Author Archives: Rowan Wu

  1. Fellowship Opportunity: Building Capital

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    Open Call for a Building Capital Fellow

    Open House New York (OHNY) seeks an inquisitive and collaborative professional to serve as our Building Capital Fellow. The Fellowship is a paid, year-long, part-time opportunity that invites an emerging leader from a historically under-represented community to lead research, content creation, and program design for OHNY’s newest Urban Systems series, Building Capital: The Value of Place.

    Fellowship applications are due January 31, 2023 with a target start date in March 2023.

    About Building Capital

    From municipal bonds to affordable housing tax credits, highway construction to park development, the flow of financial capital drives the shape and function of the built environment—defining who has access to opportunity and who does not.

    Building Capital: The Value of Place is a multiyear investigation into how different forms of capital—financial, cultural, community—determine quality of place and quality of life in New York. Launching in spring 2023, the series aims to equip community and cultural organizations confronting or spearheading neighborhood change with practical resources, know-how, and a supportive peer network as they work to reverse decades of chronic disinvestment.

    Elevating the role of cultural anchors and community-driven solutions for promoting equitable development, the series will address two primary themes:

    • How a combination of financial, cultural, and community assets can mitigate chronic disinvestment and legacies of discriminatory policy and planning practices in communities of color; and
    • How place, race, and access determine quality of life in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

    Building Capital: The Value of Place is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and presented in partnership with Bloomberg Connects.

    About the Fellowship

    The Building Capital Fellow will be responsible for identifying themes, issues, and civic, private, and public sector actors in order to develop a research base and programs for OHNY’s newest Urban Systems series, Building Capital: The Value of Place. The Fellow will develop an in-depth understanding of the economic, cultural, social, and built systems of New York City, gaining an exposure to industry leaders across sectors with support from a dedicated Building Capital Steering Committee, Advisors, and OHNY staff.

    This is a unique opportunity for a recent graduate or emerging leader to build their professional skills and network at a fast-paced civic non-profit committed to catalyzing access, transparency, and equity across the five boroughs.

    The Fellowship is a paid year-long opportunity for emerging professionals, which may be extended beyond the first year for an additional stipend. The Fellowship is not a staff position; no benefits or health insurance will be provided.

    Eligibility

    Applicants must be able to dedicate approximately 40 hours per month for the Fellowship for a year-long period beginning in early 2023. Eligible candidates are individuals with 3+ years of professional experience conducting research, developing programs, and producing written material for general audiences. Students are not eligible to apply, except for Ph.D. candidates who meet the Fellowship qualifications.

    All applicants must, at the time of their application and throughout the Fellowship, have the legal ability to work in the United States and must reside in the New York City area for in-person meetings.

    Open House New York encourages candidates from any and all backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, gender identities, and lived experiences to apply, particularly applicants who are from historically underrepresented and underinvested communities. We are an organization that is committed to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in all aspects of our work, most importantly our team.

    Responsibilities

    The Fellow will play a critical role in content creation for the Building Capital series by leading research and program development and supporting stakeholder engagement.

    The Fellow is required to:

    • Conduct research on themes and issues on the role of financial, cultural, and community capital in shaping quality of life.
    • Identify potential partners, projects, and issues to elevate in public programs.
    • Attend remote and in-person meetings with the Building Capital Steering Committee, Advisors, and OHNY staff to share findings and recommendations, advance program development, and document insights from meetings.
    • Summarize the issues, themes, and goals of Building Capital through framing and context statements for the series (see Deliverables below).
    • Conceptualize program formats, speakers, and topics into a program plan that engages specific communities and general audiences around issues defining the series (see Deliverables below).
    • Develop case studies and other information or resources for community partners
    • Document resources and reference materials (i.e. talks, podcasts, videos, books, articles, case studies, websites) for further investigation, which will be published on a dedicated Building Capital website.
    Deliverables

    The Fellow will produce the following deliverables:

    • Framing Statement: A 1,000—1,500-word essay that frames the series; identifies the major questions and issues that the series will address; and articulates its aims and goals
    • Context Statement: A 3,000—5,000-word essay that defines and contextualizes the problem and sub-themes the series will explore
    • Landscape Analysis: A survey of the current state of practice, identifying civic, cultural, and private sector actors at the forefront of equitable neighborhood development.
    • Case Studies: Robust and detailed examples of equitable neighborhood development strategies that combine financial, cultural, and community capital.
    • Public Programs: Approximately 25-40 public programs (mix of in-person and virtual) for both general audiences and community-based organizations as outlined in a Building Capital Program Plan developed by OHNY Staff. Programs should actively engage communities around the questions, issues, and sub-themes defined in the Framing and Context Statements. Programs should also address insights and priorities surfaced in discussions with the Building Capital Steering Committee. Deliverables for each program include details such as program titles; descriptions; locations; partners; speakers; and other relevant information. OHNY will be responsible for organizing and implementing the programs, with input as needed by the Fellow.
    • (Optional) Keynote presentation(s): Highly visual presentations summarizing findings for target audiences.
    Stipend & Benefits
    • Stipend: $36,000 for one year, payable in monthly installments of $3,000, for approximately 40 hours per month.
    • Impact: Contribute to the development of applied resources and long-term partnerships for community and cultural organizations working to reverse decades of chronic disinvestment.
    • Cross-Sector Industry Exposure:  Exposure to a broad range of organizations and individuals across public, private, and civic sectors in NYC, including community and economic development, urban planning, design, arts and culture, government, and business.
    • Professional Experience and Expertise: Opportunity to strengthen skills in research, program design and development, and stakeholder engagement. Fellow will also learn about the civic, physical, social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues defining New York, and gain a comprehensive understanding about how urban systems impact quality of place and quality of life in New York and other cities.
    • Relationship-Building: The Fellow will liaise with senior leaders and experts serving on the Steering Committee. The Fellow will also work closely with partners, the Executive Director and Program Manager to co-create written and programmatic content for the Building Capital series. The Fellow will have the opportunity to present their work to tailored audiences including policymakers, community leaders, and the general public.
    • Public Education: The Fellow will directly shape and inform OHNY’s public programs that reach an audience of 150K+, and play a central role in defining the scope, goals, and impact of a multi-year series.
    • Flexible Work: Work may be conducted remotely, however some in-person meetings will be required; no additional travel budget will be provided to Fellow.
    Qualifications

    Candidates should possess 3+ years of experience as a researcher and/or storyteller translating complex topics for public audiences in layman’s terms. The ideal candidate will also:

    • Be familiar with New York City’s neighborhood(s) and development.
    • Have a background in community or economic development, public policy, government, architecture, urban design, urban planning, real estate and development, or a similar field.
    • Identify as a member of community that is historically under-represented, including but not limited to people of color, people from low-income, LGBTQ, or immigrant communities.
    • Be committed to values of openness, access, and equity.
    • Possess strong organization, project management, and communication skills.
    • Be curious, self-directed, and able to work in a small, collaborative team with a broad range of stakeholders.

    Candidates selected for a final interview will be asked to submit a project proposal outlining a work plan for the deliverables outlined above, and provide documentation of previous work that speaks to their experience developing and executing projects with similar ambitions.

    Timeline
    • Application deadline: January 31, 2023
    • Target start date: March 2023 (flexible)
    • Term: Minimum of one year with option to extend

    How To Apply

    Please email a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and references as a single PDF to [email protected]. Please include Building Capital Fellow + “Your Name” in the subject line.

    On the fence about applying or need more information? Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions. No phone calls please.

  2. Building Capital: Steering Committee and Advisors

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    Building Capital: The Value of Place is a multiyear investigation into how different forms of capital—financial, cultural, community—determine quality of place and quality of life in New York. Launching in spring 2023, the series aims to equip community and cultural organizations confronting or spearheading neighborhood change with practical resources, know-how, and a supportive peer network as they work to reverse decades of chronic disinvestment.

    Building Capital is produced by Open House New York in partnership with a Steering Committee and Advisors comprised of leaders in community development and cultural, educational, and financial institutions. Together, the Steering Committee and Advisors form a powerful network of individuals who will harness deep subject matter expertise, and who themselves represent diverse communities that OHNY seeks to learn from—and with—through this investigation.

    Stay tuned for more information about who we’re working with on this series. Building Capital partners will soon be announced, and if your organization would like to join this effort, please contact Chuck Hovanic at [email protected].

    Steering Committee

    Steering Committee members represent OHNY’s organizational partners and are responsible for contributing insights and learnings at both closed-door sessions and public programs, and collaborating on the program plan.

    Steering Committee responsibilities include:

    • Partner with OHNY on Building Capital series as an individual or on behalf of your organization
    • Actively participate in Building Capital launch (Spring 2023)
    • Attend 3 Steering Committee meetings over 2 years
    • Contributing insights and learnings to OHNY staff and in Steering Committee meetings
    • Collaborate on programming plan by identifying potential partners, projects, and issues to elevate in public programs
    • Facilitate partnerships and relationship building for OHNY
    • Moderate or facilitate programs (optional)

    Advisors

    Advisors are leaders from the public, private, and civic sectors, who are shaping the program plan, helping to foster local relationships, and are actively participating in public programs.

    Advisor responsibilities include:

    • Actively participate in Building Capital launch (Spring 2023)
    • Collaborate on programming plan, contributing insights and learnings
    • Identify potential speakers and facilitate relationship building for OHNY
    • Moderate or facilitate programs

  3. Building Capital: The Value of Place

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    From municipal bonds to affordable housing tax credits, highway construction to park development, the flow of financial capital underpins the design and function of the built environment, shaping who has access to opportunity—and who does not.

    Building Capital: The Value of Place is a multiyear investigation into how different forms of capital—financial, cultural, community—determine quality of place and quality of life in New York. Launching in spring 2023, the series aims to equip community and cultural organizations confronting or spearheading neighborhood change with practical resources, know-how, and a supportive peer network as they work to reverse decades of chronic disinvestment.

    Elevating the role of cultural anchors and community-driven solutions for promoting equitable development, the series will address two primary themes:

    • How a combination of financial, cultural, and community assets can mitigate chronic disinvestment and legacies of discriminatory policy and planning practices in communities of color; and
    • How place, race, and access determine quality of life in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

    Building Capital: The Value of Place is presented in partnership with Bloomberg Connects and is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and M&T Bank.

    text saying national endowment for the arts
    –

    Program Activities

    “Making Place” Neighborhood Spotlights
    A series of 360-degree spotlights exploring how communities are evolving to strengthen connections between people and place at the neighborhood level, featuring programs and activations that bring neighborhood groups together in new ways and with new understandings of their own local communities as well as others across the city that might provide peer-support in the form of learnings or inspiration. These programs will be realized by working closely with local stakeholders and community members to feature resident voices who are knowledgeable about the history, culture, and infrastructure that collectively “make place” in their neighborhood.

    Community Workshops
    Workshops across the five boroughs convening local stakeholders to invite participatory neighborhood activation investigate investment sources and community design strategies led by cultural actors/artists. Workshops culminate in participatory neighborhood activation.

    Building Capital Fellow
    A year-long, paid professional opportunity for an emerging leader from underrepresented communities to lead research, content co-creation, and program design and implementation.

    About the Building Capital Fellow

    OHNY Weekend
    Building Capital is leveraging OHNY Weekend’s extensive citywide platform through local engagement and co-creation with artists, historians, experts, and other community organizations who have been historically underrepresented in the festival lineup.

    About OHNY Weekend

    Partners

    Building Capital is produced by Open House New York in partnership with leaders and community-based organizations at the forefront of community, cultural, and economic development in New York City. Through partnerships with community leaders like LISC NYC, Building Capital will explore the role of capital in determining quality of place and quality of life in New York.

    About LISC NYC

    More Building Capital partners will soon be announced. If your organization would like to join this effort, please contact Chuck Hovanic at [email protected].

    Steering Committee and Advisors

    A Steering Committee and Advisors comprised of leaders in community development and cultural, educational, and financial institutions are shaping the Building Capital series. Together, the Steering Committee and Advisors form a powerful network of individuals who will harness deep subject matter expertise, and who themselves represent diverse communities that OHNY seeks to learn from—and with—through this investigation. Stay tuned for more information about who we’re working with on this series.

    Learn more

    About Urban Systems

    Urban Systems is a themed series investigating the forces that shape New York City. The series offers an insider’s look at economic, environmental, technological, and cultural shifts transforming the city’s infrastructure and systems, both natural and constructed. Though programs that educate and engage New Yorkers about the way we create, manage, and adapt spaces in the city, OHNY aims to enhance quality of place in underinvested communities and improve how the city functions for all.

    Since 2014, Urban Systems has delved into the natural and built systems that power New York City and its inhabitants, from how we feed the city to how we transport people and goods. Through talks, tours, and more, the series invites key policymakers, planners, and practitioners to share a behind-the-scenes look at the most pressing issues facing New York City. Prior Urban Systems series have explored the impact of manufacturing, food systems, sanitation and waste, justice systems, transportation, and libraries on the urban environment.

  4. Meet Iftekhar Khan, Bloomberg Arts Intern

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    Iftekhar Khan joined Open House New York as a Programs Intern in July 2022. He currently attends Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical High School in Jamaica, Queens. He works on OHNY’s database finding contact information for potential partner organizations for their upcoming OHNY Weekend event. His goal for this internship is to gain better social and communications skills and work experience. In his free time, he loves drawing and working on his artwork, exploring New York with his friends, and being around loved ones.

    What excites you about interning at Open House New York?

    Working with all the amazing people here. Everyone is really nice and welcoming.

    What’s your favorite neighborhood or place in New York?

    I really like Manhattan. I think the city looks beautiful and that all the architecture and stores are really cool.

    Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

    I see myself just graduating college and working at a company. Not exactly sure where, but I know I have interests in working in architecture and business.

    If you could ‘unlock’ any building in New York, what would it be?

    I would unlock the Empire State Building. The Empire State Building amazes me and I just think it’s a really unique place.

    Bloomberg Arts Internship

    The Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program offers rising public school seniors summer internships at cultural non-profits to provide skills and experience. Since 2012, the program has offered New York City students (at participating CTE high schools) paid opportunities to try out arts careers; hone workplace, career, and communication skills; and sharpen their writing. Bloomberg Arts Internship is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

  5. Meet Kevin Chan, Bloomberg Arts Intern

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    Kevin Chan joined Open House New York as a Programs Intern in July 2022. He currently attends Midwood High School in Brooklyn and is from Sheepshead Bay. He works alongside Iftekhar on the OHNY database to find connections and contacts for previous organizations that participated in past OHNY Weekends. His goal for this internship is to improve his communication skills and learn about the many programs/organizations and arts that New York has to offer. During his free time, he enjoys sleeping in the comfort of his bed and drawing and exploring art at almost any chance he gets. He also enjoys learning about cultures all around the world.

    What excites you about interning at Open House New York?

    I am most excited to explore the city and learn about other organizations that call New York City their home. I find it interesting to learn about the culture of others and see the wide variety of art and designs scattered around the city. At Open House New York, these possibilities come true as I get the chance to learn about the organizations collaborating with OHNY to make New York City shine even brighter than before. Not to mention exploring the city in my free time and seeing what art and culture they offer!

    What’s your favorite neighborhood or place in New York?

    My favorite neighborhood would probably be Sheepshead Bay. It’s where I grew up and am most fond of. I love the calm and peaceful atmosphere that it brings, everything there is much more relaxed, and I tend to take walks outside in my free time with my family. There are certain avenues that I frequently visit which offer wide varieties of food! The harbor is also a pleasant place that I go to as well, the swans swimming and the sea breeze is refreshing.

    Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

    Personally, I see myself in five years definitely working in my last year of college. I can see myself possibly scrambling everything I have to get an assignment done after procrastinating for two weeks. In those 5 years, I’m definitely improving in my design and art skills, along with attending an art college.

    If you could ‘unlock’ any building in New York, what would it be?

    If I were able to unlock any place, I would say the Metropolitan Museum, When I first visited the museum, I was stunned by the wide variety of culture and art that date back centuries ago. I was in awe when I saw the wide variety of art from old to new. It really shows how art continues to evolve and continues to thrive to this day, expressing itself however it wants. I’d love to unlock this place and visit whenever I could as I get inspired by the many new artworks and cultures introduced into the museum.

    Bloomberg Arts Internship

    The Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program offers rising public school seniors summer internships at cultural non-profits to provide skills and experience. Since 2012, the program has offered New York City students (at participating CTE high schools) paid opportunities to try out arts careers; hone workplace, career, and communication skills; and sharpen their writing. Bloomberg Arts Internship is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

  6. Now Hiring: Program Director (Full-time)

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    Deadline: September 6, 2022

    Open House New York seeks an experienced, curious, and highly organized professional to serve as Program Director. This position will play a central role conceptualizing and overseeing all OHNY programs, including the annual OHNY Weekend festival, the themed Urban Systems series, and other year-round activities.

    This position requires 7+ years of senior experience in public programming and community engagement across a range of activities, including workshops, tours, symposia, exhibitions, publications, or other formats. The successful candidate will also bring a skill set and know how to co-create and collaborate with partners on virtual and in-person activities. The Program Director will play an integral leadership and project management role for a small but growing and ambitious team. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Program Director will be supported by a Program Manager and other staff. This position will best suit a detail-oriented self-starter who is able to problem-solve and effectively manage multiple tasks simultaneously. A sense of humor and optimism alongside ideas about New York’s future will also be important for this role.

    The position is an ideal platform to define new models and modes for engagement on themes and issues pertinent to the civic, physical, social, cultural, economic, and environmental future of cities in general and New York in particular. This is a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership at a fast-paced civic non-profit committed to catalyzing access, transparency, and equity across the five boroughs.

    Primary Responsibilities

    • Conceptualizing and managing a robust and varied annual program plan to ensure public programs support OHNY’s mission.
    • Developing and implementing a dynamic cross-section of programs for various OHNY audiences, including members, the general public, OHNY’s Open Council, and stakeholders for disparate Urban Systems series.
    • Cultivating and stewarding program partnerships with a range of individuals and organizations across the community, cultural, civic, educational, private and public spheres.
    • Defining a system, along with the appropriate metrics and indicators, for program evaluation and course correction.
    • Significantly expanding and diversifying audiences, with emphasis on engaging youth and the next generation of New Yorkers.
    • Leading the annual OHNY Weekend festival held each October.

    Experience and Qualifications

    • 7+ years of senior experience in project management and public programming strategies.
    • Track record of successful public programming for a variety of audiences.
    • Demonstrated track record diversifying audiences.
    • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
    • Ability to initiate and maintain relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders including: Board members, program partners, policymakers, members, volunteers, and donors.
    • Must be both a strategic thinker and detail oriented.
    • Deep understanding of the drivers of growth and neighborhood change across New York City.
    • Ability to attend events in the evening and some weekends.
    • Must bring a commitment to racial equity and the principles of diversity, openness, and access.

    Benefits

    Salary is commensurate with experience, in the range of $80,000—$85,000.

    Full benefits provided, including health insurance and retirement contribution.

    Our team currently works out of an architecture office in SoHo; with the option to work remotely one-two days per week.

    Application

    Please email a cover letter and resume as a single PDF to [email protected]; please include Program Director + “Your Name” in the subject line. No phone calls, please. Deadline: September 6, 2022.

    Open House New York encourages candidates from any and all backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, gender identities, and lived experiences to apply. We are an organization that is committed to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in all aspects of our work, most importantly our team.

    About Open House New York

    Open House New York promotes broad, unparalleled access to the city—to the places, people, projects, systems, and ideas that define New York and its future. Through our year-round programming, including the annual OHNY Weekend, OHNY offers a citywide platform for education, exploration, and engagement about the connections between quality of place and quality of life for all New Yorkers.

    As OHNY turns 20, we are introducing new programs that unlock the places and stories behind the New York experience and expanding our ongoing investigation of the city’s infrastructure and systems, both natural and constructed, to address aspects of equity, race, ethnicity, and the climate crisis.

    The aim of our work is to ensure every New Yorker can enjoy full access to the greatest city in the world. Since its founding in the wake of 9/11, when much of the city was closed off due to increased security, OHNY has advocated for openness as a defining principle of civic life. Offering an insider’s look at the forces that shape the city, OHNY promotes a deeper understanding of how the city functions and whom it serves. The theory of change guiding our work is that an informed public fosters greater civic participation, which in turn catalyzes an open city.

  7. How LISC NYC Builds Equity & Access

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    From providing vital relief grants to minority-owned small businesses to financing affordable studio space for artists and creators, LISC NYC partners with local champions to help underinvested New York City neighborhoods meet community needs. As New York City recovers from the devastation of the pandemic, LISC’s work to invest in some of the city’s hardest hit communities not only provides a lifeline to neighborhoods, businesses, and families across the five boroughs, but also represents the pathway for long-overdue systemic change.

    LISC NYC’s work to equip underinvested communities with the capital, strategy, and technical know-how they need to thrive embodies the theme of OHNY’s current Urban Systems series, Building Capital: The Value of Place. Through partnerships with community leaders like LISC, Building Capital investigates how different forms of capital—financial, cultural, community—determine quality of place and quality of life in New York, and how these intersecting systems of capital can reverse legacies of disinvestment and discriminatory policies in communities of color to expand access to opportunity.

    At the Open City Benefit on June 9, Open House New York will honor LISC NYC with its new Building Capital Award in recognition of their efforts to increase access to capital in underinvested communities across the five boroughs. The Building Capital Award is the first in a series of awards honoring a firm or individual whose work embodies and amplifies Open House New York’s signature Urban Systems program.

    Meet Valerie White, LISC NYC Senior Executive Director
    About Building Capital
    Open City Benefit
    Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity / Paul A. Castrucci Architects

    Affordable Net Zero Homes in Southeast Queens

    LISC NYC provided financing for the construction of Habitat Net Zero, a project led by Habitat for Humanity of New York City and Westchester that will turn dilapidated, vacant homes previously owned by the NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) in Southeast Queens into 16 affordable homes built to Passive House standards. The energy efficient, modular homes will be the first new construction properties on the Interboro Community Land Trust (CLT), which will ensure long-term affordability.

    Learn More
    Photo courtesy of Carthage Real Estate Advisors

    Affordable Housing, Retail, and a new LGBTQ Center in Harlem

    LISC NYC financed the construction of a new community anchor in Central Harlem, developed by Carthage Real Estate Advisors and designed by Body Lawson Associates. Marcus Garvey Village will include 169 new affordable housing units, a retail space, and the new LGBTQ Center of Harlem. LISC NYC’s $6.5 construction loan was donated through the NYC Acquisition Fund, which exclusively provides loans to Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (M/WBEs) and nonprofit developers.

    Learn More
    Photo courtesy of NYCEDC and WXY Studio

    Spofford Redevelopment Project at The Peninsula
    The Peninsula transforms the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center into a vibrant, mixed-use live/work campus. LISC NYC provided $8 million in loans to bridge NYCEDC grant funding and finance construction. WXY Studio, Body Lawson Associates Architects & Planners, and Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architects led the design for the project, while neighborhood stakeholders included Sustainable South Bronx, The Knowledge House, Casita Maria, Rocking the Boat, and BronxWorks.

    Learn More
    Photo courtesy of LISC NYC

    New York Land Opportunity Program
    LISC NYC’s New York Land Opportunity Program is helping churches and other mission-driven groups scale the steep learning curve that leads to developing affordable housing on their land. Three years in, the effort is making promising inroads into the city’s affordable housing crisis, and inspiring similar initiatives in communities across the country.

    Learn More
    Photo courtesy of LISC NYC

    Small Business Relief & Recovery Fund
    LISC NYC launched the Small Business Relief & Recovery Fund in September 2020 to provide a lifeline to the minority small business community in the form of financial support to pay for employee wages and training, rent, and upgrades to technology and other infrastructure.

    Learn More

  8. Celebrating Chinatown’s People and Places in the Year of the Tiger

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    Lunar New Year starts on February 1, 2022, marking the start of the Year of the Tiger. In communities across New York City, people are gathering (virtually and in-person) with family and loved ones to honor their ancestors and wish for luck, health, and prosperity in the new year.

    With crowds bustling to buy new years ingredients and red lanterns strung up in streets and storefronts, New York’s Chinatowns in Manhattan; Flushing, Queens; and Sunset Park, Brooklyn are some of the liveliest places to experience Lunar New Year festivities and traditions. Check out Open House New York’s recommendations below to learn more about some of the people and places that define the diverse Asian diasporas in New York celebrating Lunar New Year.

    After your virtual or in-person exploration of Chinatowns through the month of February, stay tuned in early March for an OHNY panel discussion with leaders from Chinatown’s business and arts communities as they reflect on post-COVID recovery, resilience, and reopening in Chinatown.

    From all of us at Open House New York, we wish our neighbors and friends luck in the Year of the Tiger!

    Explore

    Listen

    • Listen to Think!Chinatown’s Landmarks, an audio exploration and photo journal of personal landmarks from Chinatown community members
    • Listen to the Brooklyn History Project and Museum of Chinese in America’s oral histories of Sunset Park residents who immigrated in the 1990’s to the stretch of 8th Avenue now known as Brooklyn’s Chinatown
    • Listen to the Queens Public Library’s Memories of Migration podcast series to hear stories of migration in the world’s borough

    Watch

    • Get to know the Chinese diaspora of Chinatown through their experiences shopping for everyday kitchen ingredients with Think!Chinatown’s Chinatown Shopping video series
    • Learn the stories of Chinatown community members impacted by coronavirus in Grace Young’s video interview series for Poster House
    • Watch Chinese dance and music performances in the China Institute’s free Chinese New Year online variety show on February 8
    • Get a virtual taste of Chinatown’s Dim Sum Palace with chef Akiko Thurnauer and Wellington Chen, Executive Director of the Chinatown Partnership/BID