Program Overview The Designed by Community Fellowship was a paid fellowship and project funding opportunity to support community members in designing and developing hyper-localized solutions related to the COVID-19 crisis for and with NYCHA communities. The Service Design Studio at
Legislative Advocacy TakeRoot supports campaign to create Commercial Rent Stabilization in NYC. As part of the USBnyc Coalition (2018-2023), we helped pass the law that created mandatory storefront registrations and the resultant publicly available data, a requirement that the city
TakeRoot supports community organizations resisting private development by providing strategic and legal advice on the environmental review and the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). ULURP requires that applications to rezone an area be reviewed by the relevant Community Board
In early 2015, TakeRoot Justice joined a collective of technical assistance providers with expertise in planning, housing policy, legal services, popular education, and design to together support local organizing in communities the City selected for rezoning.
With the support of the Neighborhoods First Fund, TakeRoot’s Equitable Neighborhoods team represented Tenants United Fighting for the Lower East Side (TUFF-LES), CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities and Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) in 2017-2022 as they worked with Manhattan
TakeRoot’s Equitable Neighborhoods team takes on matters where organizing groups are enforcing zoning and environmental laws. Examples of past campaigns supported by litigation: Chhaya CDC, Minkwon Center for Community Action and the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce v. NYC Department
Publicly owned land and buildings create important opportunities to create shared community spaces, affordable housing, and more, but too often, these sites are sold or taken out of public control with very little meaningful community input. NYCommons breaks this pattern
Charity organizations own buildings that house daycares and mosques, arts organizations and churches, food pantries and theaters; they own land for community gardens, playgrounds and farms. State law is clear that they are all entitled to property tax exemptions from
The Equitable Neighborhoods practice at TakeRoot Justice can partner with your organization to educate community members and the public about law and policy. Equitable Neighborhoods team members can facilitate workshops for community members directly, or can work with partners to
In 2017, the Equitable Neighborhoods practice joined our clients, elected advocates Councilman Antonio Reynoso and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and the Regional Plan Association to create a platform for reforming the processes through which private development is approved in
