The Living City Project- CityGap and CityLab

Sharjah M’Bodji’s Individual Project brought local storytelling to life through UbuntuHarlem Magazine: “The Fire This Time Begins With Us.”

Rooted in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, “I am because we are,” the magazine centers community, connection, and shared humanity. Through interviews, photoshoots, and creative collaboration, Sharjah highlighted the voices of Harlem youth (ages 14–25), capturing the heartbeat of the community. This issue explores the power of ARTivism (art + activism), using creativity to confront injustice, spark dialogue, and build collective strength.

Mason Sznip’s Individual Project imagines how the New York City AIDS Memorial can be further activated as a living space of remembrance and community. Centered in Greenwich Village, his work honors those lost during the AIDS Crisis while proposing new programming and public activities to bring people back into the space with intention and care.

Mason reached out to and interviewed Executive Director of the Memorial, Dave Harper, and shared his completed project with Mr. Harper. In his proposals, he intends to collaborate with survivors and the q***r community and visions to connect the past and present, ensuring we actively carry forward the memories together.

Thadeus Tuma’s individual project, From Scraps to Strategy: A New Life for Fashion (& the Garment District?), combines deep research with hands-on innovation to rethink the future of fashion in NYC.

After exploring the environmental and structural challenges of fast fashion and the Garment District, he designed a messenger bag from thrifted jeans that cuts emissions by 60% (6 kg CO₂e vs. 15–35+ kg CO₂e for a new bag). His work shows that while NYC has contributed to the problem, it can also be a uniquely active part of the solution by leveraging local skill, small-batch production, and upcycling innovation.

Sustainable fashion isn’t just possible; it’s already in the making in NYC.

Yoni explored the history of New York City’s Folk and Protest Music Scene through a fascinating walk in Greenwich Village. Along the way, the diverse stops revealed the reason behind the rise and fall of the scene, starting in the late 1940s with the formation of the Almanac Singers, and ending with Bob Dylan’s famous electric set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

Beginning at Kettle of Fish and ending at 8th Street Bookshop, the walk reflected truths about each location’s deep history that are invisible to the casual passerby, while creating an engaging experience for people on the Walk, exploring how protest, place, and performance defined an era and asking whether folk and protest music still have a home in the Village now.

Link to the walk: https://legacy.urbanarchive.org/stories/84cpbRZ3Twb

Collins Mkama’s independent project, Boxing Gyms: Personal Development and Community Impact, explored the role boxing gyms play beyond sport, focusing on their influence on community life and personal growth in New York City.

Drawing from his own background in boxing, Collins conducted field research at El Maestro Boxing Gym, Mendez Boxing Gym and Gleason’s Gym. Through interviews with gym owners, members and community partners, along with historical research, he examined how boxing gyms function as spaces for mentorship and belonging. His project culminated in a zine that brings together these insights while also exploring the history of boxing gyms in New York City and women’s experiences in the sport, highlighting how these community institutions shape development both inside and outside the ring.

Pragya’s individual project was a deeply researched 32-page policy memo comparing public space design and governance in NYC and Kathmandu. The idea grew organically from fieldwork, where she began questioning how public spaces are shaped back home while learning about their evolution in NYC. With interviews, academic research, and insights from the group project, she conducted rigorous analysis and developed thoughtful, practical policy recommendations for both cities. More than just strong scholarship, her work reflects a genuine commitment to improving the public realm — combining critical thinking with a desire to create more inclusive and vibrant urban spaces.

Living City Project’s Fall 2025 CityGAP cohort partnered with the NYC Department of Transportation to understand and analyze five DOT sites in the South Bronx neighborhoods of Crotona Park East and Longwood, to contribute to a new Neighborhood Plan.

After conducting extensive observations, interviews, research and analysis, the CityGAP participants made recommendations for each site: whether the DOT should turn the site into a Capital Project, Street Improvement Project or area for Further Study and Observations.

In addition, they also proposed methods for engaging local stakeholders in these neighborhoods through a community engagement plan.

The report provided data and analysis to supports DOT’s goal to make streets and public spaces more accessible and welcoming places for people of all ages, abilities, and socioeconomic status.

Understanding zoning, its history, land use, and ULURP at the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP), followed by a walk in East Flatbush with David Weissglass.

Thank you to our partners!!