Creative Urban Alchemy, LLC

??? Kingsborough Storywalk Design Launch The Public Housing Community Fund and residents of #KingsboroughHouses are thrilled to welcome Creative Urban Alchemy, LLC and Jerome Haferd Studio as #Storywalk #Designers and #CommunityEngagement Consultants for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)’s Kingsborough Houses! The team, including architecture professionals Jerome Haferd, Ifeoma E., Violet Nash Greenberg, and Pedro Cruz Cruz, will lead a participatory design process focused on collective storytelling, iterative engagement, and residents' lived experiences. Over the next four months, they’ll utilize tools like narrative mapping, photovoice, AI, and collage to guide residents in #designworkshops, alongside our artist-in-residence, Fulton Art Fair Inc., and the Fund’s Oral Historian, Saijah W.. Funded in part by the Mellon Foundation, this project is an exciting step in the restoration of #ExodusandDance. Learn more:?https://lnkd.in/eJkM8w3p #PublicHousing #CommunityDesign #Storytelling #ParticipatoryDesign

In Flatbush, Brooklyn, a multidisciplinary team of designers and community activists at Growhouse NYC and Creative Urban Alchemy, LLC brought their vision for the Flatbush African Burial Ground to life in early August. Alongside many community healers and creatives, the team reclaimed the space with colorful ancestral altars, healing stations to demonstrate a vision for a new memorial, new signage for their Black History Corridor, dancing, painting, planting seeds and new ideas… Swipe to see the joyful and collaborative Black Utopia the Flatbush project team built, and then go walk the Black History Corridor! You can access the map here: https://lnkd.in/gJFTB_u3 Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) Growhouse NYC Creative Urban Alchemy, LLC Immanuel Oni and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Image credit: Tenneh J. S. and Zachary Schulman This project is made possible with lead support from the Mellon Foundation and with additional major support from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION, INC., the NYC Green Relief & Recovery Fund, and Lily Auchincloss Foundation

Local Center Dispatch: WNYC Radio stopped by the Flatbush African Burial Ground to speak with community members about reclaiming that public space and honoring ancestors across the Black diaspora. The event was organized by a multidisciplinary team: Growhouse NYC, Creative Urban Alchemy, LLC, Immanuel Oni and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. The Flatbush team is supported by the Local Center, a community design initiative by Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) and Urban Design Forum. This project is made possible with lead support from the Mellon Foundation and with additional major support from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the ROBERT STERLING CLARK FOUNDATION, INC., the NYC Green Relief & Recovery Fund, and Lily Auchincloss Foundation https://lnkd.in/g-ijqGby?

We’re looking forward to getting started!

Our cultural markers are finally installed along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn! We partnered with Growhouse Community Design + Development to create cultural signs along Flatbush Avenue, marking the beginning of Black History + Heritage Corridors in neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn. This transformative project celebrates the rich cultural connections and historical legacy of people of African descent in Brooklyn, aiming to uplift a community long marginalized, discriminated against, and disenfranchised by the very city they call home. This project is in advance of Growhouse’s approach to the 400th anniversary of New Amsterdam’s founding in 1625. A citywide youth design competition was held and three youth artists of color were selected and awarded (Astra Baker (Local Artist), Jojo Buchmannaine (Local Artist), Lorraine Colbert and community partner Shanna Sabio (Local Artist). Their work was installed along Flatbush Avenue, creating a Black History + Heritage Corridor connecting two significant sites in Black history: Lefferts Historic House and the Flatbush African Burial Ground. The Corridor transcends mere preservation—the goal is to actively weave a cultural and economic ecosystem that will connect Black historic sites like the Flatbush African Burial Ground and Weeksville Heritage Society to contemporary Black-owned businesses. In the face of climate change and shifting demographics, The Corridor fosters community resilience, healing, and inspiration, empowering us to forge collective futures that resonate with the essence of Black people throughout the diaspora across generations. This project is supported by the New York City Department of Transportation Urban Design Forum and their collaboration with the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) on the local design center initiative; and the generous support of Mellon Foundation https://lnkd.in/eHNDm7XA

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For the past year we have been partnering with Growhouse Community Design + Development to develop a youth centered approach to activating the Flatbush African Burial Ground and a Black History & Heritage Corridor in central Brooklyn. Join us on August 3 and 10 for Brooklyn. Black. Utopia. Where we will be guiding young leaders in transforming the sacred ground into a space for healing, repair and culturally centered #climateaction. I’m so excited for you all to share this experience with us! Thank you for to the following orgs for their generous support of this initiative Mellon Foundation Urban Design Forum Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) https://lnkd.in/en-F9__Z

Join us for the opening of Reparations in Public Space - an immersive exhibit exploring the healing potential of public space RSVP at https://lnkd.in/ek4grqi3

We completed the conceptual master plan for BT Farms with Creative Urban Alchemy, LLC - a agriculturally-centered community based in Madison, Wisconsin. With over 200 pages of site analysis and design guidelines, this landscape approach focuses on the balance of indigenous landscapes, preservation of wetlands and the economic viability of agriculture all on one site!

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