Redefining Urbanism: The Shape of Cities to Come Institute Introduces Groundbreaking Peer-to-Peership Program

New York, NY, October 8, 2023 — The Shape of Cities to Come Institute (SCCI) proudly unveils the inaugural 2023–2024 cohort of our STUDY. PLAY. ACT peer-to-peership program. SCCI stands distinct in its approach, blending grassroots activism with scientific insights and urban planning. We emphasize the power of storytelling and culture in shaping urban futures. Our unique aim is to connect diverse local movements, fostering strong alliances that drive transformative change across neighborhoods. As we journey forward, we extend our deepest gratitude to our supporters.

We are elated to welcome Conor ‘Coco’ Tomás Reed as our new Program Director and Caitlin Peng as our Communications and Program Administrator. Conor, a Puerto Rican~Irish gender-fluid scholar-organizer, brings a wealth of experience from the City University of New York and radical cultural/educational movements in the Americas and the Caribbean. Caitlin, Brooklyn-born and Staten Island-raised, has a strong background in education policy and grassroots organizing.

“New York City stands at a crossroads of vicious inequities or compassionate social reinvention. This initiative — shaped by our team and inaugural cohort of change-makers — proposes a vision for the city to become a freedom school, cultural engine, and mutual aid epicenter,” said Reed. “Our STUDY.PLAY.ACT process will enhance these peer organizers’ skills, hold public dialogues to spark new urban strategies, and culminate in a chorus of actions. We aim to bridge issues from affordable housing to community safety beyond policing and prisons, from food and land sovereignty to how cultural equity can improve neighborhoods’ health, to build lasting collective power across our differences. SCCI is thrilled to study, play, and act with NYC’s movement ecosystem. Let’s redesign and recreate our city to meet ​everyone's needs from the ground up.” 

For a deeper understanding of our peers' remarkable contributions and backgrounds, please visit their full bios on our website. Below is a brief overview of each member:

COHORT 2023-24

ANTOINETTE MARTINEZ: Chair of the Housing Committee for Brooklyn Community Board 7, advancing equitable housing/land use initiatives.

GENESIS AQUINO: Executive Director of Tenants & Neighbors, advocating for racial and socio-economic justice.

RODRIGO CAMARENA: Director of Justicia Lab, previously led public initiatives for the City of New York.

AVI GARELICK: Director of a Hebrew School in Morningside Heights, published essays on urban politics.

PALOMA LARA: Board member of Northern Manhattan Community Land Trust, organizer at Rent Justice Coalition.

CANAL STREET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION: Founded in 2020, repurposes underused real estate for gathering ephemeral histories.

CHERYL RIVERA: Editor at Lux magazine, founder of the Crown Heights CARE Collective.

CHINATOWN ART BRIGADE: Cultural organizing collective amplifying issues of race, gender, and social justice.

MAANSI SHAH: Tenant organizer with Chhaya CDC, organizes with SALAM, a South Asian left organization.

QUITO ZIEGLER: Brooklyn-based artist and professor, active in efforts to protect the Riis People’s Beach.

RODRIGO BRANDÃO: Senior Director, Communications and Strategy at The Intercept, filmmaker focusing on queerness and immigration.

TANIA MATTOS: Founding member of the Abolish ICE NY NJ Coalition, organizer against gentrification in Queens.

Extended Peers / Project Advisors

Arpan Somani: Leads technology partnerships for the Obama Foundation, hosts Don’t Sleep New York podcast.

Cynthia Tobar: Founder of Cities for People, Not for Profit, Associate Professor/Head of Archives at Bronx Community College.

About The Shape of Cities to Come Institute (SCCI)

SCCI is a radical peer-learning platform that bridges grassroots activism with scientific knowledge, urban planning, and humanities-driven storytelling. We champion the intertwined roles of culture and space in urban futures, aiming to amplify the voices of New York City's working-class neighborhoods and communities of color. Our Peership program fosters collaborations across diverse movements, promoting intersectional projects, cross-neighborhood alliances, advocacy issues, and common ground proposals. Supported by the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Program, SCCI is dedicated to transformative urban change.

Media Contact

Leandro Oliva 
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386-451-4796