City: New Rochelle, New York

Reporting to: Deputy Commissioner of Development (Planning)

The Challenge

In 1958, Memorial Highway was built through the Westchester County City of New Rochelle, separating the historically African American Lincoln neighborhood from the downtown area. As a result, Lincoln has experienced persistent disinvestment, leading to high levels of housing insecurity, a lack of local business development, systemic racial injustices, and insufficient economic mobility for residents. These challenges have prevented long-standing residents from benefitting from the city’s numerous downtown revitalization efforts. But an opportunity for change has arrived.

Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert and the city council have recently advanced The LINC project, a multi-phase public open space and linear park improvement initiative that will reconnect the Lincoln neighborhood with the rest of the city. The project incorporates robust community engagement and efforts to integrate traffic, stormwater, and programming strategies that address local needs and objectives. In addition, a rezoning plan for Lincoln could attract investments and promote new housing and economic development that maintains the local community’s character and preserves its population. An environmental review for both The LINC project and rezoning is complete, and an economic development plan is being prepared to identify strategies for realizing the benefits of both projects, ensuring that current and future investments remain in the community.

The fellow will work with city staff and outside consultants to advance a socio-spatial economic study that defines the Lincoln neighborhood, provides a framework for addressing disparities in access to resources like healthcare, education, and public spaces, and explores how equitable development can foster community resilience, economic opportunity, and social cohesion. The fellow will play a critical role in helping us launch this study by thinking through the following questions:

• What opportunities exist for entrepreneurship based on the existing socio-spatial economic condition?
• How can we use the definitions of “neighborhood” or a culturally and spatially defined “community” to better employ economic growth and resiliency tools?
• How can we utilize this research to enhance community development strategies and promote sustainable “place-based” economic practices?

What You’ll Do

We have defined four key objectives for the socio-spatial economic study:

• Demonstrate how historical disinvestment, racial segregation, and economic disparities have manifested in housing ownership, economic mobility, access to services, and community empowerment
• Explore the impact of generational wealth gaps and housing insecurity—particularly for African Americans—and consider how to create equitable access to homeownership and long-term stability
• Focus on entrepreneurship and local business development to understand how economic growth can be harnessed to benefit current residents, while addressing gaps in job opportunities and local services
• Engage residents in identifying their own needs and values, ensuring that the neighborhood’s revitalization is driven by—and empowers—those who have been historically marginalized

By working with staff from the city council and external stakeholders, such as the local business community, youth and community groups, local clergy leaders, property owners, and senior housing residents, the fellow will help us achieve these objectives and deliver the following outputs: 

• A comprehensive report that synthesizes and highlights findings related to the neighborhood’s cultural and physical boundaries, demographics, employment patterns, leisure activities, spending habits, business locations, community resources, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The report should include:
  • An executive summary with main findings and recommendations for stakeholders and decision-makers
  • GIS visualizations, charts, graphs, and maps
  • Ideas of “generational integrity” by examining family systems and generational opportunities for home ownership
  • A community profile that summarizes the key characteristics of the neighborhood, including demographics, economic activities, and cultural aspects for use in planning or outreach efforts
• A summary presentation (and/or infographics) in accessible formats that can be used to engage community members, stakeholders, and local government officials
• A policy brief aimed at local policymakers that focuses on how your research can inform policy decisions related to economic development and community planning

There are a number of community outreach activities in The LINC project prior to the fellow’s arrival and during their fellowship. The fellow will have the opportunity to help organize and/or attend workshops or community meetings. They will also share findings with the local community, gather feedback, and foster discussion on economic strategies and neighborhood development.

What You’ll Bring

• Data analysis
• Design thinking
• Mapping (GIS)
• Policy analysis
• Qualitative interviewing and analysis