2008 Yolanda Garcia Community Planner Award Call for Nominations

May 05, 2008

The Yolanda Garcia Community Planner Award (YGCP) acknowledges the often-unsung leaders of grassroots, community-based planning. The award was created to commemorate the work of Ms. Yolanda Garcia, a community activist in the South Bronx. Under Ms. Garcia’s leadership, the residents of Melrose challenged the city, created an alternative to an urban renewal plan, and transformed a neighborhood. The organization created by Ms. Garcia, We Stay/Nos Quedamos, is bringing that community’s vision to life through planning, design, construction, and programming. On April 19, 2007, the second annual YGCP award was presented to Ms. Elizabeth Yeampierre during a spirited celebration for her work at UPROSE.

About Yolanda Garcia

In the late 1980’s the Melrose section of the Bronx was presented with an urban renewal plan that would displace long-time community residents and businesses. The plan, which had been developed with almost no community input, encountered overwhelming community opposition. At the time, Melrose had a population of nearly 6,000 people and 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. 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.

Under Ms. Garcia’s leadership and at the request of the Bronx Borough President, Nos Quedamos created an alternative plan for the neighborhood, working in conjunction with the Department of City Planning and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Today Melrose Commons is a mixed-use, mixed income development—portions of which were built by We Stay/Nos Quedamos. The plan, which focused on limiting displacement, has significantly improved the physical and economic environment of the neighborhood and has improved the quality of life for local residents. Furthermore, the process, which was community led, empowered local residents to become engaged in their community.

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. In a planning environment where community is sometimes an afterthought, Ms. Garcia’s courage and confidence in her community’s ability to plan is even more impressive than the high level of planning proficiency she gained leading her community through this process. 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.

Award Criteria

This year the Planning Center is seeking to present the YGCP award to a community planner who embodies the spirit of the work of Ms. Garcia and Nos Quedamos. The award will be presented to an individual who has demonstrated his or her ability to overcome the many obstacles to grassroots, community-based planning and has succeeded in bringing neighborhood need and vision into New York City’s planning process. The award recipient must:

• - Work on a placed-based community plan aimed at addressing local needs, limiting displacement, and improving the overall quality of life for neighborhood residents
• - Be a self-taught planner with no formal, academic, or professional training as a planner
• - Work in a low to moderate income community within NYC’s five boroughs
• - Use an inclusive, community-driven approach that values participation and the use of local knowledge
• - Have a proactive approach to planning focusing not only on advocacy but the actual creation and implementation of a community-based plan.

 

Nominations are to be submitted as essays, not to exceed 500 words, by a person familiar with the applicant’s work. Nominate someone online.

Nominations will be reviewed by the YGCP awards selection committee. Past members have included Yolanda Gonzalez, Nos Quedamos Executive Director, Karen Philips, City Planning Commissioner, Tom Angotti, Hunter College Professor, Ron Shiffman, Pratt Institute Professor, and Micaela Birmingham, New Yorkers for Parks.

The recipient will receive a $2500 cash gift and will be honored at a ceremony in early July.

Important Dates

May 5 – Announcement of the award and call for nominations
May 30 – End of nomination period
July 9 – Award presentation

For questions, please contact Lacey Tauber, Community Liaison at 212-935-3960 or via e-mail at ltauber@mas.org.

We look forward to your participation!

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