The Capstone Program
A SAMPLING OF PAST CAPSTONE PROJECTS
The Capstone Program was started with a generous grant from the Ford Foundation. Since 1995, more than 2,600 students have participated in over 500 projects for approximately 400 organizations. Listed below is a sampling of projects NYU Wagner students have worked on during the 2006-2007 academic year.
Asphalt Green
Childhood Obesity Prevention/Intervention in New York City
Asphalt Green is a sports and fitness facility located in Manhattan's Upper East Side, known best as New York City's premiere aquatics facility. Catering to a diverse group of New Yorkers, Asphalt Green serves fee-based clientele through youth and masters swim teams, a high quality fitness center, and training programs for elite athletes. The organization also spearheads a number of community fitness programs that serve both the city's elderly population and youth through introduction to competitive sports and recess enhancement in public schools. Overwhelmed by the city's skyrocketing childhood obesity rates that now surpass 20%, Asphalt Green asked the Capstone team to help create a strategic plan to launch an East Harlem-based childhood obesity prevention program that would be well-researched, effective, and financially sustainable. After an in-depth literature review and relationship building with key stakeholder organizations in the city, the Capstone team provided recommendations and an implementation plan. The resulting plan will be implemented in a number of after-school programs in East Harlem in fall 2007 in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension provided receipt of sufficient funding.
Bronx Council on the Arts
Economic Development through a Creative Economy
The mission of Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is to encourage and increase the public's awareness and participation in the arts, and to nurture the development of artists and arts and cultural organizations. The BCA is working to establish a creative economy in the South Bronx where local artists and cultural events help spur sustainable economic development. The diversity, richness of indigenous art and artists, ripeness for economic development and its proximity to Manhattan give the South Bronx the potential for a thriving creative economy. The Capstone team has made recommendations to implement a strategic plan, with the goals of bolstering small business activity, building professional capacity of artists and artisans, engaging residents in the cultural life of the neighborhood, and promoting the area within the borough and to the general public in New York City and beyond.
Center for Community Alternatives
Informing the Strategic Planning Process
The Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) engaged the Capstone team to conduct a comprehensive analysis designed to aid the agency in maintaining leadership in the field of community-based alternatives to incarceration. In an effort to assist the organization in strengthening its performance in the areas of research and policy, organizational leadership, and fund diversification, the Capstone team conducted a benchmark study of peer organizations which allowed the team to identify best practices within the field of criminal justice. This process was complimented by a survey of both internal and external stakeholders that was designed to gather perceptions of CCA's performance in key areas. The results of the team's analysis will be used to inform CCA's long term strategic planning.
Citizens' Committee for Children of New York City
Re-Conceptualizing the Juvenile Justice Continuum
Citizens' Committee for Children (CCC) is a nonprofit, multi-issue, child advocacy organization that works to secure every child's birthright to be healthy, housed, educated, and safe. CCC requested a Capstone team to assist them in a project examining the challenges and opportunities that currently exist to improve outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system at a time when reforms are underway on both the city and state level. The research methodology consisted of an historical review of CCC's research and advocacy efforts, a literature review of best practices and strategies for juvenile justice reform, and interviews with a broad range of juvenile justice stakeholders including city agency staff, elected officials, service providers, and experts in the field. The Capstone team then produced a white paper on CCC's behalf. The final report will be used to inform the development of CCC's juvenile justice priorities moving forward.
Citizens Union Foundation
NYC Charter and Government Reform
The Citizens Union Foundation (CUF) is a nonprofit research, education and advocacy organization that monitors the deliberations and actions of government, conducts research, and analyzes the impact of proposed public policy and legislation at the city and state level. From the dismantling of Tammany Hall to the institution of term limits, New York City's municipal government has undergone significant transformation. The Capstone Team examined the landmark City Charter revisions in 1989 and how they have shaped the city today. The report focuses on issues such as the impact of term limits, the role of the public campaign finance program and the balance of power and diversity amongst the City's elected officials. The team completed an extensive literature review, policy analysis, election data review, and key informant interviews to inform a set of issues for further consideration in the CUF's ongoing efforts to encourage a representative and effective New York City government.
Council on Health Research for Development
The Utilization of Research in World Bank Health Sector Projects
The Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) is a Geneva-based NGO that works with countries to set health research priorities and assess capacity and capacity-building needs for health research. The Capstone team is working with COHRED to examine the utilization of health research in World Bank health sector projects. The team conducted a literature review, an analysis of project documents from 39 World Bank health projects, and a targeted review of a smaller set of projects. The final report includes recommendations for recipient countries on how to better incorporate health research into project planning and improve the use of that research to serve the countries' health and development needs.
Education Development Center
Our World Survey 2007: A Global Youth Perspective on Citizenship and Identity (Including an In-Depth Look of Youth from Israel and Lebanon)
The "Our World Survey 2007" captures the perceptions, attitudes and knowledge young people (ages 15-24), in all regions of the world, have on the topics of global citizenship and identity. The results and analysis of this survey are intended to inform organizations in the field of global citizenship education in order to improve their understanding of the mindset of youth today, and to aid in tracking the progress of their efforts in creating a true global community. This project was initiated by the Education Development Center, Inc. with the collaboration of UNICEF - Voices of Youth, iEARN, Global Youth Action Network, Taking It Global, Dutch National Youth Council and North-South Centre. In building upon a pilot survey conducted in 2006, the project established an effective, robust methodology for the administration and analysis of the survey, which can be replicated and expanded further in the future. The project added a unique qualitative dimension to the quantitative data by taking an in-depth look into the perceptions of youth from conflict areas (Israel and Lebanon), documented in the form of video interviews.
Enterprise Community Partners
St. George Ferry Terminal - Affordable Housing Needs and Options
Between 2000 and 2005 the median rent and home value of Staten Island's Community District 1 increased by 33 and 110 percent, respectively, outpacing the only 11 percent increase in median household income. The combination of accelerated housing costs and transportation options available in the District have prompted Enterprise Community Partners to identify the area of CD 1 within a two-mile radius of St. George Ferry Terminal as a potential candidate for affordable housing Smart Growth development. The Capstone team has been charged with preparing a thorough existing conditions report and potential development site analysis of this study area which will allow Enterprise to make informed decisions regarding where their mission of creating/supporting affordable housing, and fostering smart growth and economic development could have the most positive impacts. Through the analysis of census information, population growth projections, zoning regulations, and land use, transportation, housing and employment data, the report provides a comprehensive portrait of the study area and specifically identifies several potential affordable housing development sites.
Fonkoze USA
Exploring How Microfinance Can Impact Positive Environmental Behavior
Microfinance has been used for more than thirty years as a way to provide financial services to the poorest of the poor. Microfinance offers informal banking options and encourages entrepreneurship to help bring its clients out of poverty. This report is intended to meet the needs of Fonkoze USA, which is such an organization based in Haiti. The report outlines linkages between microfinance and the environment to assist Fonkoze in expanding their banking services to address negative environmental trends, such as the severe deforestation that has continued to progress throughout Haiti for generations. The team sought to determine how lending tools associated with microfinance could best be used to successfully alter behavior that damages the environment. The team's research and findings are primarily based on noteworthy trends identified in the environmentally focused microfinance projects of PROGEDE and SEWA-SELCO, found in Senegal and India, respectively.
Friends of the Birth Center
Financial Feasibility Analysis to Operate a Free-Standing Birth Center in Manhattan
Friends of the Birth Center (FBC) is a nonprofit organization striving to create a state-of-the-art green design out-of-hospital birth and women's health center in Manhattan promoting access to midwifery care for all women in New York City. The Capstone team's project was to develop and analyze the initial startup and 5-year operating budgets and the different business models of operations in order to help FBC management and Board understand the financial implications of the project. The team gathered information from statistical research, conducted interviews with health care experts from birth centers and other industry experts, compiled best practices, and utilized preliminary financial estimates provided by FBC and sophisticated budget analysis tools to prepare a detailed report in response to FBC's request. The report provides an analysis of the different options and makes recommendations that will assist FBC as they make critical decisions on all aspects of the Center's fundraising goals, operation, and long-term financial solvency.
Gaia Institute
Green Roofs: A Cost Effective Policy for New York City?
Green roofs serve as an innovative strategy to help cities develop sustainable practices that contribute to the restoration of their natural habitat. Dense urban development and neglect have jeopardized New York City's environment and created a situation where poor air quality, increased local temperatures, high-energy consumption, inadequate storm-water management, pollution, limited access to open space, and excessive levels of solid waste threaten public health and fiscal solvency. Currently, New York City lacks a comprehensive and cost-effective strategy to mitigate these adverse conditions. Using case studies, GIS modeling, a political climate review, and a study of costs and benefits, this study concludes that green roofs can play a significant role in helping the city to achieve five of the ten sustainability goals recently outlined by Mayor Bloomberg initiative PlaNYC 2030, while also producing economic savings. Additionally, this report offers implementation recommendations for a city-wide policy and suggests a specific location in NYC that would be best suited as a starting point for green roof infrastructure.
Helen Keller International
An Analysis of Best Practices for International Financial Policies and Procedures
Founded in 1915, Helen Keller International (HKI) provides eye health and nutrition programs in 22 countries to the world's most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. The Capstone team worked with HKI to analyze its financial processes and determine key policies and procedures that require improvement. The team interviewed staff in field offices and documented findings in order to provide recommendations for improved efficiency. Members of the team attended two regional meetings, in Bangkok, Thailand and Dakar, Senegal in order to conduct interviews and present recommendations to field office staff. The Capstone team organized the interview transcripts into a comprehensive database for HKI's use. Some of the team's final recommendations included the use of out-year budgets and improvements to procurement and subcontract management procedures. The team also researched buy-in strategy and current best practices in the NGO sector, which were incorporated into the final report to HKI.
Inter-American Development Bank
Assessment of Gaps and Needs of Access to Basic Infrastructure Services for the Poor in Chile
The Inter-American Development Bank's (IADB) Building Opportunity for the Majority initiative, launched in June 2006, identified that inadequate access to basic infrastructure services (water, sanitation, electricity, urban transport and rural roads) negatively affected poverty levels and contributed to exclusion in Latin America. The IADB requested the Capstone team to undertake an assessment on the current conditions in Chile summarizing needs of access to basic infrastructure services for the poor, as well as to develop an integrated action plan to address those needs. The team undertook a desk report and fieldwork to gather information and identify the needs in access to basic infrastructure services for the poor, and highlight gaps in information. Ultimately, the report suggests potential areas of action for IADB's support, and recommends interventions conducive to developing basic infrastructure for the majority in Chile.
Jewish Home and Hospital Lifecare System
Expanding Health Care Products and Services to the Elderly and Their Caregivers
The Jewish Home and Hospital Lifecare Systems (JHHLS) currently provides a wide spectrum of health care and health related services to the elderly population in New York City and Westchester County. With the growth rate of the elderly population currently exceeding the growth rate of professional caregivers, many family members are forced to take on the role of caregiver. Many of these caregivers are caring for families of their own, often live far away and have full-time jobs. Based on these factors, JHHLS recognized an opportunity to expand their offerings in the geriatric health services market. An analysis of existing geriatric care management services, employee assistance programs and long term care insurance assisted the Capstone team in identifying specific business opportunities in the market. Based on their research findings, the Capstone team developed a service package proposal, financial proposal and marketing recommendations for the JHHLS to expand their products and services in order to grow their business, while at the same time increasing the quality of life for those caregivers currently beyond the reach of existing services and support systems.
Long Island College Hospital
Ambulatory Care Unit Assessment
Long Island College Hospital (LICH) is a 516-bed teaching hospital located just over the Brooklyn Bridge in the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. The senior management at LICH charged the Capstone team with evaluating the operations of five outpatient clinics in order to determine how to simultaneously improve patient satisfaction and increase patient volume. The team observed operations at each clinic to determine patient flow and space utilization, and conducted a patient survey to assess satisfaction with services and an employee survey to assess satisfaction with the work environment. The team also assessed the surrounding community's health needs, their perception of LICH, and their knowledge of the services available. The team analyzed the compiled data and recommended several operational changes and a marketing strategy to increase future volume, maximize current utilization, improve efficiency, increase patient and employee satisfaction, and enhance LICH's reputation in the community.
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
Career Services in the Jewish Immigrant and Haredi Communities of NYC
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty is an organization representing and coordinating the efforts of Jewish Community Councils citywide. It advocates for the needs of the poor and near-poor through provision of social services and legislative advocacy. The Capstone team worked with Met Council to identify the career service needs of the near-poor Jewish immigrant and Haredi communities in five geographic areas: Bensonhurst, Boro Park, Flatbush, Queens and Williamsburg. The team focused on providing a demographic picture of the communities and an environmental scan of government, the nonprofit sector, and current career service programs in these five JCCs. Methods included weighted statistical analysis of United States census data and The Jewish Community Study of 2002, as well as key informant interviews to provide both quantitative and qualitative data on the areas of study. Preliminary findings include noticeable communal trends in education and employment, as well as a need for systematic coordination of services.
New Destiny Housing Corporation
Linking Domestic Violence Survivors to Low Income Housing Tax Credit Units
New Destiny Housing Corporation is a nonprofit advocacy organization seeking to provide permanent affordable housing to victims of domestic violence (DV). The Capstone team was asked to investigate the possibility of linking DV survivors to Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units in New York City through the re-rental process. To better understand the system, the team set out by interviewing key players in the LIHTC process, including relevant government agencies at both the city and state levels who administer the tax credits and syndicators who act as a conduit between investors and the developer. To examine the re-rental process, the team surveyed developers who maintain LIHTC units. This research, aided by interviews of DV survivors and case studies of LIHTC and DV survivors in other cities, will inform New Destiny Housing Corporation of the viability of linking DV survivors with LIHTC units, and how best to do so.
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Environmental Surveillance and Policy
Municipal Action to Phase-Out the Use of Perchloroethylene (perc) by Dry Cleaners
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Health Hygiene's (DOHMH) Office of Environmental Surveillance and Policy (OESP) is charged with gathering, analyzing, interpreting and utilizing data to evaluate the environmental public health needs of New York City residents. The OESP requested that a Capstone team evaluate options for local governmental action to accelerate the phase-out of perchloroethylene (perc) in residential dry cleaning facilities, as well as for the phase-out to be extended to co-located commercial dry cleaners in response to a July 2006 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule. The Capstone team conducted a review of the existing literature on the health hazards of perc and undertook extensive research on the alternatives to perc and initiatives in other states such as California. Informal interviews with owners and workers of dry cleaners were also completed to gain industry insight. This information was then analyzed to produce a report of findings and recommendations for the OESP. Recommended options include the promotion of "drop-off" facilities, improvement of trade association and government communication, support of research and development for alternative dry cleaning technologies, and the discouragement of continued perc use by fiscal and tax policy.
New York City Department of Homeless Services
A Home of One's Own: An Evaluation of Housing Stability Plus
Housing Stability Plus (HSP) is a rental assistance program designed to facilitate the process of moving homeless clients out of shelter and into permanent housing. Launched in December 2004, the program includes several innovative features. Most notably, the subsidy is distinguished by a graduated step-down system, whereby the client burden of the rent payment increases by twenty percent each year of five, after which the client is expected to be completely self-sufficient. The Capstone team performed a literature review to identify programs in other locations (both domestic and international) which have maintained a high leasing rate to homeless clients and/or have demonstrated a high level of rental maintenance. The team also performed both quantitative and qualitative studies to evaluate the effectiveness of HSP in order to identify gaps in current DHS data collection and improvements in the program, all in the effort to better assist homeless clients in maintaining self-sufficiency.
New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Greening Initiative
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the largest municipal housing agency in the nation with over 2,800 employees and an annual operating budget of approximately $480 million. Recently, HPD undertook a Greening Initiative as an agency-wide effort to determine how the agency can promote more energy-efficient and sustainable (green) construction in a manner which benefits tenants, developers, and building owners. HPD asked the Capstone team to create two series of recommendations, the first on cost effective green building techniques suitable to affordable housing in New York City, and the second on financing and policy strategies that help advance the incorporation of such techniques by affordable housing developers. In support of these recommendations, the Capstone team also produced case studies on existing affordable housing projects and building guidelines, analyzed the perceptions of the city's affordable multifamily financing community on green development, and re-modeled an existing HPD supportive housing project to include environmentally-friendly building techniques.
Nonprofit Finance Fund
Developing a Prototype Financial Health Report for Nonprofit Managers
The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) is a nonprofit organization providing financing and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations. NFF, in its mission to help realize a strong and well capitalized nonprofit sector, requested a Capstone team to develop an analytic tool for use by nonprofit managers to assess their organization's financial health. Research included an exhaustive review of financial measures used in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, academic literature and websites that present large amounts of data in a succinct manner. The information was analyzed and 17 measures of financial health incorporated into a prototype analytic tool. Using the prototype, NFF will be able to develop a working model for their clients to understand and benchmark their organizations' financial health over time and in comparison to peer organizations.
Safe Space
Queens Community Assessments: An Analysis of the Strengths and Needs of Youth and Families in Far Rockaway and Jamaica
Safe Space is a nonprofit organization serving over 20,000 children and families in New York City who are dealing with a range of complex issues, including child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, domestic violence and mental health concerns. Safe Space requested a Capstone team to create community profiles for two Queens neighborhoods: Jamaica and Far Rockaway. The team assessed the strengths and needs of children and families in Jamaica and Far Rockaway, with a focus on the current environment of and projected trends for both communities. Information gathering included the compilation of quantitative data as well as qualitative feedback through interviews, surveys, and focus groups. After a comprehensive analysis of this information, the team developed profiles of these two communities and made recommendations as to how Safe Space can better serve its target population by augmenting program offerings and enhancing service delivery.
Save the Children USA
Achieving the Mission: Best Practices in Performance Measurement
Save the Children USA is an international NGO dedicated to increasing the quality of life for children around the world. Save the Children USA requested a Capstone team to assist in developing performance measurement indicators, both programmatic and administrative, in an effort to improve the organization's overall effectiveness. To inform this effort, the Capstone team conducted a survey of twelve peer organizations through staff interviews, such as the American Red Cross, World Vision, CARE, and Mercy Corps, to investigate how each manages monitoring performance against strategy and achieving their mission. Additionally, field research was undertaken in Save the Children USA's Nicaragua office to gain an understanding of how agency strategy informs country strategy development and implementation, or, more specifically: how strategy is communicated between agency and country offices, how approaches and strategic performance metrics at agency and country levels compare, and how organizational cultures can be improved to foster and support multi-level strategies. The results and its appropriate recommendations from the Capstone project will subsequently be used by Save the Children USA when building their 2008-2012 strategic plan.
United Hospital Fund
Volunteer Opportunities Would Have to Find Me: A Hospital Marketing Plan to Attract Baby Boomer Volunteers
Between 1946 and 1964, 77 million children were born, creating a "baby boom." In 2007, the oldest members of this generation will turn 61 and edge nearer to the traditional retirement age. Yet just as this generation has changed American cultural expectations by attaining higher levels of formal education, higher income, and better health, the baby boomers may very well change our traditional expectations for those who are 60+, by redefining retirement. Volunteer organizations that have traditionally relied on retired volunteers to conduct helpful but menial tasks may find not only fewer retirees to fill these roles but that many of these retirees want a meaningful experience in a role that requires greater skill and life experience. Many nonprofit organizations are not properly equipped for this redefinition of senior volunteering. The United Hospital Fund identified the tensions around baby boomers' work lives and organizations' volunteer needs as a problem for which solutions were needed now. The United Hospital Fund engaged a Capstone team to find ways that hospitals could overcome baby boomers' barriers to volunteering, identifying specific language that hospitals should use and should avoid, along with strategies the organizations can use to connect with boomers and specific tools that can make those strategies work. Research design included a literature review, program review, analysis of the boomer generation, focus groups with the Directors of Volunteer Service from eight hospitals, focus groups with members of the boomer population, and a survey distributed online and in hard copy.
United Methodist Committee on Relief: Indonesia Evaluation
Evaluation of Post-Tsunami Housing Built in Aceh, Indonesia
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization of the United Methodist Church. UMCOR works in over 80 countries worldwide to alleviate human suffering resulting from war, conflict or natural disaster. Having recently completed a housing project in Aceh, Indonesia, an area devastated by the 2004 tsunami, UMCOR requested a Capstone team to evaluate the quality of the houses built. Furthermore, UMCOR requested that the team also evaluate post-tsunami houses built in Aceh by Church World Services (CWS), a development ministry of Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States, to whom UMCOR provided funding. This study evaluates both projects based on field research, which included housing evaluations, interviews with staff, stakeholders and key informants, as well as work with architectural consultants to determine benchmarking standards. The Capstone team also assessed the project planning in order to further understand the findings and offer recommendations.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
The Role of Economic and Social Councils in Participatory Governance
Since 1999, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has been an institutional organizer of the Global Forum on Reinventing Government, which in 2007 will focus on the theme "Building Trust in Government." To contribute to this forum, and to the World Public Sector Report, the Capstone team conducted research on economic and social councils as institutions that facilitate citizen participation in policymaking and the building of trust in government. The research examined the effectiveness of the councils by conducting an online survey sent to ten countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and two case studies that sent the team to the Netherlands and Mexico to conduct in-person interviews. The results from the survey and case studies will provide useful information to other countries seeking to build the capacity of their council or create a new one as a way for citizens to participate in government.
United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services
An Interview-Based Case Study Analysis of UNEAD Electoral Assistance in Liberia and Nigeria
The United Nations Office for Internal Oversight (UN-OIOS) assists the Secretary-General in internal oversight activities including audits, monitoring, inspections, evaluations, consulting, and investigation activities. The UN-OIOS mandate for the evaluation of UN Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) was to determine the relevancy, efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of EAD activities in relation to its objectives; to enable the Secretariat and Member States to engage in systematic reflection, with a view to increasing EAD's effective and efficient collaboration with UN and non-UN parties; and, if necessary, improve and/or alter its efficiency and objectives. The focus of this Capstone project was to examine the role and performance of EAD in the 2005 Liberian and upcoming 2007 Nigerian elections, in particular the interactions between EAD and various stakeholders on the ground. With an interview-based case study approach, the evaluation also highlighted some issues and brought forth recommendations that would impact how EAD interacts and conducts its assistance missions in future elections.
Urban Justice Center, The Community Development Project
Improving Service Delivery and Client Coordination for a Nonprofit, Intermediary Service Organization in New York City
The Community Development Project (CDP) of the Urban Justice Center (UJC) provides legal, technical, research, and policy assistance to groups in New York City working on social justice issues such as affordable housing, workers' and immigrants' rights, and economic development. In an effort to ensure that its services continue to have the greatest impact and meet the needs of their clients, UJC/CDP sought the assistance of the Capstone team to develop a Statement of Expectations to manage client relationships, a Service Impact Survey to collect and analyze data, recommendations on establishing a fee-for-service system to leverage funding, and technology recommendations that would allow improved service delivery. These deliverables, complemented by a comprehensive report outlining the process and research methods behind their development as well as specific implementation recommendations, provides UJC/CDP a foundation upon which they can better organize, deliver, and evaluate their services.
US Government Accountability Office
Paying for Government through Cost Recovery
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a non-partisan, independent office serving the United States Congress through monitoring, research, and projections for the future. They take particular interest in the nation's financial picture. GAO engaged a previous NYU Wagner Capstone team to quantify user charge's budget share from 1997-2004. In addition to this quantitative analysis, GAO wished to conduct a qualitative analysis on the user charges design, structure, and impact on policy. The current Capstone team reviewed the literature on user charges and also on particular user charge programs, including international practices. This was followed by an analysis of the current status of several federal user charges. The details of particular programs were synthesized into concise case studies that illustrate the analysis. The team concluded that user charges have three key impacts on government activity, namely improve economic efficiency, recover costs or improve management performance.
Village of Hempstead, Community Development Agency
Hempstead Performing Arts Center Feasibility Study
The Village of Hempstead, located in the Town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, has experienced economic decline and blight in previous decades and is currently embarking on a plan of downtown revitalization and redevelopment. As part of its plans for downtown Hempstead, the Hempstead Community Development Agency is considering the development of a performing arts center. The Capstone team has been charged with investigating the issues surrounding the construction and operation of a performing arts center in Hempstead. In order to do so, the team researched and analyzed comparable case studies of communities that had built performing arts centers to determine indicators of success and/or failure. The team integrated the case study information into a report that included a market analysis, a cost-benefit analysis, and research on potential financing and operational options for the proposed performing arts center.
Village of Ossining, Westchester County Department of Planning
Sing Sing Historic Prison Museum
The Capstone team produced a report examining the planning context and feasibility of a Sing Sing Historic Prison Museum within the walls of the active Sing Sing Correctional Facility. The report is part of a comprehensive resource package for community outreach efforts and funding applications to public and private sources. The Capstone team identified four study areas for the report: (1) Economic impacts of the museum including an economic base analysis, updated projections of anticipated economic benefits (including employment and visitor spending), identification of potential spillover effects, and case studies for communities with comparable facilities were analyzed. (2) A survey was conducted of the existing tourism resources in the vicinity, and suggestions on how the proposed museum would complement and benefit from this critical industry. This section evaluates prospects for establishing a national and international profile, as well as potential to tap into the New York City tourism market. In addition, comparable museum facilities are detailed, with lessons for the museum highlighted. (3) The access, parking and transportation chapter identifies existing transportation resources that provide access to the proposed museum. Impacts of the museum on existing transportation networks are projected as well as recommendations for mitigation. (4) Linkages between the waterfront location of the museum and the Village's central business district were also identified. Transportation improvements, urban design solutions, and the creation of community linkages are explored as means of knitting together these two critical nodes of activity.
World Bank
Examining Disparities in Living Conditions Slums of Nairobi and Dakar
The World Bank recently completed a survey of living conditions in over 3,700 slum households in Dakar, Senegal and Nairobi, Kenya. The findings indicated that living conditions (e.g. piped water, sanitation, electricity) in the slums of Nairobi were far worse than those in Dakar. The World Bank asked the Capstone team to analyze the data findings from the survey and begin to formulate hypotheses as to why these disparities exist. The work of the Capstone team included comprehensive research of literature on slums, and investigations into land tenure, household size, issues of colonization and colonial politics, ethnicity, government capacity and corruption in each country. This research helped give the team a basis by which to formulate main hypotheses and also identify gaps in the literature that should be studied further. The team then prepared a final report for the World Bank which outlined its findings and provided recommendations for further research.
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