Our organizers work to heighten community awareness, develop environmental strategies and participatory community planning practices, and promote sustainable development, governmental accountability and environmental justice. Of primary concern are issues of waterfront development, land use, brownfields, transportation, air quality, open space, alternative energy, and environmental health.
Climate Justice
UPROSE is an active member of the EJ Leadership Forum on Climate Change, and is advocating for climate justice policy that recognizes and addresses the burdens placed on communities of color and low-income communities by the rapidly changing climate. We have also been engaged members of the Sunset Park community in developing a neighborhood-wide plan to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This is especially important because we are located on an active waterfront that is vulnerable to sea level rise. Click on the links to learn more about the basics of cap and trade policy (which is currently being considered in Congress), and why UPROSE is opposed to cap and trade.
Transportation
UPROSE purchased 4 hybrid shuttle buses for community partners to provide clean-fuel transportation throughout the community and conduct Toxic Tours. We retrofitted and re-powered 12 diesel trucks. UPROSE also plays a leadership role in the Gowanus Stakeholders Group that is advocating for a tunnel alternative to the dangerous and environmentally burdensome Gowanus Expressway, and we are engaged in a pedestrian safety initiative. We are a Steering Committee member of the New York State Transportation Equity Alliance (NYSTEA) and a member of Transit Riders for Public Transportation (TRPT), two coalitions that seek to make federal funding for transportation more equitable, and prioritize public transportation and options for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Sunset Park Greenway-Blueway & Waterfront Park
UPROSE has facilitated the creation of a community “Greenway-Blueway” design for Sunset Park. The Greenway-Blueway is a plan that coordinates an extended green space (Greenway) within the community to lead to/correspond with a planned waterfront park (Blueway). The waterfront park will cover an area—from 43rd-50th Streets—of the waterfront that is currently inaccessible to the public. Over the course of over two miles, the Greenway will add approximately 25 much-needed acres of green space to the community; it is designed in a way that facilitates access to the waterfront park. Since the Greenway-Blueway design is completed, we are now focusing on logistics and details of implementation. Greenways also positively impact both energy consumption and air quality, thus improving the community environment.
Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) Program
UPROSE is facilitating community-based planning to identify, clean-up and redevelop brownfield sites. Our brownfields project is one that involves collaborations with regulatory agencies as well as community stakeholders. Since 2005 we have worked with these partners to map the neighborhood and have identified dozens of potential brownfield sites. Our ultimate aim is to identify and redevelop a set of strategic sites in a way that is consistent with the priorities of the community.
