Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/508716
Andrew Kalish '02 community Developer Tell us about the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) is an economic development corporation founded to aid in the development of Downtown Brooklyn, basically from the water to Barclay's center and from atlantic avenue to Flatbush avenue. is wedge of Brooklyn is one of the most rapidly developing areas of New York and will see the addition of close to 30,000 new residents in the next three to four years. Our mission is to make this area a great place to work, live, and visit, supporting it as a vibrant 24/7 community. DBP handles everything from cleaning the streets to marketing the area and advocating for policy changes to benefit the Downtown community. What is the role of the Director of Cultural Development? When you think of Downtown Brooklyn, culture is not always the first thing that comes to mind. however, there are over 60 cultural groups within a square mile, making it one of the most culturally dense and diverse neighborhoods in the entire city. you have institutions ranging from the Brooklyn academy of Music (BaM) and the Brooklyn historical Society, to Issue Project room and the Museum for contemporary african Diasporan arts (MocaDa). Part of my job is to work with all the various groups in the area to see how we can make the collective more powerful than the individual, implement processes and mechanisms that make these groups stronger, and create an identity for Downtown Brooklyn that is synonymous with culture. culture is a tremendous economic development tool and it's my job to leverage our deep cultural offerings as such. Part of this role is the development of the Brooklyn Cultural District. Here's an area, about four city blocks (centered around BaM) that has for decades sat dormant. Within the next two years, there will be five high rise towers, over 3,000 new residents, nine cultural groups, hundreds of new office workers, new retail and restaurants, and three brand new marquee public spaces. is will drastically transform the area and overnight establish a new cultural