Hester Street Collaborative

Hester Street provided technical assistance and capacity-building support to community-based organizations (CBOs) and government agencies to advance participatory planning, transformative policy, and equitable community development. They focussed on low-income communities and communities of color – people and places historically excluded from civic decision-making. Their team was made up of designers, architects, planners, community developers, and organizers who paired technical expertise with a deep understanding that the most successful projects and plans are grounded in local needs and informed by community priorities. 

Hester Street deployed four core strategies in its practice: 1.) Start with neighborhoods to build on existing social networks and local institutions; 2.) Change the narrative by centering communities of color; 3.) Re-imagine democracy and re-shape government to be more inclusive, equitable, and accountable; and 4.) Build power and deliver impact by equipping communities with tools to level the playing field. 

The organization worked with partners serving all over New York City,  New York State, and throughout the country. They worked closely with CBOs led by and serving communities of color to provide technical capacity to advance their goals and project work. They also worked with government executives, staff, legislators, and agencies to develop and deploy the skills and tools necessary to ensure transparency, accessibility, equity, and accountability to communities of color. 

Hester Street developed neighborhood plans that prioritize affordable housing, economic opportunity, and public health; supported efforts to strengthen economic self-sufficiency and self-determination in the Navajo Nation; stemmed the tide of CBO displacement by acquiring and developing new community centers in NYC; advanced people-powered, culturally-driven, post-disaster climate justice in San Juan, Puerto Rico; re-imagined beloved and democratic public institutions – libraries and parks – as true Palaces for the People, and; engaged hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in policy conversations for cultural equity, mental health for all, gender equity, and the future of fair housing. 

In August 2024, Hester Street closed its operations.

We had a chance to talk with Isella Ramirez of Hester Street about their projects, and how their particular form of activism helps facilitate thoughtful development on behalf of historically voiceless communities in East Harlem and beyond. Listen to the episode below.