Examples of online tools for residents to identify and advocate for community needs

DCP’s Community District Profiles is an interactive web tool that makes detailed data about community districts directly accessible to the public. The tool’s maps and statistics illustrate each district’s built environment, socio economic and demographic characteristics, and select service performance indicators. For example, information about the built environment, from land use and zoning rules to public facilities and existing and planned projects, can be found, alongside information about flood risk, and much more.

DCP’s Facilities Explorer uses data on more than 35,000 New York City facilities and program sites from nearly 100 City, State, and Federal agencies. This information can be viewed and downloaded using the Facilities Explorer, an interactive web tool that allows for the creation of custom maps to help New Yorkers better understand the breadth of government resources in their neighborhoods. City agencies also use the data to inform neighborhood planning, facility siting decisions,and fair share analyses.

How capital agencies collborate with community boards

The New York City Charter mandates an annual solicitation related to community district needs and budget requests from each of the City’s 59 community boards. DCP and OMB recently overhauled this process. By creating an online and standardized submission system, the needs request process is significantly more efficient for community boards and City agencies. The City receives over 3,500 prioritized budget requests each year – each of which receives a public respons from the responsible agency in that same budget year.

Additionally, every fall, OMB facilitates dozens of borough budget consultations, where Community Board members engage directly with various City capital and operational agencies. Community Boards define agendas for these meetings, which are intended to help them better understand agency strategies and funding considerations. This understanding informs the Community Boards’ formulation and ranking of budget requests to agencies in the coming budget cycle. District Consultations and Borough service cabinet meetings are other forums where How capital agencies collaborate with community boards agencies work with community board members to relay progress and iterate plans to better deliver on community needs.

Agencies draw on these formal submissions and related consultations to help identify neighborhood-specific and citywide issues and inform capital investments. This work is coupled with ongoing engagement with community boards, such as trainings, information sharing, and charettes.

Source: DCP

DOT Street Ambassador Program - How DOT facilitates direct conversations on street safety improvements

Since 2015, DOT has used its Street Ambassador Program to expand public engagement around its Street Improvement Projects. The Ambassadors engage the community at events, parks, and busy streets, using smartphones to collect information regarding street and safety improvements in many languages. These conversations reach groups that are traditionally underrepresented at public meetings. DOT uses this information to help prioritize specific street and safety improvements.

How DDC incorporates community feedback

DDC has expanded its community and government relations functions to implement a robust borough-based communications strategy. The agency engages communities as partners in decision-making related to execution of construction and its day-to-day impacts on the community, such as water shutdowns or the coordination of work hours to avoid creating vibrations near facilities that do surgeries. The agency keeps the neighborhood apprised of construction progress, coordinates street closures and utility shutoffs, and can arrange special requests such as deliveries to local homes and businesses. Borough-specific assistant directors are responsible for early and continuous outreach to key project stakeholders to address project issues.

DDC is currently conducting a pilot program that allows the agency to improve how it manages the work of community construction liaisons (CCLs). CCLs are community members or stakeholders with relationships in the community who can help develop enhanced outreach and new communications tools. Additional efforts to engage communities in project planning and delivery include a new process to provide communities with earlier notification of scheduled projects, the appointment of business corridor liaisons to work with the small business community, and enhanced community engagement on new and complex programs, such as East Side Coastal Resiliency.