Director of FoBP receives Community Planner Honor

The Municipal Art Society of New York: The Art of Making New York Livable
The Planning Center
Community Planner Award Recipients Announced
Harry Bubbins of Friends of Brook Park is a 2007 Finalist!
March 23, 2007 Click Here!!

Although we seldom hear about their work in the New York Times, we have likely witnessed, learned from, or benefited from the efforts of community planners. Across New York City, community residents are becoming activists—taking the lead in addressing the planning issues confronting their neighborhoods and proving that they are the experts. The annual Yolanda Garcia Community Planner award, sponsored by the Planning Center with funding from the Citigroup Foundation, was created to shine a light on the enduring work of community planners, applauding their successes and encouraging them to continue their work. Named for Yolanda Garcia, a community activist in the South Bronx., this award was created to commemorate her work and vision. Under Ms. Garcia’s leadership, the residents of Melrose challenged the city, created an alternative to an urban renewal plan, and transformed a neighborhood.

In 1990 the Melrose section of the Bronx was presented with an urban renewal plan that was drafted without community participation, would have displaced long-time community residents and businesses, and would have discouraged high-density growth. At the time, Melrose, which had a population of nearly 6,000 people, epitomized the devastation experienced in the South Bronx during the 1960’s and 70’s—abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and little public or private investment. Remaining residents and businesses were adamant about staying and improving their neighborhood—using their strong roots there to provide an anchor for new growth. Shepherded by Ms. Garcia, We Stay/Nos Quedamos was created to organize the community around creating and advocating for a plan based on community need and derived through consensus.

The organization created by Ms. Garcia, We Stay/Nos Quedamos, is bringing that community’s vision to life through planning, design, construction, and programming. Founded upon principles of community organizing and consensus-based planning, the organization has grown into a community partnership that has produced 700 residential units and over 30,000 square feet of commercial space, all in service of the community vision.

On February 24, 2006, the first annual YGCP award was presented posthumously to Ms. Garcia and We Stay/Nos Quedamos for their accomplishments and continued commitment to improving their community. Yolanda Gonzales, current Executive Director and daughter of Yolanda, accepted the award at a lively celebration.

Although Ms. Garcia had no formal training as a planner, she was an expert on her community and believed in the power of local knowledge. Instead of simply organizing the community around stopping the city’s urban renewal plan, she organized her community to become proactive, marshal resources, identify partners and advocates, and create their own plan. In a planning environment where community is sometimes an afterthought, the work of Ms. Garcia and We Stay/Nos Quedamos is a compelling example of what communities can accomplish when they claim an active role in planning their futures.

This year’s award process included an open call for nominations and a jury-deliberated selection of finalists. Our jury members this year, notable for their deep connections to the world of community planning are: Karen Philips, City Planning Commissioner; Tom Angotti, Director, Hunter College Center for Community Planning and Development; Ron Shiffman, Professor, Pratt Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment; Micaela Birmingham, Director of Planning, New Yorkers for Parks; Yolanda Gonzales, Executive Director, We Stay/Nos Quedamos; and Marc Jahr, Market Director, Citibank Community Development.

This year the Yolanda Garcia Community Planner award will be given to Elizabeth Yeampierre. A certificate for lifetime achievement will be awarded to Wilma Maynard, and certificates of honorable mention go to Damaris Reyes, Harry Bubbins, and Laura Hoffman.

This year’s finalists came from a variety of NYC neighborhoods and have a diverse body of work. However, what they all have in common is their commitment to using a grassroots inclusive process to create positive community change:

2007 Finalists

Harry Bubbins is a member of Bronx Community Board 1 and director of Friends of Brook Park, a nonprofit group focusing on waterfront development and the revitalization of Brook Park in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. A charismatic leader, Harry works closely with a broad based coalition of neighborhood stakeholders fighting for the environmental and social issues that matter to his community. In addition to bringing the community together to advocate and create plans, Harry also brings the community together to have fun - securing canoes and kayaks for use on the waterfront and organizing youth focused gardening and nature appreciation projects. Harry has become active in local land use issues advocating for inclusionary zoning in Port Morris, voicing his opposition to the Randalls Island water park plan and proactively planning for the Bronx Greenway.

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Born and raised in New York, Elizabeth Yeampierre is the executive director of the oldest Latino community-based organization in Brooklyn—the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park (UPROSE). Since 1996 Elizabeth has helped shift UPROSE’s mission to one of advocacy and activism, playing an instrumental role in the NYC environmental justice movement. Home to highways, waste treatment plants, power plants and a number of other environmental hazards, Elizabeth has advocated for the fair treatment of and respect for the people of Red Hook and Sunset Park. Some of Elizabeth’s success’ include defeating an application for 520 mega-watt power plant in her community, helping to get the NYS Brownfield legislation passed, and developing a inclusive community planning model for the creation of the forthcoming UPROSE greenway. Elizabeth is also committed to her community’s youth, providing programs aimed at creating a new generation of leaders and activists. Early on, Elizabeth recognized that New York’s neighborhoods of color shouldered a disproportionate burden of the city’s most unwanted uses: power plants; sewage treatment plants; heavily used truck routes; sanitation garages. She leveraged this awareness to begin building the Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods, whose community-based plan to make the removal of city garbage more sustainable recently became the core of the Mayor’s Solid Waste Plan. Recognizing common problems, identifying creative solutions, and organizing advocacy efforts to turn these solutions into citywide policy, Elizabeth embodies the highest qualities of a community planner.