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ABOUT RCI - Awarded the 2004 Meritorious Achievement Award by the NY Metro American Planning Association
The
Rebuild Chinatown Initiative (RCI) is a comprehensive community-based
planning project sponsored by Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE),
to engage Chinatown stakeholders including residents, businesses,
and public agencies in the revitalization of Chinatown. In the aftermath
of September 11, 2001, Chinatown has experienced a decline in investment
of infrastructure, jobs, housing, and quality of life. RCI has brought
attention to these issues by working with the stakeholders of Chinatown
and representing their concerns to the highest levels of government.
In its first phase, RCI collected 1,797 surveys from over
50 organizations including nonprofits, religious institutions, trade
organizations, family associations, and health clinics; information
was also collected at various community events. RCI sponsored community
meetings to engage members of the Chinatown community regarding
their concerns and viewpoints on the future of Chinatown in New
York City. The Community Speaks report analyzed the needs
of the community with recommendations on how to address each of
these concerns.
The second phase of RCI shifted from assessing the current
situation to creating a vision of what Chinatown in New York City
can be. In America’s Chinatown: A Community Plan
eight initiatives were highlighted and they include: Historic Chinatown,
Arts and Architecture, Jobs, the Waterfront, Linkages, Affordable
Housing, Family Neighborhoods, and Business districts. Each of these
initiatives were addressed with innovative recommendations and some
of these RCI recommendations are currently being implemented.
The last stage of RCI is to focus on establishing new community
entities that can carry on RCI’s work by designing, implementing,
and managing new proposals and provisions recommended in the Community
Plan.
The Chinatown Partnership LDC is a new economic
development corporation led by a talented group of individuals dedicated
to strengthening Chinatown as a center of commerce, business, culture,
and tourism. Within the next two years, Chinatown Partnership LDC
is developing a broad agenda of projects and activities and they
include: supporting and promoting cultural events, developing a
“Night Market”, use of banners to promote business districts,
creating a heritage trail of historic sites, enhancing Chatham Square
as a main public square by installing public art and signs, and
developing a community-wide street cleaning project.
The Chinatown Design Lab is an innovative project
which brings talented artists, architects, community activists,
and landscape architects together to create urban design guidelines
to reflect the value and history of the Chinatown community for
key public spaces like the East River Waterfront.
RCI has formed partnerships with Lower East Side community organizations
and groups in Chinatown to form a coalition known as United
Neighborhoods to Revitalize Allen and Pike Streets (UNRAP).
UNRAP has become a successful advocate for the
Allen and Pike Street revitalization efforts from the co-naming
of Allen Street to the “Avenue of the Immigrants” to
current projects of pedestrian safety. RCI has created a forum for
Chinatown to have a voice in the future of the redevelopment efforts
of Lower Manhattan. Future generations will have the opportunity
to experience all the amenities that Chinatown has to offer as well
as its rich cultural history.
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