine Flatbush 2030Sustainability Action Agenda

Completing these actionsteps depends upon the

participation of peoplelike you!

Legend

Society Short-term

Environment Mid-term

Economy Long-term


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3/ Imagine Flatbush 2030 Sustainability Action Agenda

ActionStepContinue to develop leadership among business owners

regarding the opportunities and challenges that affect this

sector of the local economy to:

Track provision and training for small business owners. Implement customer surveys, and encourage business

owners to keep track and respond to local needs; immedi-

ate and long-term.

Assess local opportunities for cultural performance/exhi-

bition space to service the local artistic scene.

This is a mid-term action step.

ImmediateopportunitytobeginworkingFDC has been organizing and supporting a merchants

committee to discuss and implement the current and

future needs of this sector of the economy.

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalEvaluate participation of merchants in FDCs umbrella

group; track new businesses and how responsive they are

to needs expressed through IF 2030 process.

Economic Well-Being

Local businesses.


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ActionStep1Take a leading role in reviewing land use applications for

compatibility with sustainability goals. Advocate that all

future land use actions, whether publicly or privately spon-

sored, meet the following standards:

Safe, affordable, and diverse housing stock that incorpo-

rates Inclusionary Zoning to achieve 30 percent afford-

ability, dened as at least 50 percent below the average

regional income ($70,000), with a mix of housing units of

different sizes.

Energy efcient buildings that respect neighborhood

character.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green

Building Rating System (LEED)1 certication for new

buildings.

Design guidelines that promote harmony between old andnew buildings.

This is a short-term action step.

Immediateopportunity1) Present the standards above to Community Board 14,

the Brooklyn Borough President, and City Council

members and propose a motion for their incorpora-

tion as a) an energy efciency evaluation checklist forreviewing land use proposals and b) a housing oppor-

tunity checklist for reviewing land use proposals.

2) Convene a meeting with representatives of the De-

partment of City Planning (DCP) and present to them

the standards above, in order to examine how well the

proposed Flatbush rezoning responds to the sustain-

ability standards established by IF2030, and how the

rezoning proposal can maximize/maintain Flatbushs

potential as a Solar Empowerment Zone (see below).

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalTrack incorporation of these standards 1) as a guidelineused throughout the land use review process, and 2) as

a part of the nal, approved version of DCPs rezoning

proposal.

LEED certication is the U.S. Green Building Councils nationally-accepted1.benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance greenbuildings.

Local Environment


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ActionStep2Strengthen the neighborhoods capacity to increase the

energy efciency of all buildings. This includes technical

training to identify what structural changes can be made in

the buildings to achieve this, the nancial literacy required

to nance these operations, and taking advantage of new

citywide programs and policies.

This is a long-term action step.

Local Environment

Immediateopportunity1) A local group with Preservation Consultant Coun-

selor status, such as FDC, can provide tenant andhomeowner training. In particular, existing housing

workshops can be expanded to provide nancialtraining for home improvementparticularly, on how

to apply for the Department of Housing Preservationand Developments (HPD) home improvement loan

programs; such as the Article 8A Loan Program2, theHome Improvement Program (HIP)3 and the Partici-pation Loan Program (PLP)4.

2) Promotion and awareness-building of HPDs seminars

on water/energy conservation, maintaining heat/hotwater, and environmental health issues.

Waystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoal

Track participation in FDCs housing programs. Tracksuccessful local applications to HPDs home improve-

ment loan programs.

The Article 8A Loan Program provides rehabilitation loans to correct substandard2.or unsanitary conditions and to prolong the useful life of multiple dwellings in NewYork City.

HIP in cooperation with private banks provides loans, not exceeding $20,000, to help3.small homeowners improve their properties.

PLP provides low-interest loans to private residential building owners for the4.moderate-to-gut rehabilitation of housing for low-to-moderate income households.


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ActionStepForm a task force to examine public safety issues that include,

but are not limited to:

Safe living conditions

Criminal activity, including drug dealing and gangs

Disaster contingency planning at the building level


Immediateopportunity

Work with Community Board 14s Public Safety Commit-

tee to further rene and examine neighborhood public

safety priorities.

Public Health and Safety

Subway tracks side-by-side with housing.


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ActionStepCreate a space for outdoor public assembly that can be used

for recreation, civic activity, and public art exhibitions.

This is a mid- to long-term action step.

ImmediateopportunityThe Department of Transportation is now accepting

proposals for its Public Plaza Initiative. Entities who have

demonstrated that they have consulted with the local

community receive additional points on their application.

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalTrack how much open space has been added to the

neighborhood (3.6 percent of land area in Community

District 14 as of 2006).

Recreation

School playground doubles as neighborhood open space


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ActionStepTake a leading role in reviewing land use applications for

compatibility with sustainability goals. Advocate that all

future land use actions, whether publicly or privately spon-

sored, meet the following standards:

Safe, affordable, and diverse housing stock that incorpo-

rates Inclusionary Zoning to achieve 30 percent afford-

ability, dened as 50 percent or lower of area median

income (AMI) (currently $70,000 per year), with a mix of

housing units of different sizes.

Energy-efcient buildings that respect neighborhood

character.

Design guidelines that promote harmony between old and

new buildings

This is a short- to mid-term action step.

Immediateopportunity1) Present the standards above to Community Board 14

and propose a motion for their incorporation as a) an

energy efciency evaluation checklist for reviewing

land use proposals and b) a housing opportunitychecklist for reviewing land use proposals.

Waystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoal1) Track incorporation of these standards a) as a

guideline in the community boards land use review

process, and b) as a part of nal rezoning proposal for

Flatbush.

2) Track the number of housing units produced annually.

Neighborhood Character

Flatbush row houses on a tree-lined street.


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ActionStepCreate a central source of information on all training and

programming opportunities that serve local youth by:

Assessing what organizations/groups offer educational,

after-school trainings and recreational programs, as wellas how to access them.

Making this information available to people through

electronic and printed form so anybody in the community

can access these listings.

Creating ways for employers looking for youth employees

to post available positions.

This is a mid-term action step.

ImmediateopportunityRequest that the local City Council Member undertake an

audit of youth services available in Flatbush, beginning

with information from the Department of Youth and

Community Development and the Citizens Committeefor Children, but also augmenting existing data by sur-

veying local faith-based groups and other social service

providers that target youth.

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalIdentication of a local group to take the lead on this step.

Youth and Educational Attainment

Young Flatbush residents visit the 2008 Frolic booth.


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ActionStep2Create a network of the groups involved in the ImagineFlatbush 2030 effort. Continue to meet as a group, under theleadership of a consortium of local organizations, with the

goal of providing the information from the process to cityagencies, elected ofcials, schools, and other communitygroups.


ActionStep1Incorporate the ndings and recommendations of the

Imagine Flatbush participants into Community Board 14sagenda and priorities for the coming year. Community Board

14, which covers Flatbush and Midwood, plays an important

advisory role in decisions made about the neighborhoodsquality of life: land use; service delivery; and share of the

citys budget, among other things.


ImmediateopportunityPresent to the boards committees (such as Land Use andPublic Safety, for example), and request a motion fromeach committee that all relevant items from the Imagine

Flatbush list of sustainability goals be included intoCommunity Board 14s annual District Needs Statement,

thereby becoming part of the document that serves as thecommunity boards guide in dealings with the city and

private developers.

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalTrack number of items included in the Community Board

14 District Needs Statement.

Civics

ImmediateopportunityPresent ndings to local elected ofcials for use as theyconduct their own reviews of land use actions.

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalTrack whether local elected ofcials use the Imagine

Flatbush land use recommendations to inform and guidetheir own reviews of projects.


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ActionStep3Form an Advisory Task Force to work with Community

Board 14 on the creation of a board website that includesinformation referenced in Imagine Flatbush and serves as a

centralized source of information about all things related to

Flatbush.


ImmediateopportunityThe Mayors Community Assistance Unit, in conjunctionwith the Department of Information Telecommunica-tions and Technology, offers free website creation

assistance and website hosting to community boards.WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalSecure agreement of Community Board 14 to form awebsite task force.

Civics

ActionStep4Incorporate the ndings and recommendations of the Imag-ine Flatbush participants into a long-term planning processfor Community District 14 with the goal of producing a

district-wide 197-a plan grounded in local ideas about sustain-ability. A 197-a plan (197-a refers to a section of the New YorkCity Charter) is a community-generated plan that is meant to

guide future development, growth, and improvement deci-sions in the neighborhood.


ImmediateopportunityRecommend to Community Board 14s Executive Com-mittee that the board assess its capacity to undertake a

197-a planning process.

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalSecure agreement from Community Board 14 to put the

capacity assessment item on its Executive Committeeagenda for consideration.


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ActionStepStrengthen access to affordable, safe, and comfortable hous-

ing for low-income households in the neighborhood, by:

Ensuring that information about the Home Mortgage

Disclosure Act (HMDA)5

and the Community Reinvest-ment Act (CRA)6 are readily available and user-friendly;

if necessary, produce one-page, community-friendly fact

sheets.

Advocating for nancial literacy forums and rst-time

homebuyer programs.

Ensuring that local nancial institutions use multiple

languages.


ImmediateopportunitySupport and participate in FDCs housing workshops

so they can become a local conduit to distribute all

relevant materials and opportunities for sustainable

home-ownership; in particular, those resources comingfrom the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, which address

foreclosure issues at the individual and neighborhood

level.

Waystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoal1) Use data available from the Federal Financial Institu-

tions Examination Councils (FFIEC) website (or

from www.dataplace.org) to track successful home

mortgage loan applications by race and income, across

the census tracts of the neighborhood; for private

mortgage insurance companies (PMIC).

2) Track CRA ratings of local lending institutions.

Housing Access

HMDA requires lending institutions to report public loan data.5.

The CRA mandates that institutions that receive local deposits help meet the credit6.needs of the communities in which they operate, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.


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ActionStep1Continue to develop the leadership potential of the diverse

individuals who participated in the workshops.


ImmediateopportunityFDC welcomes volunteers from the process to join theirworking groups: Economic Development and CommunityRevitalization; Housing and Immigration; Youth Services;

and Neighborhood Associations. There are also opportu-nities to get involved in the community board and even to

apply for community board membership (applications aregenerally collected in January: http://www.brooklyn-usa.

org/pages/Community_Board/getinvolved.htm).

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalTrack how well, over the course of time, community lead-ership in local organizations mirrors the demographic

prole of Flatbush.

Neighborhood Diversity

Flatbush youth participate in a workshop.


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ActionStep1Convene a Task Force to discuss mobility (which was dened

in the workshops as getting around the neighborhood andgetting into and out of the neighborhood). This group will

be responsible for clarifying the main transportation issues/

questions and determining specic opportunities in thisregard.


Immediateopportunity1) Follow Transportation Alternatives idea for organiz-

ing a meeting with the participants of IF2030, toengage members of Community Board 14 transporta-

tion committee into the conversation.2) This group can take on the creation of a list of mobil-

ity concerns and present them to city/state agencies,such as the Department of City Planning, or any other

relevant agencies. This presentation can be framedas a question to examine how well the type of devel-

opment these agencies plan for the neighborhoodresponds to the communitys mobility concerns.

WaystomeasureprogresstowardthisgoalExtent to which the mobility committee is created, and

the relevant concerns/questions are presented to the

transportation committee of Community Board 14; theDepartment of City Planning; and any other relevant

agency.

Mobility

Cars, buses, and pedestrians compete for street space.


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LocalgroupsaretakingthendingsoftheImagineFlatbush2030workshopsandworkingwiththeagendatomakeprogresstowardneighborhoodsustainability.Herearewaysfor

youtogetevenmoreinvolved:

TheFlatbushDevelopmentCorporationWhether you are interested in joining a committee, commit-

ting to a special event, or even providing ofce support, FDChas a range of volunteer opportunities that will allow you to

get more deeply involved in some of the agenda topics. Visitwww.fdconline.org.

Housing and Immigration Committee(contact Aga Trojniak)

Youth and After School Committee(contact Shamar or Klein)

Flatbush Frolic Committee (contact Mannix Gordon)

House Tour Committee (contact Aga Trojniak)

Economic Development Committee(contact Mannix Gordon)

SustainableFlatbushVisit them at their website: http://sustainableatbush.org/

participate/

Immediate Opportunities forContinued Involvement

Top: Flatbush Development Corporation; bottom: Sustainable Flatbush.


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4Project

Background

A/ JaneJacobsandPlaNYC2030B/ SustainableIndicators


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4 Project Background

In September 2007, the Rockefeller Foundationannounced the winners of the rst Jane Jacobs Medal,an award that honored the path-breaking urbanist and

recognized two visionary practitioners whose workhas helped to foster a more diverse, dynamic andequitable city.

With the establishment of this annual award, theFoundation honored the work of one of the greatestthinkers in urban planning and used the occasion as

the springboard for a major Jane Jacobsinspiredpublic education and civic-engagement effort. MAS washonored to be invited to partner with the RockefellerFoundation in bringing New York closer to the kind ofurban environment that Jane Jacobs helped us all tounderstand and envision more clearly.

A/ Jane Jacobs and PLANYC 2030

A/ Jane Jacobsand PlaNYC 2030


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Jane Jacobs is as relevant today as she was during the 1960s.

More redevelopment is happening now in New York City

and in other cities across the globethan at almost any time

since the 1930s, but it is clear that the lessons of Jane Jacobs

have not been absorbed. Jacobs espoused a common-sense

approach to urban planning issues. She saw clearly that the

urban renewal of the 1950s and 60s was failing to create

human-oriented places, instead creating sterile, automobile-

centric new environments. Worse, they were destroying

neighborhoods that had grown organically and functioned as

safe, vibrant, successful human environments.

Today, we are no longer bulldozing neighborhoods. Yet we are

at times approaching city revitalization as if inspired by bad

memories of the Robert Moses years, moving toward mega-

developments, such as the Atlantic Yards project, with little

public input.

On a positive note, we have a mayor who has demonstrated

an interest in planning and, through his PlaNYC2030, has

begun to take on the challenge of how to green the city evenas it grows over the next twenty-ve years. PlaNYC addresses

three basic concernspopulation growth; aging infrastruc-

ture; and climate changeby taking action on the creation of

housing; reducing commute times; increasing parkland and

open space; improving water, energy, and transit infrastruc-

ture; reducing carbon emissions; improving air and water

quality; and cleaning contaminated land. The mayors engage-

ment in planning is an unprecedented opportunity to broaden

discussions of environmental sustainability to include lessons

from Jane Jacobs of what elements make urban communities

work. The city, however, has not given much thought, yet, as

to how to solicit this input in a way that successfully engages

communities and makes their needs part of the solution.

In light of the Mayors 2030 initiative, MAS believed that the

most effective way to perpetuate the legacy of Jane Jacobs

and have positive impact on the urban vitality of the city

would be for the Rockefeller Foundation and the Municipal

Art Society to ensure that, as the city plans for 2030, it

genuinely engages communities in devising a truly urban and

sustainable future for our city that survives well beyond the

Bloomberg Administration. To this end, we set out to design

an approach to neighborhood visioning, planning, and devel-

opment that imparted the fullness of Jane Jacobs principles

of livability into the Administrations notions of sustainability

The important lesson from Jane Jacobs work is that urban

planning is too important to be left to planners and politi-

cians. If a writer-editor living humbly in Greenwich Village

in the 1950s could see serious aws in urban renewal that

eluded the professional planners of the time, then all of us

who live and work in New York are qualied to have a say in

how the city is developed.

MAS set out to address how a neighborhood could organizeand collectively evaluate what makes communities livable;

and to understand the level of public education and plan-

ning assistance required to help communities translate their

interpretations of livability into planning goals, objectives,

measures and strategies to be utilized to evaluate develop-

ment proposals, react to plans and, ultimately, to create

neighborhood plans. This community visioning project set

out to dene New Yorkers aspirations for a sustainable

city based on local knowledge in essence, broadening the

Mayors terms of sustainability to incorporate more Jane

Jacobs-style ideals of livability and using the opportunity

of PlaNYC2030 to engage New Yorkers in planning in a more

meaningful way that ensures that communities are true

partners with the city, and not merely sites for large-scale

development.

A/ Jane Jacobs and PLANYC 2030


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Whyanindicatorsproject?Sustainability is based on equilibrium, or balance, among the

environment, society, and the economy. Activities in one area

affect the others, and activities that benet one aspect but are

harmful to another aspect are unsustainable. For example, a

community struggling with trafc congestion may look for

ways to solve this problem. Widening the road to ease conges-

tion is one obvious, immediate solution. But it is a temporary

solution that creates problems in other areas. While the

wider road may improve trafc ow temporarily, the added

What is an indicator?

An indicator is something that helps you understand where you are,

which way you are going, and how far you are from where you want to

be. A good indicator alerts you to a problem before it gets too bad and

helps you recognize what needs to be done to fix the problem.

Examples:

gas gauge

grade on a report card

WhereyouWE

RE

WhereyouA

RE

WhereyouWANTTO

BE

paved surface will increase stormwater runoff into nearby

water bodies, polluting the water, limiting the waters use for

recreation, and affecting the marine life. Beach recreation and

tourism also depends on water and air quality. Widening the

road is not a sustainable solution to the problem because it

creates problems in other areas, and actually does very little

to solve the true problem in the long run. Maintaining balance

among the economy, ecology, and society is the ultimate goal

of sustainability.

B/ Sustainable Indicators



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An indicator is a tool used to zero in on a particular issue or

condition to describe how well the larger system is working.

Indicators are used to help direct solutions to problems.

Developing sustainability indicators for a community has a

two-fold purpose:

To help a community articulate and prioritize what it

values; and

To measure progress toward goals set by the community.

For the purpose of raising awareness and beginning the

conversation about sustainability on a community level, a list

of indicators grouped by issue area is very useful in preparing

the sustainability plan. Additionally, these indicators can be

used when reviewing and providing feedback on plans for

development in other neighborhoods, or can be altered and

used to measure progress towards sustainability goals.

Decisions about what items should go into a sustainability

agenda, how they should be prioritized, and how people in

Flatbush can go about measuring progress (through indica-tors) toward sustainability goals was the subject matter of

community workshops.

Whatistheroleofindicatorsinplanningforsustainability?(or, why measuring air qualityis not enough.)

Sustainable indicators are the result of a planning process.

They specify a problem, identify the cause of the problem,

and establish some of the impacts that result from having/

solving the problem. For example: a common theme that

arose during the workshops was the need to reduce air pollu-tion caused by motor vehicles. Some standard techniques to

measure air quality include monitoring the pollution emitted

by automobiles, or counting the number of programs/policies

that have been created to control the issue. However, this fails

to address the underlying problem: the cause of automobile

congestion in the community. In other words, measuring air

quality is not enough.

A sustainable measurement for air quality would instead

focus on the need for better integrated mobility in the neigh-

borhood, to decrease usage of cars. Measurements would

instead focus on the reason for extensive use of automobiles.

This type of indicator should also examine changes in the use

of alternative means of transportation, commuting distances,

and other elements beyond fuel efciency. It is important to

distinguish what the actual problem is, the factors that are

causing it (causes) and the potential actions that can be taken

(responses).

HowcanindicatorsbeputtoworkandusedbeyondtheImagineFlatbush2030process?This document presents the sustainability agenda that has

been discussed by the participants in the Imagine Flatbush

2030 workshops. The agenda comprises goals, and each of

these goals is accompanied by a series of sustainability indica-

tors that describe the current conditions of the community.

This information is helpful data that is available to users of

this report as an updated scientic portrait of various aspects

of the community. These measurements can be used down

the road to evaluate how much and in what ways future pro-

posals (by the community, by the city, or by external private

stakeholders) can contribute or deviate from the communitys

vision for the future of the neighborhood.

Cause

Too many

people driving

cars

Problem

Air pollution

Responses

Standards

for fuel

Auto

emissions

standards

Car pools



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5FlatbushProle


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5 - Flatbush Prole

The study area for Imagine Flatbush 2030encompasses an area of 767.46 acres in centralBrooklyn. This area extends south from

Prospect Park to the Long Island Rail Road(LIRR) Bay Ridge Line, which runs east-westjust north of Avenue I. With a minor exceptionin the southeastern corner, this section coversthe northern half of Community District 14.The area incorporates an additional series of

blocks along the railroad line between Flatbush

and Brooklyn Avenues.


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5 - Flatbush Prole


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5 - Flatbush Prole

CensusTractsThis study area intersects 31 census tracts (units of population determined by the federal government

for purposes of enumeration every ten years), which have been used to build the demographic andsocioeconomic description of the area produced for this prole. Although some sections of these tractsextend beyond the boundaries of the catchment area, they have all been included in this analysis to

show any trends in and around the boundaries of the study area. However, the location of these tractsin New York City indicate that Community District 14 and Kings County, in general, would be the most

appropriate geographies to establish a comparison to understand these numbers in context with otherneighborhoods and surrounding communities.

Census Tracts


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5 - Flatbush Prole

PopulationAccording to the 2000 census, a total of 148,737 people live in these tracts. This number represents a

ve percent increase from 1990, when the total number of residents was 142,809 (percentages have beenrounded to the nearest whole number). This phenomenon follows an increasing trend experienced byCommunity District 14 that has been growing since 1980; although, at a decreasing rate of change (from

11 percent in 1990 , to 6 percent in the year 2000).

The population is distributed in three main areas. The highest density is present in tracts 05080, 07960,

05160 and 05100, which together host 29 percent of the total population. At the same time, tracts such as046002 and 05220 present a considerably lower density at 0.41 percent and 0.67 percent. The rest of the

population tends to concentrate almost evenly across the rest of the study area (Figure 1).

Figure1:DistributionofthePopulationbyCensusTractintheYear2000Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

Population


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure2:AgeDistributionintheYear2000Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

AgeAs Figure 2 illustrates, the study area has a large population of young people 5-17 year-olds constitute

the largest age group, with 21 percent of the total population. The adult population of ages 30-39, 40-49,and 50-59 constitute the next-largest age groups, with slightly more than 15 percent, 15 percent, and 13percent of the population, respectively. The age groups with the least population in the neighborhood

are senior citizens, young children, and ages 18-21.

Age


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure3:Racial/EthnicBreakdownintheYear2000(includingHispanicdescent)Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

RaceandNativityThe racial/ethnic distribution of the community divides the population into three major groups. In

2000, Black/African-American residents accounted for a majority 53 percent of the total population. Theother major ethnic groups are White (21 percent) and Hispanic (14 percent), which combined represent35 percent of the total population. The remaining 12 percent breaks down into 6 percent Asian, 5 percent

claiming two or more races, 0.69 percent claiming some other race alone, 0.11 percent American Indian/Alaska Natives, and 0.06 percent Native Hawaiian and other Pacic Islanders (Figure 3).

Race and Nativity


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure4:PercentageofForeign-BornPopulationineachCensusTractby2000Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

The foreign-born population accounts for 52 percent of the total population. This group is distributed

across the study area. Some of the tracts with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents weretracts 046001 at 67 percent, 048200 at 63 percent, and 07900 at 59 percent. With the exception of tracts046002, 05220, 04780 and 05280, where this group drops from 38 percent of the population, all other

areas oscillate between 40 and 58 percent (Figure 4).

Race and Nativity


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure5:MedianHouseholdIncomeperCensusTractby1999Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

IncomeThe median household income (MHI) of the community living inside the study area is $32,103. However,

there are considerable differences between the distinct census tracts. For example, some areas showindividual MHIs that are more than one-and-a-half times higher than others. This is the case with tracts052800, 052400, 046002, or 05220; where in the MHI reaches $75,889, which is more than three times

higher than those of the tracts with the lowest MHI. The tracts with the lowest MHI include 048200,048000, 051000, 079200, and 051600, where the median household income can be as low as $22,265

(Figure 5).

Income


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure6:PercentageofLow-IncomePopulationperCensusTractby2000Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

PovertyThe number of individuals that reported an income below 200 percent of the poverty level , which

constitutes low income for the purpose of this study, follows another notable pattern. While this numberis only considerably low (as few as 16 percent of the population) in tract 052200, in all other tracts itrepresents more than 29 percent of the total population. In tracts such as 051600, 079400, 048000, and

05080, more than 57 percent of the total population fell into this low-income category (Figure 6).

Poverty


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure7:PercentageofVacantHousingUnitsineachCensusTractby2000Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

HousingIn the year 2000, the census reported a total of 51,735 housing units in the study area. 1,988 of these

units, or 3.84 percent, were reported vacant. The average percent of housing vacancy is 4.23 percent.However, it is important to note that tracts 082800, 079200, and 079400 present rates higher than 8percent. Conversely, in tracts 077400, 051200 and 050800 vacant property constitutes just under 2

percent of the total (Figure 7).

Housing


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure8:PercentageofOwner-OccupiedHousingUnitsinEachCensusTractby2000Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

The remaining units were unevenly divided between owner- and renter-occupied. Only 16 percent of

all occupied units were owner-occupied in the year 2000, whereas renter-occupied units comprised84 percent of the total. However, the percentage of owner-occupied units is high in some census tracts,including 046002, 05220, and 05280, where owner-occupied units comprised up to 78 percent of the

total units in those tracts (Figure 8). The areas with the highest percentages of renter-occupied units areconcentrated in tracts 051000, 050800 and 051200 (Figure 9).

Housing


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure9:PercentageofRenter-OccupiedHousingUnitsineachCensusTractby2000Source: US Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

Housing


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure10:DistributionofAcreageInsidetheStudyAreabyLandUsein2007Source: New York City Department of City Planning, PLUTO, 2006

LandUseAccording to the Department of City Plannings land-use categorization, the total acreage inside the

projects study area is divided into ten categories. The majority of the acreage is used for housingpurposes, accounting for 67 percent of the total acreage. The majority of this housing is one and twofamily buildings (38 percent) followed by multifamily elevator buildings (18 percent) and multi-family

walk-up buildings (12 percent). The other prevalent land uses include public facilities and institutions(10 percent), mixed use residential and commercial (6 percent), commercial and ofce buildings (6

percent), open space and recreation (5 percent), and transportation utilities (3 percent). A portion of theland that remains vacant (1 percent), or is used for parking facilities (also 1 percent). The least-prevalent

land use type is industrial and manufacturing (0.55 percent). It is important that beyond the acreagesabove, there was a 0.54 percent of the total that was not classied because there was no data available.

Land Use


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure11:PercentageofOpenSpaceSource: Oasis, 2008; New York City Department of City Planning, PLUTO, 2006

NewYorkCity

Open Space: 49,854 acresPark/Open Space Acreage per 1000 Residents: 6.2

CommunityDistrict14

Open Space: 129.77 acres

District Area: 1891 acres (Rank = 33 out of 59)

Percent of District that is Open Space: 6.9 percent (36/59)

Number of Gardens: 7

Open Space per 1,000 People: 0.77 acres (44/59)

Open Space per 1,000 Kids: 2.66 acres (48/59)

Percent Tree Canopy: 17.8 percent (13/59)

ImagineFlatbushStudyArea

Open Space: 36.48 acres

IF2030 Lot Area: 767.46 acres

Percent of District that is Open Space: 4.75 percent

Open Space per 1,000 People: 0.24 acres

Land Use


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure12:SmallParksandPlaygroundsAcceptableConditions(Percent)Source: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, 2007

AdditionalNeighborhoodData

Additional Neighborhood Data


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure14:ChangeintheSizeoftheHousingUnitsBetween1990and2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

Figure13:SmallParksandPlaygroundsAcceptablyClean(Percent)Source: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, 2007



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Figure15:GrossRentasaPercentageofHouseholdIncomeSource: U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000

Figure16:MeansofTransportationtoWorkforWorkers16YearsandOverin2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000



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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure18:InfantMortalityRate(per1,000LiveBirths)intheLastYearsSource: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2006


Figure17:TravelTimetoWorkforWorkers16YearsAndOverWhoDidNotWorkAtHomeIn2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File 3, 2000


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Figure19:NewCasesRequiringEnvironmentalInterventionforLeadPoisoning(per1,000Children)intheLastYearsSource: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, 2007

Figure20:LeadingCausesofDeathinFlatbushin2001Source: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2001



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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure22:VulnerabilityoftheNeighborhood;Education,PovertyandSafetySource: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2001


Figure21:LeadingCausesofHospitalizationinFlatbushin2001Source: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2001


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5 - Flatbush Prole

Figure23:DepartmentofBuildingsPriorityA(emergency)ComplaintsSource: New York City Department of Buildings, 2007

Figure24:DepartmentofBuildingsPriorityB(non-emergency)ComplaintsSource: New York City Department of Buildings, 2007



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5 - Flatbush Prole

6Imagine

Flatbush2030 Process

A/ AdvisoryBoardMeetingB/ StakeholderMeeting

C/ Workshop1D/ Workshop2

E/ Workshop3F/ Follow-upMeeting

G/ CommunityBoard14Presentation


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6 Imagine Flatbush 2030

The process began with the creation of anadvisory board, which met for the rst timein October 2007. At this meeting the Planning

Center introduced the project, the initialpartner organization Flatbush DevelopmentCorporation, and some of the roles that had

been designated thus far.

This meeting served to build a constituencyamong other stakeholders, such as otherorganizations at work in the area, city agencies,and elected ofcials. Participants conrmedtheir support for the project, availability to helpwith further outreach, and interest in using theresults of the project as a reference for theirown work.


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Over a period of ve months, the MAS Planning Center, in

partnership with the Flatbush Development Corporation andthe Center for the Study of Brooklyn, hosted one stakeholdersmeeting and four community workshops in Flatbush. These

workshops proceeded with the participation of residents,business owners, and civic leaders of the neighborhood, who

were invited to formulate neighborhood sustainability goals

and design tools to measure progress toward achieving theseconsensus-based goals.

During the rst stakeholders meeting, the Imagine Flatbush

2030 partners initiated the discussion by encouraging partici-pants to identify what neighborhood assets and/or challenges

were most important to them. This discussion provided a rstglimpse of the general concerns among participants.

This initial conversation served as a bridge to a more detailedworkshop addressing the main quality of life issues affect-ing the neighborhood. At the end of this second event, the

conversation resulted in a list of symptoms describing Flat-bushs health in regards to the natural, social and economic

aspects of quality of life in the neighborhood. These thoughtswere documented and consolidated into a database that

helped identify the main areas of concern--major categoriesto help structure the communitys vision toward a neighbor-hood sustainability agenda.

After analyzing the information gathered, ten categoriesemerged. These themes were used to organize the agenda.

These categories were:

economic well-being;

youth and educational attainment;

local environment;

public health; housing access;

civics;

recreation;

neighborhood diversity;

mobility (getting around); and

neighborhood character.

These themes constituted the basis for breaking down the

discussion into smaller groups that focused on each of thesetopics separately. The process allowed each group to discusspriorities and present its conclusions to the larger group.

At the second workshop, the group of participants wasencouraged to revise the quality of life issues under each cat-

egory and produce a nal list of goals. This process involved

re-locating certain issues to other categories, re-phrasingsome of them, and nally, achieving consensus on a list ofgoals that covered all topics discussed at the tables. At the end

of the meeting, each group presented its goals to the overallgroup, completing a rst draft of the nal list of goals.

During the third and nal workshop, the groups revised thelist of goals and made any corrections necessary. Once they

had revised the goals, each group proceeded to discuss waysof measuring progress toward each of these goals. In somecases, this focused on reducing or increasing the number of

amenities or services available; while in others, the conver-sation primarily concentrated on the resources required to

increase the communitys capacity to respond to its currentand future needs.

These discussions included considerations such as: therelevancy of standard measurements related to each topic;

what local information would be required to measure theseparticular themes; and any particular action that the groupcould take in the near future, such as reaching out to other

stakeholders and/or gathering additional information, to startmeasuring progress toward these goals.

The following outline provides a more detailed description ofwhat happened at each meeting:


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Imagine Flatbush 2030 continued with its second work-

shop on Wednesday, January 24, 2008 at the BrooklynCollege Student Center. Approximately 70 Flatbushparticipants attended, some new to the project. There

were several non-English speaking participants, for whomtranslation service was provided.

After a brief recap from Planning Center Director Eve

Baron of the goals of the project and a viewing of a shortlm depicting the project thus far, Planning Center GISAnalyst/Planner Juan Camilo Osorio then familiarized

participants with the process for the evening and theanticipated outcome: nalizing the goals of the Flatbush

sustainability agenda. He then linked this work to whatparticipants would be doing at the February 27 workshop:creating measures to assess progress toward these goals.

Attendees were divided into seven groups, where theywere asked to work with a facilitation team (one person

from MAS or FDC and one person from the community)to prioritize and give nal language to the quality-of-life

issues identied in the previous workshop. Each individual participant had the opportunity to discuss

the goals within the smaller group and to vote on how theywould prioritize items. Groups also had the opportunity to

confer with each other.

Each table reported their work back to the group as a

whole. Finalized goals from each group were collected andcomplied later into a single document.

After several requests, the study area map was redrawnto include three large housing projects: Norma; PhilipHoward; and Manseld Gardens. With help from FDC, the

MAS Planning Center presented the project to students

at Erasmus High School on Wednesday, February 13 andinvited them to the next workshop.

(For a detailed list of nal goals produced at this meeting

please refer to Appendix C.)

D/ Workshop 2January 24, 2008

D/ Workshop 2


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The project continued with its third and nal workshop.

At the meeting, facilitators helped participants designsustainable indicators, or measures, to help assess prog-ress made toward the goals set in previous workshops.

As presented, these measurements were discussed asadvocacy tools that can be used to assess different types of

actions, from city-initiated rezonings, to new social service

programs, to proposals for private development, to perfor-mance of city agencies.

Once again, attendees were divided into groups where

they were asked to work with a facilitation team (oneperson from MAS or FDC and one person from the com-

munity). This combination of professional experience inthe topic, and local expertise regarding the history andexisting condition of the neighborhood, represented an

important resource to support the discussion at the tables.

Participants recorded their conclusions on poster-sized

printouts, which listed the groups goals, some pre-fabri-cated measurements to help discussion, and criteria for

designing sustainable measures. Each poster includedspace for recording the measures the group came up with;

sources of local information; and future action steps.

During this workshop, participants revised the list of goals

under each of the tables and made nal changes to the listof foals that constitute the main structure of the agenda.

Other resources available for each participant were: anexplanation of the criteria used to design sustainable mea-sures; a list of the nal goals; a map of the neighborhood

with the location of participants that has attended previ-ous IF2030 workshops; and a glossary of terms related

with sustainability and working with indicators.

(For a detailed list of measurements and actions produced atthis meeting please refer to Appendix D.)

E/ Workshop 3February 28, 2008

E/ Workshop 3


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The MAS Planning Center met with some members of the

advisory group to receive their feedback on the processthus far, with the goal of incorporating their comments inthe nal report, and nurturing the development of a repli-

cable model. The conversation focused on segments of theproject that can be improved to facilitate discussion and

deliberation among the projects participants, consider-

ations in the way the information should be analyzed andpresented, and particular thoughts on some of the futurenext steps.

F/ Follow-up Advisory CommitteeMeetingMarch 14, 2008

F/ Follow-up Advisory Committee Meeting


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G/ Community Board 14PresentationMay 5, 2008

The MAS Planning Center, with support from FDC, pre-

sented an update on Imagine Flatbush 2030 to the com-munity board. This presentation highlighted segments ofthe neighborhood agenda with a predominant land use

component, in an attempt to connect these recommen-dations with the board discussion with the Dept. of City

planning on an upcoming rezoning in the north Flatbush

area. With this presentation the MAS Planning Center recom-

mended the consideration of the goals in the neighbor-

hood agenda for inclusion in the community district needsstatement. Likewise, the MAS Planning Center requested

the opportunity to present at the boards committee meet-ings in order to focus on specic segments of the agenda.

G/ Community Board 14 Presentation


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7Findings(Goals; Indicators;Measurements)

A/ Economy i. EconomicWell-Being

B/ Environment i. LocalEnvironment

ii. PublicHealth iii. Recreation

iv. NeighborhoodCharacterC/ Society

i. YouthandEducationalAttainment ii. HousingAccess

iii. Civics iv. NeighborhoodDiversity

v. Mobility


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7 - Findings (Goals; Indicators; Measurements)

This section summarizes the work of the group duringthe nal workshop, where participants were asked touse the priorities identied in previous workshops

to generate their own ideas about ways to measureprogress toward goals. Also, in response to previousrequests by participants to Planning Center staff formore actionable items, we asked people to generateideas about next steps for each priority. These ideaswere used in part to generate the Imagine Flatbush 2030Sustainability Action Agenda.


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i. EconomicWell-BeingThe highest priority goal in this category was to maintain

both affordable housing and economic diversity, that peoplefelt could be best attained and by a wide range of incomesaround the median that can afford decent, safe and com-

fortable housing. People identied the Division of Housingand Community Renewal; FDC; Housing Preservation and

Development; the Department of City Planning; and the NewYork City Housing and Neighborhood Information Service

as sources of information. People felt that appropriate actionsteps were to hold electeds accountable for creating afford-able housing and maintaining economic diversity; to support

organizations that work toward inclusionary zoning (a regula-tory tool to increase the supply of affordable housing through

zoning); and to work toward ensuring that all affected areasin rezonings provide 30 percent affordable housing.

Local retail and entrepreneurship, as both a way to meet localneeds for goods and services and as a path toward individual

nancial independence, were also identied as priorities.People wanted better quality, diversity and variety of both

prepared and grocery items and local training and educationthat strengthens small business and promotes entrepreneur-ship. Action steps discussed were persuading businesses to

use customer surveys to track and respond to local needs inthe long term, and tracking the number of loans to small local

businesses.

A/ Economy

A/ Economy


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i. LocalEnvironmentThe highest priority goal in this category was dual: improved

air quality and reduced noise pollution. People felt that mea-suring these items was best accomplished using data on asth-ma rates; the number of air and noise complaints registered

to 311; and measurements of air quality. Potential sourcesfor data identied were: Community Board 14; 311; Emer-

gency Medical Services; New York Police Department; andthe Department of Health for asthma statistics. Action steps

identied were to review existing studies to track change;review 311 data to track change in number of water, air, andnoise complaints; and to review environmental impact studies

prepared for development projects.

Another priority to emerge was ensuring responsible con-

struction that results in healthy, energy-efcient buildingsthat respect neighborhood character. Potential measures are

the number of LEED-certied and retrotted buildings; lead-levels in blood; and the number of energy audits conducted

each year. Possible sources of information are the GreenBuilding Council, and hospitals. This group identied encour-

aging the New York State Energy Research and DevelopmentAuthority and energy providers to conduct more energy au-dits as an action step. A third priority to emerge was balanc-

ing environmental values with development values, measuredby the number of Department of Building permits vs. number

of variances granted.

ii.PublicHealthThe highest priority for public health was to ensure betteraccess to and availability of affordable food sources, including

food that comes from local sources. One suggested measurewas an inventory of all local vendors to ascertain who was

selling what to whom. Possible sources of data BusinessImprovement Districts; Department of Health; community-based organizations (CBOs); FDC; and the Department of

City Planning. Potential action steps identied were workingwith the green market to conduct a survey of food needs, pro-

vide nutrition information, and more widely distribute infor-mation about the availability of food assistance programs.

Another priority was open access to a range of public health

services including education, prevention, and treatment. Dis-cussion here focused on critical needs for information. Peoplefelt that to measure progress toward this goal they would

need to identify the various treatment facilities and their spe-cialties: get data on how are these facilities are utilized and

by whom; and understand how people accessed information

about them. People felt that there was a great need for moreinformation about the opportunities that exist for seniorcenters and in home services; the location and fee structure

for local recreational facilities; opportunities for exercisein public schools; a community health assessment; whetherafter school programs targeting health issues were available;

and what public health resources exist at the city and statelevel. City hospitals; Families First; local CBOs were identi-

ed as sources of information. A possible action step was todistribute public health informationdirect mail and local

electeds, CBOs; local merchants; community bulletin boards;to intergenerational and multilingual audiences.

iii.RecreationThe number one goal in the category of recreation was bettercommunity interaction. Ways to measure the level of commu-

nity interaction were enumerating the number of communityevents; the number of languages spoken in the neighbor-

hood; and the number of appeals for volunteers. Informationsources include FDC; local electeds; and schools. Possible

action steps were to get relevant information to multilin-gual families through school-aged children; and to organizeschool-centered meet and greet parties.

Another goal was to create an information outlet about com-munity recreation opportunities. An associated action step

was to include more local communities/block associations toget the word out.

B/ Environment


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iv.NeighborhoodCharacterThe highest priority for neighborhood character was to

preserve the character of historic residential and commercialstructures and community institutions. A sustainable indica-tor identied within the group was to measure the change in

public and private funding for local preservation. Potentialdata sources were community organizations and historic

preservation agencies. An action step was to engage com-munity organizations to encourage sustained allocations for

historic preservation.

Another sustainability goal was to promote harmony

between the historic and the newly-built private and publicstructures, to be measured by the number of variancerequests. Potential data sources identied were DOB; the

Board of Standards and Appeals; CB14; and DCP. Twoaction steps were to encourage contextual development by

proposing changes to zoning provisions and to draft designguidelines that work to preserve aesthetics.

B/ Environment


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8 - Working with PlaNYC 2030 Opportunities

Mayor Bloombergs PlaNYC was presented to thepublic in April, 2007. The plan described the morethan 100 initiatives the Administration planned to

undertake in response to a growing population, anaging infrastructure, a deteriorating environment,and climate change.

PlaNYC and the Imagine Flatbush SustainabilityAgenda overlap in some important regards. Bothagendas seek to address housing, open space,transportation, energy, and air quality. While theImagine Flatbush goes beyond PlaNYC in termsof connecting the economy, affordability, the builtenvironment, and neighborhood diversity withmore traditional approaches to environmentalism,the Mayors plan provides several opportunitiesto begin implementing the Imagine Flatbush 2030

Sustainability Action Agenda.


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8 - Working with PlaNYC 2030 Opportunities

9Appendices

A/ AssetsandChallenges/StakeholdersMeetingNovember19,2007B/ QualityofLifeIssues/WorkshopDecember12,2007

C/ FinalGoals/WorkshopJanuary24,2008D/ MeasuresandActions/WorkshopFebruary28,2008

E/ Handout/DesigningSustainableMeasuresF/ Handout/Glossary

G/ ListofParticipants


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Appendices

Assets Challenges

Peaked roofs for solar panels Very high poverty rate in part/areas

Quiet life Haphazard development

Birds and wildlife Zoning issues/in appropriate no contextual

Attractive housing Limited community meeting space, no real community!

Affordable housing Lack of arts facilities

Prospect park, parade grounds Limited shopping

Good different kinds of food Limited entertainment

Distinctive characters Too many non Pro. Business

Long term residents, local entrepreneurs Landlords: non-community focused (absentee)

Homeownership stake in community Garbage stored on sidewalk

Center for study of Brooklyn Dirty sidewalks

Sustainable Flatbush Dog waste

Great schools Affordable housing is limited

Prospect park Seated restaurants

Lots of trees Pollution

Transportation excellent buses and subways No community centers for youth and disabilities (in alkingdistance)

Brooklyn college as a resource Programs for new Americans/immigrants

Artists (all) Foot patrol, uniformed police

Blogs and list serve To few banks

Beautiful neighborhood Insufcient supermarkets

Diverse! Cultural economy Affordable houses

Creative energy owing Gentrication

Lack of high rises How can our neighborhood maintain/increase desirability

without displacement of people

A/ Assets and Challenges/Stakeholders Meeting


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Appendices

B/ Quality of Life Issues/WorkshopDecember 12, 2007

Need for a source of neighborhood information

Need to deal more actively with illegal drug activity.

Need to preserve affordable housing

Lack of youth development and career preparation

Need for more senior programs

Lack of business training fundamentals for youth & foreign

residents

Need to maintenance diversity

Lack of an Arts District/Lack of exhibit space for artists to im-

pact on economic development

Need for reducing truck trafc on Caton Avenue

Need to reduce heavy trafc on Church and Caton

Need to address how local businesses t into redevelopment ofthe area

Need to address litter, and neighborhood sanitation (regular

trash pick up for city-owned waste receptacles)

Need to reduce crime--both gang and domestic

Need for cleaner air

Need for additional green space

Need for senior citizen programs

Need to reduce number of feral cats

Insufcient library hours

Education--No Intermediate School in North Flatbush

Post ofce overcrowding

Need for affordable housing

Need to improve air quality

Need to control litter

Need to support youth development

Need to control violence

Need for immigrant training

The following list of quality of life issues was recorded at the tables by the facilitators in the form of working notes. Staff from

the Planning Center performed minor editing to provide additional context, when necessary.

Need to control heavy trafc

Need to reduce noise; increase sanitation (especially dog own-

ers); reduce hunger (especially among elderly); address highpercentage of income spent on rent; address poverty among the

elderly.

Need to increase affordability; need to maintain diversity; need

to improve sanitation; need to diversify types of businesses on

Flatbush Ave.; need to spread banks around.

Need to increase affordable housing; need to preserve affordable

housing; need to identify means of avoiding displacement; need

to reduce noise; increase publicly accessible neighborhood greenspace; plant more trees.

Insufcient information

Need to preserve greatest asset--diversity of the neighborhood,

meaning people and types of housing. Need to protect parts of

Victorian Flatbush not covered by historic district.

Need to address affordable housing. Need to nd fun things for

kids to do, i.e., bike riding.

Need to maintain street cleanliness; need to preserve affordabil-ity and avoid displacement; need to increase food access.

Insufcient information

Need to reduce noise; wants more parking; need to increase ac-

tivities for children in the neighborhood; need to bring landlordsinto discussions of affordability.

Need to increase public space for assemble, especially for youth.Need to work on noise reduction.

Need to ensure reasonable pace of change.

Need to preserve historical homes

Need to diversify the housing stock commercially while respect-

ing established community without gentrication

Continuation of community (prevent gentrication)

Need for new location with swimming pool, educational andtness needs


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Appendices

First Name Last Name Organization/Afliation

Stakeholder F. Caton Park Home Owners Association

Stakeholder F. Perry Our Lady of Refuge Roman Catholic Church

Stakeholder F. Bartholom Resident

Stakeholder F. Leman Resident

Stakeholder F. Jump Fading Ad Blog

Stakeholder F. Baer Fiske Terrace Association

Stakeholder G. Harris Resident

Stakeholder G. Ssucher Ditmas Park West

Stakeholder G. Stewart Caton Park Association

Stakeholder G. Wolin Beverley Square West

Stakeholder H. Schiffman Resident

Stakeholder J. Katz Resident

Stakeholder J. Mann Church Avenue BID

Stakeholder J. Leonard 280 E. 21st Tenants Group

Stakeholder J. Heineman Resident

Stakeholder J. Stratfford Resident

Stakeholder J. Grassman Brooklyn College

Stakeholder J. Jean Ditmas Park West

Stakeholder J. Cordova-Kramer Resident

Stakeholder J. Wills Brooklyn College/History Dept.

Stakeholder J.l Siegel Ditmas Park West

Stakeholder J. Sweet Resident

Stakeholder J. Wright South Midwood Residents Association

Stakeholder J. Hendricks Resident

Stakeholder K.. Lherisson Resident

Stakeholder K. John Resident

Stakeholder K. Walker HSBC

Stakeholder K. Marzagao Sustainable Flatbush

Stakeholder K. Webb Res

imagine flatbush 2030

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