Challenges

Community Boards are diverse as New York City itself. Representing neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs, they vary in size, the issues they deal with, and the capacity they have to fulfill their tasks. Despite wide variations, Boards face similar challenges. Through our conversations citywide we identified some common themes:

Visibility

A lack of public awareness of Community Boards and their work is a major challenge.

Outreach

Community Boards need to share information with members and the public, to promote the Board’s activity and encourage participation. Boards also need to communicate with each other.

Engagement

Community Boards let residents voice their opinion and influence City government, so public participation in Board activities is essential.

Data Collection and Analysis

Community Boards need data for their ongoing tasks, ranging from municipal service complaints to ULURP applications and other long-term projects.