Completed Projects:
Chinatown, New York. WCC assisted Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), a multi-service community development organization, to create the Rebuild Chinatown Initiative, a collaborative effort to support Chinatown following the physical and economic devastation caused by September 11th, 2001. A community planning process provided a blueprint for the preservation and revitalization of Chinatown, based on 1,800 surveys of residents, interviews with key stakeholders, and a series of open community meetings. The subsequent plan outlines community goals for affordable housing, economic development, quality of life, social services, transportation, open space, and other issues. Read Rebuild Chinatown Initiative: The Community Speaks.
D’Iberville, Mississippi. WCC partnered with Mercy Housing & Human Development, a faith-based organization that provides a range of social services and housing assistance to communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, to design and implement a community visioning process in D’Iberville. This work included a survey of 250 residents, interviews with local stakeholders, and open community meetings. The resulting community profile and vision outlines residents’ and community leaders’ goals for rebuilding the city, and will help inform future community development initiatives. Read the D’Iberville, Mississippi Community Profile & Vision Report.
East Biloxi, Mississippi. WCC assisted Hope CDA (formerly the East Biloxi Coordination, Relief and Redevelopment Agency) to design and implement a community-based plan for the recovery and preservation of the East Biloxi neighborhoods that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. William Stallworth, City Councilman for East Biloxi, formed the organization just two days after Katrina hit to meet the immediate food, shelter, and medical needs of residents. The process included approximately 500 surveys of local residents, interviews with key stakeholders, and a series of open community meetings. The subsequent plan provides community recommendations for affordable housing, economic development, quality of life, public safety, and education. Read the East Biloxi Community Plan.
South Bronx, New York. WCC partnered with Sustainable South Bronx, an organization committed to the equitable and sustainable development of the area, to design and implement a planning process to address community assets and needs in the Hunts Point neighborhood. The project included data analysis, a community survey, stakeholder interviews, and focus groups. The resulting document has provided a community vision and plan for the neighborhood as well as a series of recommendations on workforce development, affordable housing, open space, community health, public safety, and community identity. Read In My Backyard: A Profile of Hunts Point with Recommendations for Realizing Community Members’ Vision for their Neighborhood.
Washington Heights, New York. WCC worked with the Community League of the Heights (CLOTH) to design and implement a community planning process in 2004 to address key community development issues. The process included more than 800 surveys of residents, interviews with key stakeholders, and a building condition and land use survey. The subsequent plan provides recommendations in the areas of public safety, education, affordable housing, employment, and sanitation. Read the Heights Planning Initiative report.