T!C Neighborhood Engagement

We amplify the voices of our neighbors & advocate for equity in resources for Chinatown. Overcoming linguistic, cultural, and digital barriers in the community engagement process is key to empowering our community of residents, business owners, and grassroots cultural groups.

In 2019, the City proposed to build a 300 ft tall mega-jail in addition to the existing jails in Chinatown which would result in a decade of demolition and construction. With the closure of Rikers Island Correctional Facility, the Mayor plans to build 4 borough-based jails. This plan’s unprecedented ULURP process combining four locations into one process has led to massive failures in community engagement.

To help us all brush up on our rank choice voting skills, Think!Chinatown created a mock ballot with Democracy NYC to rank your favorite dimsum!

In 2024, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) launched Chinatown Connections, the City’s current effort to redesign Kimlau Square and surrounding streets, which includes a plan to add a “Chinatown Welcome Gateway”– a cultural marker intended to represent the Chinatown community.

Funded by NYC Small Business Services, Think!Chinatown and the Chinatown BID worked on a one-year comprehensive Commercial District Needs Assessment (CDNA) for Chinatown that identified the strengths, challenges, and opportunities in the neighborhood. Through interviews, surveys, focus groups, on-the-ground observations, and deep-rooted research, Think!Chinatown gathered perspectives from Chinatown’s business owners, consumers and other community members.

For the past 23 years, Chinatown residents and businesses have endured untenable conditions with the closure of Park Row following 9/11. With the upcoming investment for the Chinatown Connections project comes an opportunity to improve access on Park Row for pedestrians, for cyclists, and vehicles alike.

Severely damaged in a 5-alarm fire in January 2020, the fate of 70 Mulberry, an important and historic community space hangs in limbo. Despite the commitment of public funds, the City’s planning and engagement process has lacked transparency and failed to address some community interests.

Library of Chinatown Plans & Studies

Past Initiatives

  • Candidate Overview

    For the last two City Council elections in 2021 and 2023, Think!Chinatown has prepared a candidate guide by selecting a few key issues that we think the greater Chinatown community also strongly cares about and contacting every candidate to give each campaign a chance to respond to each topic.

  • CitizensNYC

    Think!Chinatown partnered with CitizensNYC to get the word out about their 2024 Neighborhood Business Grant program by outreaching to small businesses in the neighborhood and holding open "office hours" with bilingual application support.

  • COVID-19 Resources

    Think!Chinatown's COVID-19 Support Center focused on advocating for equity in COVID relief and a Chinatown-specific relief program, the Assembly for Chinatown project, translating resources on COVID-response programs, researching COVID's impact on Chinatown, and more.