Goodnation
HR&A led the design and execution of NYC Speaks, a public-private partnership between the City of New York, a civic coalition of New Yorkers from all 5 boroughs, community-based organizations, and philanthropy, that engaged everyday New Yorkers in shaping the policies and priorities of the incoming mayoral administration. NYC Speaks conducted the largest policy survey in NYC history, capturing responses from more than 62,000 New Yorkers across every residential zip code.
Recognizing the need to bridge the gap between community input and policy implementation, HR&A created and launched the NYC Speaks citywide survey, employing strategic outreach methods to ensure broad participation across all five boroughs. The initiative successfully engaged a diverse cross-section of residents, generating unprecedented response levels that provided city leadership with comprehensive data on public priorities. Following the survey phase, we facilitated action plan workshops bringing together senior government leaders, service providers, and philanthropists to collaboratively translate community input into concrete policy recommendations.
The NYC Speaks Action Plan produced tangible commitments from city government, with green workforce development emerging as a major priority. HR&A’s work directly contributed to the creation of New York City Housing Authority green workforce academies, expanded training opportunities in renewable energy and carbon emissions reduction industries, new industry partnerships, enhanced entrepreneurial resources, and green industry-specific apprenticeships.
