From City to the World

The imperative for communities to actively and equitably determine their destinies, when it comes to land use and the built environment, sparked the creation in 1964 of the Architects' Renewal Committee in Harlem (ARCH). Considered the first community design center, ARCH and its visionary architects and planners provided resources and gave voice to Harlem residents facing urban renewal, slum clearance and commercial development pressures. This episode of From City to the World, hosted by President Vincent Boudreau of The City College of New York, features the upcoming symposium "ARCH @ 60: Bridging Past Visions & Present Realities," which takes place Nov. 15 and 16 at CCNY. 

Joining the conversation are Shawn Rickenbacker, director of the symposium host organization, the J. Max Bond Center for Urban Futures at CCNY, and the Hon. Karen Dixon, Land Use Committee Chair of Manhattan's Community Board 10 and Executive Director of Harlem Dowling-West Side Center for Children and Family Services. Learn from Rickenbacker about ARCH's legacy and how his own CCNY organization — named for an ARCH leader and former CCNY dean — is pioneering collaborative tools that pair community input with data on development outcomes to guide decision-making on project proposals. The Hon. Karen Dixon shares her expertise on building affordable housing and how Community Board 10 is leveraging Rickenbacker's work and equipping Harlem for informed, equitable development today.
 
Host: CCNY President Vincent Boudreau
Guests: Shawn Rickenbacker, Associate Professor, Director of the J. Max Bond Center for Urban Futures, CCNY; Hon. Karen Dixon, Chair, Land Use Committee, Manhattan Community Board 10, and Executive Director, Harlem Dowling-West Side Center for Children and Family Services
Recorded: October 30, 2024

In New York City, new programs are leveraging the hard and soft skills of digital gaming into preparation for tech-forward, future-ready careers. On From City to the World, President Vincent Boudreau of The City College of New York hosts a conversation with CCNY alumnus and faculty member Stan M. Altman, Cofounder of the Harlem Gallery of Science, and Alia Jones-Harvey, Associate Commissioner of Education and Workforce Development in the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME). Learn how Altman's vision for engaging young people from under-resourced communities in STEAM education and innovation is bringing interactive exhibits to Harlem and a new degree program to CCNY. Hear from Harvey how MOME's support for these educational initiatives advances New York City's game plan for its growing tech sector and urban workforce.

Host: CCNY President Vincent Boudreau
Guests: Stan M. Altman, CCNY Faculty and Cofounder of the Harlem Gallery of Science; Alia Jones-Harvey, Associate Commissioner of Education and Workforce Development in the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment
Recorded: September 25, 2024

From City to the World looks at climate change from the skies to the streets: In this episode, hosted by CCNY President Vincent Boudreau, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Prof. Kyle C. McDonald outlines his collaboration with NASA through research and the new NISAR satellite mission's revolutionary capabilities. Since NISAR findings on climate effects will be public, how can this data be harnessed by organizations advocating on the ground for sound policy and environmental justice? Peggy Shepard, a national leader in training, mobilizing and inspiring urban communities that often suffer disproportionately from climate impacts, details the mission and achievements of WEACT.org for Environmental Justice, which she leads. Learn about Shepard's work in Harlem and other under-resourced New York City communities as well as in the policy arena, through Shepard's national advisory roles and WEACT's office in Washington, D.C.

Host: CCNY President Vincent Boudreau
Guests: Kyle C. McDonald, Terry Elkes Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, CCNY; Peggy Shepard, Cofounder and Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice

Recorded: April 11, 2024

As 2023 nears its close, challenges to book titles are tracking up from 2022, a year that saw a more than ten-fold increase since 2020 in attempts to restrict access to library books and materials, the American Library Association has reported. In an atmosphere where freedom of expression is threatened and, increasingly, attempts are made to suppress discovery and cultural representation, what are the challenges and roles of libraries today? And what part can public art play in redefining community access and engagement with art? In conversation with host President Vincent Boudreau of The City College of New York are Mario H. Ramirez, CCNY's new Associate Dean and Chief Librarian, and Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the West Harlem Art Fund. 

Host: CCNY President Vincent Boudreau
Guests: Mario H. Ramirez, Associate Dean and Chief Librarian at CCNY; Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the West Harlem Art Fund 

Recorded: Nov. 29, 2023 

The first Afro-Latina Hip Hop DJ, Gail Windley, and Rev. Conrad Tillard reflect on five decades of this essential cultural movement. With The City College of New York President Vincent Boudreau as host, hear Windley's experience as a pioneer, in the Bronx of the 1970s, in this emerging musical youth culture. In recent years, she has combined religion with Hip Hop on the radio and at Kurtis Blow's Hip Hop Church in Harlem. Rev. Conrad Tillard, who teaches classes on Hip Hop history and the civil rights movement at City College, joins Windley in a conversation that ranges from Hip Hop's origins as a positive platform giving voice to young people in under-resourced communities to mentoring emerging talent and combating negativity in Hip Hop for the next generations of artists and listeners.

Host: CCNY President Vincent Boudreau
Guests: Gail Windley / DJ Flame, host of "The Anointed Mic Check" show on WHCR 90.3 FM, The Voice of Harlem. Rev. Conrad Tillard, activist, author, and instructor in CCNY's Black Studies Program.
Recorded: Sept. 27, 2023