In 2023, Hester Street capped off 20 years of advancing racial and economic justice through community-based planning and design. Through our three focus areas – Equitable Places and Spaces, Environmental Justice, and Thriving Communities – we designed inclusive, participatory engagements that tap knowledge, build power, and strengthen social infrastructure in low-income and communities of color throughout New York City. We’re delighted to share highlights of our work in 2023 below and hope you will make an end of year donation to support our critical mission here!

At our November 14th gala, People Shaping Their Cities: Creating joyful, just, resilient futures, Hester Street was overjoyed to host nearly 200 friends, partners and allies to celebrate our 20th year and honor the people and organizations who founded and built our organization!

We were delighted to pay tribute to our honorees – our founding architecture firm Leroy Street Studio, our founding executive director Anne Frederick, and our former co-executive directors Betsy MacLean & Nisha Baliga – and were grateful for our extraordinary award presenters Jesse Lazar, Thomas Yu, and First Deputy Mayor of NYC Sheena Wright.

In the lead up to our gala, we hosted two panels on increasing racial equity and inclusion in the fields of design and planning: Here to Stay: POC-led cultural groups in NYC's creative economy and The Future of Our Field: Fighting anti-Blackness and embedding racial equity in design and planning.

Contribute to building a more joyful, just, and resilient future in New York City with an end-of-year donation to Hester Street!