Building a Collective Story of North Brooklyn's Heat Experience

NYC summers are already hot and getting hotter; it is imperative that we design cities that are livable for everyone. Join North Brooklyn Parks Alliance and Pratt Institute’s MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems Program to discover how city features—from the material used to pave a street to the paint color chosen for a wall—impact the microclimates we experience on just one neighborhood block. On this guided walk in and around McGolrick Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, we will measure and sense urban heat perceptions and reflect on how to design a habitable city for human and non-human residents. We will also explore how McGolrick Park’s tree canopy can support community wellbeing now and in the future. Participants will gain hands-on experience with thermal comfort assessment techniques.

Facilitators/Speakers:

Yuliya Dzyuban 

Assistant Professor

MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems, Pratt Institute GCPE

Yuliya’s work contributes to developing solutions targeting heat in urban areas to enhance resilience and livability in the context of climate change, urbanization, and inequity. Her research has taken her to some of the hottest cities globally, including Singapore, Phoenix, and Hermosillo, contributing to local design and planning policies. In NYC she is engaging with local communities by mapping and recording lived experiences of heat to co-develop solutions that could alleviate the heat burden and support advocacy towards infrastructure and policy changes. Yuliya teaches courses on Urban Heat Management and Microclimate Assessment for Urban Design, equipping students with the necessary skills to tackle complex urban systems challenges. She is a member of the NYC Panel on Climate Change, working on the Fifth Climate Assessment Report, specifically exploring the relationships between the extreme heat, people, infrastructure, and natural systems. 

Lisa Bloodgood 

Director of Horticulture and Stewardship

North Brooklyn Parks Alliance 

Visiting Assistant Professor

MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems, Pratt Institute GCPE

Lisa Bloodgood joined North Brooklyn Parks Alliance in 2022 as the Director of Horticulture & Stewardship. She has a deep knowledge of the area, from plants to pollutants, and a wealth of experience engaging with North Brooklyn communities on matters relating to the local environment and sustainability. Lisa currently resides in Williamsburg. She first fell in love with plants in California: her family moved there from New York State when she was a teenager, and the drastic differences between the natural environments of the East and West Coasts helped spark her curiosity in the natural world. As an adult, Lisa pursued her passion for horticulture in academic and applied ways, obtaining a degree in Earth & Environmental Science from Brooklyn College while working as the Environmental Policy Advisor and Community Liaison for the office of Stephen Levin, former NYC Council Member for District 33. Lisa worked at Newtown Creek Alliance as Director of Advocacy & Education, aiding the organization in their community-based approach to revitalizing this fraught waterway. She has also served on several boards, councils, and committees for organizations like New York City Brownfield Partnerships and Mt. Sinai Transdisciplinary Center on Early Childhood Environmental Exposures.

Co-Sponsored by:

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The North Brooklyn Parks Alliance (NBK Parks) was formed in 2003 as the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) to raise private funds to expand and improve open space in North Brooklyn. NBK Parks is modeled after other successful conservancies, working with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, NYC Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Transportation, elected officials, and the community to maintain, activate, enhance, and expand local parks, while challenging common perceptions of what defines open space.

The Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Systems (SES) is one of the nation’s most innovative, interdisciplinary, systems-based sustainability programs. This STEM certified degree program is designed to meet today’s increasing demand for environmental professionals, uniquely combining environmental science, sustainable design, and climate policy. Students learn the interdisciplinary skills and systems-thinking approach needed to assess contemporary environmental issues; catalyze innovative environmental problem-solving; uphold environmental and social justice; and engage diverse stakeholders in designing and developing sustainable communities.

Pratt Center for Community Development, based at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, works to build community power and advance the equitable distribution of resources for low-income BIPOC communities across New York City. Founded in 1963 as the nation’s oldest university-based community planning organization, the Center partners with frontline, community-based groups to provide research, participatory planning, policy advocacy, and implementation support. Guided by core values such as local knowledge, democratic process, creativity, excellence, and genuine exchange, Pratt Center promotes a just city where all residents have access to housing, clean air, good jobs, and the ability to thrive in place. Through programs like the Taconic Fellowship, faculty and students collaborate with communities to address racial, social, economic, and climate justice through ground-up, community-led projects that reflect Pratt Institute’s ongoing commitment to civic engagement and systemic change. Our project 'Building a Collective Story of North Brooklyn's Heat Experience'  also received research funding support through the Taconic Fellowship, enabling deeper engagement and collaboration with community partners.

More information to be shared with registered attendees.