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Identifying, aligning, and supporting collaborations where cultural practice intersects with urban change.

SCCI is the urban studies and urbanism research arm of The Clemente, advancing place-based inquiry, cross-sector partnerships, and speculative project development at the intersection of culture, land, and civic life.

Embedded within The Clemente’s broader cultural and civic mission, SCCI operates as a broker, incubator, and advisory platform. Its work connects cultural workers, organizers, artists, researchers, and public institutions to develop public-facing projects, knowledge tools, and civic collaborations grounded in New York City neighborhoods.

WHAT SCCI DOES

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Pillar 1

Research & Analysis

SCCI investigates cultural infrastructure, land use, public memory, urban ecologies, preservation, and neighborhood governance. This work may take the form of field research, editorial development, public forums, and concept framing that helps partners clarify shared questions and public stakes.

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Pillar 2

Pillar 3

Empowering Partnerships

SCCI links cultural institutions, community-based organizations, artists, scholars, and civic actors around concrete urban questions. Its role is to align different forms of expertise and help projects move toward legible, accountable, public outcomes.

Project Pilots

SCCI supports time-bound, speculative, or prototype initiatives that test ideas in public space, institutional settings, or policy-adjacent contexts. These may include mapping tools, AR interventions, performative works, editorial platforms, or site-based prototypes.

ACTIVE & RECENT WORK

SCCI is a platform for applied urban research and cultural experimentation, embedded within The Clemente and oriented toward long-term civic collaboration.

  • NY.C - the digital cornerstone at the heart of The Clemente’s Historias initiative, a growing chronotope that maps Latinx presence across time, space, and public life in New York City.

    Nueva York Chronicles

    NY.C - the digital cornerstone at the heart of The Clemente’s Historias initiative, a growing chronotope that maps Latinx presence across time, space, and public life in New York City.

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  • CRUCES / Knowledge Justice

    A series of recurring forum for dialogue, collaboration, and collective reflection.

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  • Still Standing / HEArts collaboration

    The HEArts Center, and honoring and connecting to its community-driven social justice and health-focused roots.

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