Ridgewood Rising: Community Arts & Civic Engagement Hub

The Action Lab is a social justice strategy center that convenes organizers, artists, and community leaders to advance civic engagement and cultural work. As it prepares to launch a new community center in Ridgewood, Queens, ensuring the space is responsive to local needs is critical to its long-term impact. Our Capstone team was engaged to assess community needs, identify gaps in programming, and develop a strategic roadmap for the center’s launch and operations. We conducted a literature review, environmental scan, stakeholder mapping, and in-person outreach with residents and small businesses to inform our analysis. We found strong demand for a centralized, accessible community space, particularly for youth and seniors, as well as a need for culturally responsive, multilingual programming and clear operational systems. We will deliver a final report including a stakeholder map, programming strategies, and operational recommendations to support the creation of a sustainable, community-centered hub.