MKCA and Design Advocates are honored to be participating in Neighborhoods Now, a collaborative initiative between the architecture community and community groups in the four New York City neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19.

Through August, in partnership with a local organization in each neighborhood, working groups will engage closely with local stakeholders and draw upon public health best practices to develop tailored solutions for shared gathering spaces, including restaurants, storefronts, civic and cultural organizations, parks, and streets.

The outcome will be a set of design recommendations, prototypes, and installations empowering communities to respond to their immediate needs, while contributing to the city-wide strategy on pandemic response.

MKCA is coordinating a group of 6 firms focused on empowering and assisting local restaurants in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, in collaboration with Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition. Neighborhoods Now is an initiative organized by Van Alen Institute and the Urban Design Forum.