Author: Public Works Partners

The Dog Days of Summer: Why NYC is so hot and what we can do about it

It’s hot out there New York City and the surrounding area saw a record-breaking heat wave at the end of July. Newark, New Jersey saw five straight days of temperatures over 100-degrees, the longest such streak ever. Sweltering temperatures are a real threat–extreme heat is the most common weather-related cause of death in the United […]

Kids, Baseball, and Summer in the City: Why Investing in Our Young People Matters

Summer in New York City has always meant venturing out to enjoy the warmth, energy, and life of the City. For many young people, this has meant playing sports. Whether it be heading to the nearest basketball court for a pickup game, the local park with a soccer ball, a community pool to help cool […]

Our Democracy’s Future: Democratic Innovation in New York City

Democracies are stronger when citizens are engaged. This statement holds true at the national, state, county, and city level. New York City, as part of its OneNYC initiative, has committed to strengthening public participation and inclusion through democratic innovation that makes participation a key feature of government. Democratic innovation is the process of reforming democratic […]

Get to know the New York City Charter

A city charter is a document that functions somewhat like a constitution for the city. It enshrines certain functions of government and sets the rules for elections, land-use, and city government agencies. As cities innovate and change to better meet the needs of their communities, charters can quickly become relics of bygone times. To ensure […]

A Community Outreach Tool to Support Your Next Engagement Plan

A detailed community engagement plan is a key component of a successful outreach strategy. Community engagement plans establish a framework to guide your engagement by identifying stakeholders, engagement tactics, timelines, goals, and metrics to assess the success of your engagement. While every engagement strategy will look different, there are key elements that remain constant: confirming […]

PACT Resource Team Announces Pool of Prequalified Technical Assistance Providers

Public Works Partners, along with LISC NYC, has announced the establishment of a pool of prequalified independent consultants who can be tapped to provide direct, technical assistance to New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents as part of a program called the PACT Resource Team. The Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program is a critical […]

What’s Next for the Summer Youth Employment Program

For teenagers, planning summer break can be exciting, but also anxiety inducing for those looking to secure a job for the summer months. In NYC, teenagers who spend their summers earning extra cash for themselves or to support their families often rely on the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) for job placement. SYEP is the […]

New Strategies for a New Reality: Cloudburst Flooding

When you think of stormwater management, what do you think of? If you thought of water trailing down city streets and flowing into storm drains that lead into a sewer system or local waterways, you’d be right. But that is only one part of the stormwater management puzzle. Green infrastructure and public spaces also play […]

Thinking about an agile assessment? This tool is for you

What is Agile Assessment? Agile assessments evaluate program impact and efficiency, provide performance management and optimization, and offer actionable feedback for clients. Public Works Partners employs a range of methods to conduct thorough assessments on a specific topic in a short period of time–usually less than two months. We collect data through a variety of […]

Evaluate and Innovate: Using Evaluation Tools to Ensure Long-Term Success

One of the biggest misconceptions about evaluations is that their primary purpose is to fix problems. Short-term improvements are one of the benefits of an evaluation for sure, but they are far from their only intended outcome. When the Public Works Partners team is engaged to begin an evaluation–whether it be an organizational evaluation, implementation […]

Nor’easter Thoughts: Community Engagement in the Winter

Very few events can slow the breakneck pace of life in New York City like a heavy snowfall. As many of us experienced this weekend, a winter storm leads New Yorkers to stay at home, holed up and waiting for spring. Even in the absence of a blizzard, people are inclined to spend more time […]

What’s More Exciting than Infrastructure? Why the Infrastructure Bill is an Even Bigger Deal than You May Think.

Nothing quite excites an office of planners and policy analysts like a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure. The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is worth celebration, both from the folks in the business of building and from the public. In the coming months and years, the mild, yet relatively palpable, current public […]