ULURP may sound like a monster (and some people think it is), but it stands for Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and it’s the process by which major land use changes get reviewed and approved in New York City. It’s long, complicated, and involves lots of players, making it difficult for communities to understand how they can have a say in the land-use decisions that impact their neighborhoods.
To help community members understand ULURP — and make sure their concerns are heard during the process — CUP created the workshop-tool What Is ULURP? This toolkit includes a set of activities communities can use to learn about the ULURP process, the different players involved, and the role they play in decision-making.
Inside the toolbox are all the pieces you need to get hands-on with the process, as you take a sandwich through the layers of government and public review required by ULURP. A felt wall chart and player markers make it easy for all participants to see the different approval phases. The included 168-page guidebook uses simple diagrams and case studies to show how ULURP works — and how it sometimes doesn’t work — and provides step-by-step instructions on how to role play the ULURP process.
CUP designed the toolkit in collaboration with designers Lynn Kiang and Katie Lee of Dome, and with the help of dozens of community organizations, advocacy groups, and policy experts who made sure the toolkit meets the specific needs they have for educating their constituents facing neighborhood development issues.
During the development of the toolkit, more than a thousand community members across NYC participated in What Is ULURP? workshops in community meetings, classrooms, labor meetings, staff trainings for organizers, and many other locations.