beyond green
beyond green is a project resulting from a year-long collaboration with the Catalyst Program, an initiative from Partnership for Parks (NYC) that helps create self-determined park communities through long-term engagement. During their engagement with communities, people are connected to park spaces, get access to skill-building programs, are connected with community groups and organizations, and are provided other key resources. We call Catalyst’s work civic activation, a process in which public spaces are used to leverage the power of the communities in which these spaces exist.
We have grown to use the bonsai as a metaphor for self-determined communities, since they are both special and contained entities; with the right care each can grow in strength, uniqueness, and lifetime. We believe that community initiatives, in order to be really visible, accessible, and inclusive, need to be community-led and exist in the public space.
team Emily Jarvis, Isabella Brandalise and Nelesi Rodriguez
partner Catalyst Program / Partnerships for Parks
school The New School
course University Transdisciplinary Graduate Lab / Civic Innovation: Strategies and Tools for Transformative Change
instructors Eduardo Staszowski, Michele Kahane and Nidhi Srinivas
place New York City, USA
year Spring 2015 / Fall 2015
partner Catalyst Program / Partnerships for Parks
school The New School
course University Transdisciplinary Graduate Lab / Civic Innovation: Strategies and Tools for Transformative Change
instructors Eduardo Staszowski, Michele Kahane and Nidhi Srinivas
place New York City, USA
year Spring 2015 / Fall 2015