Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.27
Liaison Carolyn Shafer
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Pratt Institute
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Leonel Ponce
Academic Coordinator, MS in SES
Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
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Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Pratt Center for Community Development

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:

www.prattcenter.net

Our work is grounded in four core values: Equity, Sustainability, Local Knowledge, and Diverse Economy.

EQUITY
All New York City residents deserve access to affordable housing, open space, well-paying jobs, and a transportation system that greets them where they live and takes them where they need to go.

SUSTAINABILITY
We envision strong resilient neighborhoods char- acterized by healthy homes, clean air, an efficient built environment, and locally-made goods.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Residents are the best experts to consult when it comes to their communities’ needs, challenges, and opportunities. Our on the ground partnership with community groups informs our policy work, and our policy platforms mirror community needs.

DIVERSE ECONOMY
Local economies should have inclusive pathways to prosperity with a broad variety of opportunities for people to secure their livelihood.

URBAN PLANnING
Pratt Center provides urban planning services to community development corporations, grassroots groups, local coalitions, and other communi- ty-based organizations. We develop, co-convene, and facilitate planning workshops with diverse groups of local stakeholders to identify com- munities’ needs and aspirations for open space, affordable housing, commercial corridors, zoning, infrastructure, public health, and environmental sustainability. We then work with our community partners to translate these findings into cohesive community plans.

RESEARCH AND PUBLIC POLICY
Pratt Center strives to understand the unique chal- lenges that low- and moderate-income communi- ties and small businesses face - and opportunities for overcoming them. Our research priorities are shaped by our on-the-ground work with New York- ers in all five boroughs. Research methods include geospatial analysis, demographics analysis, quali- tative surveys, focus groups, interviews, and com- munity planning workshops. We then use the data gleaned from our research to develop pragmatic public policy recommendations toward a more sus- tainable and equitable New York City.

ADVOCACY
Our advocacy is largely shaped by our work in citywide and community-based coalitions, in addi- tion to the recommendations that come from our research. We work with diverse groups of commu- nity-based organizations and small businesses to advocate for public policy and civic initiatives that advance community-driven ideas and create oppor- tunities for marginalized New Yorkers to take part in planning processes that affect them.

SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
Pratt Center provides a range of technical assis- tance and support to local manufacturing compa- nies and small businesses. Specifically, we provide assistance with local procurement and product sourcing, commercial energy efficiency, market surveying, promotional services, and connections to other business development, workforce, and financial services.
We work with a diverse range of partners from the non-profit, private, and public sectors.

COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
Community-based organizations are the backbone of many low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, providing critical social services and mobilizing local residents to address entrenched socioeconomic challenges. We work with community development corporations, grassroots organizations, and other local groups to plan for their neighborhoods’ future and advance community-driven policy.

SMALL BUSINESSES
Small businesses - especially in the manufacturing sector - create quality jobs, embody entrepreneur- ship and innovation, and give the city much of its character and soul. We partner with small busi- nesses and manufacturers to catalyze sustainable, inclusive local economies.

POLICY MAKERS
We work with policy makers to develop innova-
tive solutions to some of our city’s most pressing economic, transportation, energy, and affordable housing challenges. As a 501 (c)(3), we are non-par- tisan and committed to substantive public sector engagement without support for any political can- didates.

ADVOCACY GROUPS
Across the city, we help to build and sustain diverse
coalitions that fight for more sustainable, equitable policies in low- and moderate-income communities.

PRATT INSTITUTE
Pratt Center is committed to developing the plan- ners of tomorrow. We train emerging planning professionals and strengthen our work through a close relationship with Pratt Institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development. Our student worker, fellowship, internship, and studio opportu- nities engage students from a variety of degree pro- grams at Pratt - including those within the Schools of Architecture, Art and Design, and Information and Library Science - while deepening our capacity to achieve our goals.

FUNDERS
Our work would not be possible without the contin- ued support, partnership, and input of our network of funders.

WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT
Our work leverages the unique resources of a uni- versity and is informed by our on-the-ground expe- rience in low- and moderate-income communities. ON THE GROUND

INSIGHT
We develop innovative models for sustainable and equitable communities directly shaped by our on the ground experience with community-based organizations and small businesses throughout New York City. Our policy work is grounded in the day- to-day realities of a diverse range of New Yorkers.

UNIVERSITY CONNECTION
Our unique position as a department of Pratt Institute affords us the opportunity to work with professionals in urban and sustainability planning, architecture, liberal arts and sciences, art and design, and information and library science. In turn, Pratt Center provides a valuable bridge for students between theory and practice, a link that fortifies our capacity to achieve our goals.

HOLISTIC APPROACH
We believe that the challenges we face as a city - from rising sea levels to rising inequality - are deeply interconnected and in need of holistic responses. By connecting citywide initiatives with local proj- ects, community-based organizations with small businesses, and planning theory with practice, we strive to foster integrated strategies for long-term change.

https://www.prattcenter.net/our-approach
https://www.prattcenter.net/projects/sustainable-community-development


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
FABSCRAP

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):

The Fashion Dept has paid for carting services from FABSCRAP since 2017. As of EOY 2019, 10,637 lbs have been collected and diverted from landfill. FABSCRAP was created to meet New York City’s commercial textile recycling needs. Materials that traditionally would have gone to landfill are now being properly recycled and made available for reuse.

FABSCRAP is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, though it flips the traditional non-profit model. The service fee covers operational costs and allows us to give away fabric to students, artists, local designers, and crafters for reuse. Rather than a receiving a tax receipt for the value of the donation, the service fee is tax-deductible.


Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
NYC-EJA Environmental Justice Alliance

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):

(GCPE) NYC-EJA Environmental Justice Fellowships: In partnership with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA), 4-6 Pratt GCPE graduate students work directly with NYC-EJA and its member organizations for a paid nine-month fellowship for 1 day per week during the Fall and Spring semesters. Fellows support community planning, outreach, research, GIS, policy analysis, social media/communications, and administrative work as needed. This partnership has been ongoing for over a decade. The Fellowship is on a pause during the pandemic, until budgets are normalized.


A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:

- GCPE + UPROSE: Sunset Park Green Resilient Industrial District implementation plan (2019-ongoing)

- Spatial Analysis and Visualization Initiative (SAVI): Infographics, spatial data visualization, and interactive maps for a series of reports with NY-NJ Harbor and Estuary Program / Hudson River Foundation (2018-2021)

- Center for Art, Design, and Engagement K-12: Design Initiative for Community Empowerment (DICE), Pratt Young Scholars, Summer Scholars, Rising Architects and Designers (RAD) (ongoing)


Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
http://www.prattcenter.net

Additional documentation to support the submission:
Pratt_Institute-AASHE_STARS-EN10-2020-2021.xlsx

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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