This document discusses a concept called "Citizenship" that aims to improve quality of life for residents in public housing. It proposes creating a community incubator/HUB that provides education, job training, and employment opportunities to address high unemployment rates. It also enables home ownership within existing public housing to boost civic pride and social mobility. An action plan involves establishing a co-op with rent-to-own incentives for public housing and identifying community needs and resources for the incubator HUB through phases of planning, infrastructure and implementation with support from residents, organizations, government and private groups.

1. Challenge Statement: Citizenship
How can the built environment support citizens to improve quality of
life as people start to live closer and more concentrated?
Image source Creative Commons: Jim Henderson
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2. Concept: Citizenship (Utopia Task Force)
 Problem:
 Isolation of the 8,000 residents in public housing from the rest of the community
 Nearly 50% unemployment within this group
 Solution:
 HUB/Community Incubator
– Access to education, job training, and employment opportunities
 Enable home ownership within existing public housing
 Benefits:
 Civic pride
 Economic and workforce development
 Social mobility
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3. Group: Citizenship – ACTION PLAN
Public Housing Action Plan
 Planning
− Financials, working with community
members, and presentation to
NYCHA
 Infrastructure
− Establish a “Co-op“ including rent-to-
own incentive
 Phased Implementation
HUB/Community Incubator Action Plan
 Identify Needs and Existing Resources
− Community building
− Provide social, financial and
economic services
 Implementation
− Secure financing, site planning,
identify private-public sponsors
− Membership/Incentive criteria

4. Group: Citizenship – ROLES and RESPONSIBILITIES
 Residents
 Local Community Organizations and Community Board
 Government (NYCHA and Mayor‘s Office)
 Public-Private Organizations
 Corporations
 Foundations
 Dreamers, Realists, Critics and Martians

5. Group: Citizenship - VISUAL
Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can
change the world;
indeed, it‘s the only thing
that ever has.
-Margaret Mead

6. Thanks!
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