The Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP), an initiative led by the Mayor’s
Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ), is a groundbreaking approach to neighborhood public
safety and crime reduction. The MAP model moves beyond enforcement to address factors
underlying public safety—enhancing opportunities for work and play, health and well-being
and youth development; promoting well-designed spaces that are active and maintained;
and improving trust between neighbors and with a responsive and just government. MAP
enhances coordination between City agencies and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
residents to increase mutual accountability over local conditions and challenges. Since 2014,
MAP has focused on 15 of the 326 NYCHA developments across the five boroughs in
neighborhoods that have faced persistent safety challenges and violent crime. Through
MAP, residents, government agencies, and nonprofit partners work together to co-produce
enduring improvements in safety.
What makes MAP unique is its goal of reorienting government thinking and operations to
center the voices and experiences of residents who live in historically disinvested communities.
Through MAP’s fundamental organizing process, NeighborhoodStat, partner agencies and
residents come together for joint problem identification and the testing of solutions that
enable system-wide change. The innovative NeighborhoodStat meetings have served as a
platform for resident stakeholders and City agency partners to work together to enhance
public safety. They have resulted in the identification and deployment of a diverse array of
social services, physical space interventions and infrastructure improvements. Through MAP,
MOCJ has made significant investments to help create a safer environment through physical
infrastructure improvements including exterior lighting and closed-circuit TV cameras at the
15 developments.
The MAP Stakeholder Teams, which consist of at least 15 residents per site, continue to
develop priority areas and place-based interventions to ensure that residents’ voices are
included in the City’s decision-making process. In Fiscal 2020, the sixth year of MAP, our focus
was on strengthening neighborhood engagement by expanding the reach of the initiative,
deepening relationships with community members, and drawing upon the local knowledge of
residents to develop tailored solutions for the MAP neighborhoods. By pursuing a process that
draws upon the principles of participatory budgeting, residents living in MAP developments
were not only able to generate ideas for place-based projects to improve community safety
and well-being, but also voted on which community-based projects should be implemented.
Encouraging democratic selection of these projects advances MAP’s work to promote civic
engagement and amplify resident voices in government decision-making.
Since the summer of 2014, MAP has contributed to substantial reductions in crime at the
MAP developments. From Fiscal 2014 to Fiscal 2020, index crime declined by 12 percent,
violent crime by 15 percent, and shootings by 18 percent at MAP sites. An external evaluation
of MAP shows that, after the implementation of MAP, average monthly index crime rates at
MAP sites decreased at a rate that was nearly double crime declines at other NYCHA sites
(-7.5 percent at MAP vs. -3.8 percent at non-MAP NYCHA). In Fiscal 2020, violent crime
continued to decline at MAP sites. During the reporting period, violent crime decreased
by 4.5 percent at MAP sites compared to two percent at other NYCHA sites. Additionally,
during a time when gun violence started to increase across the city, there were 28 shootings
at MAP sites compared to 27 the year before, representing a four percent increase, which
was still below the 13 percent increase in shootings that occurred at all other NYCHA sites.
Index crime increased by 2.5 percent at MAP sites, driven by an increase in property crimes.
TRUST
NEIGHBORHOODSTAT EMPOWERS RESIDENTS TO LEAD PROBLEM SOLVING LOCALLY
NeighborhoodStat is a process that brings together neighbors, community-based organizations, and agencies to
support safer, more vibrant communities. Developed by MOCJ, NeighborhoodStat serves as the operational and
organizational centerpiece of MAP. It is a community-based problem-solving process grounded in the belief that public
safety cannot exist without the public. It is an acknowledgment that safe and thriving neighborhoods require resident
leadership, community and government support, and resources to produce sustainable change. To that end, Local
NeighborhoodStat, developed in partnership with the Center for Court Innovation, employs a series of local meetings
that engage residents and MAP partners in sharing, analyzing and using data to identify public safety priorities and
the implementation of solutions. These meetings, and the information they generate, are an important part of MAP’s
strategy to enhance accountability by providing local residents and stakeholders with key resources and access to
decision-makers. By the end of Fiscal 2020, 365 residents took leadership roles in the NeighborhoodStat process by
becoming members of the MAP stakeholder teams.
During the reporting period, residents and their MAP Engagement Coordinators (MECs) worked together weekly to
develop community safety priorities for their developments. MAP hosted 15 Local NeighborhoodStat meetings, which
were large-scale community events onsite at each development. During these Local NeighborhoodStat meetings,
residents were engaged in a problem solving process, provided feedback on the priorities the resident team members
have chosen, and were introduced to the variety of ways that they can participate in this local effort, including
generating solutions and voting on how to spend up to $30,000 for projects and events that they think will increase
safety at the development.
RESIDENTS DEVELOP, SELECT, AND IMPLEMENT PROJECTS TO ADDRESS THEIR PRIORITIES
Over the past two years, MAP stakeholder teams received training and support to develop action plans for communitybased programs and placemaking events to address key community challenges. In Fiscal 2020, MAP stakeholder
teams completed 35 of the project ideas begun in the previous year, which included built environment/public
space enhancement projects (e.g., gardens, information kiosks, murals, and basketball court renovations), pop up
programming to activate underutilized spaces in the evenings and weekends, and youth-focused social programs (e.g.,
music mentorship and computer coding programs).
MAP worked with partners and resident teams to make the action plans more participatory. At the MAP Local
NeighborhoodStat events, residents were encouraged to submit ideas for how to spend $30,000 in order to improve
safety and well-being at their developments, MAP Engagement Coordinators (MECs) and city agency representatives
discussed neighborhood priorities and welcomed ideas for action plan projects from all who were in attendance.
Encouraged by the invitation to participate in designing and selecting projects for their development, more than
1,600 residents were in attendance at Local NeighborhoodStat events, an increase of more than 50 percent compared
to the same period in the previous fiscal year. By leveraging the best practices of participatory budgeting, these
Local NeighborhoodStat events amplified resident voice and increased participation. During and after the Local
NeighborhoodStat event, teams collected 5,980 idea cards representing resident suggestions for safety and well-being
interventions. The Stakeholder Teams then gathered these submissions for a wider Make Your Voice Count campaign in
which all MAP residents could select their top project idea to receive $30,000 in committed funding from the Mayor’s
Office of Criminal Justice. Through this Make Your Voice Count campaign, MAP developments engaged over 15percent
of their neighbors with 9,210 votes cast. Design and implementation of the winning projects was temporarily suspended
in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but will resume in Fall 2020.
ASSESSING AND MEETING RESIDENT NEEDS DURING COVID-19
During the COVID-19 emergency, New York’s most underserved neighborhoods and residents have been more vulnerable
to the current health crisis, compounded by systemic inequity as it relates to health, safety, and economic opportunity.
MAP immediately activated the robust community networks that grew from years of engagement to identify and address
the immediate needs of residents. In fact, during the height of the Pandemic, MAP’s stakeholder teams of residents
and agency partners met virtually at an increased frequency (on a bi-weekly basis) in order to share information and
resources in real-time. MAP partners, including the Center for Court Innovation, Department for the Aging (DFTA), and
the Human Resources Administration (HRA), conducted needs assessments of participating residents, and connected
New Yorkers to critical resources including food, healthcare, and public benefits.
COLLABORATING TO DELIVER RESULTS: Mayor’s Action Plan For Neighborhood Safety | Page 35
In Fiscal 2020, 10,466 public housing residents completed a COVID-19 Needs Assessment form to determine urgent
needs for food, water, and personal protective equipment. The Needs Assessment linked residents to tangible essential
items such as food and personal protective equipment (PPE), and also to supportive services that prevent future crises
such as public benefits, healthcare, and senior case management through a referral system between MAP agency
partners. More than 7,400 relief packages of food, PPE, and cleaning supplies were delivered to MAP households by
the Center for Court Innovation’s Neighborhood Safety Initiatives using protective gear to avoid any further risk of
harm. Additionally, MAP partners developed a regularly updated resource guide that provides all New Yorkers with
a comprehensive overview of city- and community-based resource services that are available during the COVID-19
emergency.
Beginning in March, MAP and its partners transitioned their programs and services into emergency preparedness
operations, which included the remote provision of critical services like mentoring and individual counseling, and the
distribution of resources (e.g. information, meals, PPE, public benefits, technological devices) that many residents rely
on to support themselves during the pandemic. MAP also played a critical role in equitable distribution of citywide
resources. Almost 10,000 hand sanitizers, 150,000 face coverings, and hundreds of meals were delivered to the most
vulnerable senior housing developments within one month with the support of MAP’s network.
DESIGN
LEADING THE WAY TO DEVELOP CREATIVE DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR THE CITY
In Fiscal 2020, MAP continued Claremont Illuminated, a public art project that brings together Bronx-based
photographers, artists, and community-based organizations to promote community safety and connection. Through
publicly displayed photographs, oral history, film, and multimedia, Claremont Illuminated explores the diverse lives and
stories of the residents of Claremont Village, a set of NYCHA public housing developments located in the Morrisania
section of the South Bronx. During the reporting period, Claremont Illuminated expanded its exhibition spaces to include
the 169th Step Street, spaces within and around Butler and Morris Houses, and inside a parking lot at IS219, a local
middle school, based on community priorities. Claremont Illuminated also received the Mayor’s Grant for Cultural Impact
and the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant in recognition for its contributions to city and national life.
MAP, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (MOCTO) and the Department of
Transportation (DOT), implemented two smart lighting projects led by Ville-luminate the Block and Anyways, Here’s
the Thing as part of the NYCx Challenge. These two projects, which feature motion-activated 3D projection and
streetlamps, were co-created and led by youth at the Brownsville Community Justice Center, and seek to brighten
public corridors, enhance public safety, provide space for cultural activities and increase foot traffic to local businesses
within Brownsville’s Osborn Plaza and alongside Belmont Avenue. These projects were active throughout Fiscal 2020
and will remain in place through Spring 2021.
MAP’s Neighborhood Activation program is leading a coordinated effort between public agencies and communities to
improve neighborhood safety and well-being through changes in the built environment, programs, and policy. MAP
continued to develop the utility of its Neighborhood Activation playbook, Safe Places, Active Spaces: A Community
Playbook for Transforming Public Spaces in Your Neighborhood, which is a how-to-guide for residents and organizations
seeking to work with City agencies to produce public space improvements. In Fiscal 2020, As a complement to the
larger Playbook, MAP is also developing portable guides that offer step-by-step instructions focused specifically on
gardening, public art and public events at NYCHA. The finalized mini-guides will be accompanied by opportunities for
complementary resident training that will be available in Winter 2020.
TESTING SCALABLE SOLUTIONS FOR HARD-TO-SOLVE NEIGHBORHOOD ISSUES
MAP, in partnership with John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Research and Evaluation Center, engaged ideas42
to design feasible, cost-effective and scalable solutions for trash and pet waste at NYCHA developments. Working
with MOCJ and NYCHA from June through August 2019, ideas42 conducted a randomized controlled trial at 27 test
developments to determine whether the installation of additional tilt trucks, trash cans, and a public messaging campaign
Page 36 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
would support waste disposal at NYCHA campuses. The results were significant and positive: these interventions
resulted in a 25 percent reduction in the number of bags of household trash discarded at the development; a 16
percent reduction in the amount of litter observed on development premises; and an 11 percent reduction in dog waste
observed on pathways in and around developments.
OPPORTUNITY
SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT FOR ALL MAP YOUTH
A crucial component of MAP is connecting youth to employment opportunities that provide valuable skills and job
readiness. MOCJ supported the expansion of the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and, starting in Summer
2017, the City guaranteed summer jobs to all MAP youth ages 14 to 24 who successfully complete applications. Since
Summer 2014, the number of youth from MAP developments who secured a guaranteed summer job has more than
doubled, an increase achieved through robust, coordinated outreach efforts and assistance. In Fiscal 2020, 2,961
residents from MAP developments enrolled in SYEP during the summer of 2019. MAP also launched a robust application
campaign to recruit residents for the summer 2020 cohort of SYEP.
HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE THRIVE AND STAY SAFE THROUGH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMING
MAP, in partnership with the Office to Prevent Gun Violence (OPGV) and the Young Men’s Initiative (YMI) developed a
remote component of the Anti-Gun Violence Employment Program (AGVEP) which offers young people between 14
to 24 years of age the chance to work with trusted mentors and learn new skills. Planned for launch in Fiscal 2021,
AGVEP’s virtual enrichment program will consist of 10 community-based organizations and institutions who will provide
employment and engagement opportunities to young people living in MAP developments or precincts supported by
OPGV. By the end of Fiscal 2020, each of these 10 virtual enrichment providers developed curricula for young people to
gain skills in youth leadership, career readiness, financial empowerment, web development and coding, urban planning,
music and film production, and civic engagement virtually, and from the safety and comfort of their own homes.
PROVIDING EDUCATION, SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO AGING RESIDENTS
From March to June 2020, during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period, the MAP Community Advocates continued to
maintain connections with MAP seniors by conducting wellness checks for 794 clients, by distributing 347 tablets to
support ongoing technology access, and by opening recruitment for a new virtual Grandparent Empowerment Series
that will build skills among caregivers during these challenging times. In Fiscal 2020, MAP’s Community Advocates from
the Department for the Aging (DFTA) facilitated support groups for seniors at 13 of the MAP developments in order to
connect them with city resources and offer MAP seniors opportunities to participate in the Parenting A Second Time
Around (PASTA) program. PASTA offers different opportunities for aging residents caring for children to learn parenting
skills and develop stress management techniques within a cohort of supportive seniors sharing similar experiences.
EVALUATION
The Research and Evaluation Center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice is leading an evaluation of MAP and
its component parts. An interim report released in June 2020 found that, during the study period, major felony crime
decline was two times greater and seven times greater at MAP sites than it was at NYCHA sites that did not receive
the MAP program. The study also found that MAP sites were associated with a statistically significant 14 percent
reduction in misdemeanors against persons, as well as a seven percent reduction in all misdemeanors, when compared
to comparison sites and while controlling for other variables. The evaluation will be complete in Fall 2020.
CRIME STATISTICS IN THE 15 DEVELOPMENTS
Number of Incidents
% Change
FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20
FY14-
FY20
FY19-
FY20
Total Index Crime 867 810 837 759 778 747 766 -11.6% 2.5%
The seven index crimes are murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand lacerny and grand lacerny auto. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and felony assault.
COLLABORATING TO DELIVER RESULTS: Mayor’s Action Plan For Neighborhood Safety | Page 37
Agency/Office Indicator Name
Actual Target
FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21
Improved Infrastructure / Environmental Design
NYCHA
Permanent lights installed (# fixtures)* * * * *
Layered access projects completed (repairing and
adding additional security to development entry
and access points) (# bldgs.)
67 0 15 15
Cameras installed (closed circuit television)
(# cameras) 232 745 745 0
Community Engagement & Programming
Parks
Kids in Motion participants across MAP sites 43,510 45,622 65,000 65,000
Shape-Up participants across MAP sites* 22,616 20128* 20,000 23,000
DYCD MAP Summer Youth Employment (SYEP)
participants 3,033 2,961 3,500 3,500
DOP
Participants enrolled in the Next STEPS youth
mentorship program* 235 185 240 240
Participants who positively exited Next STEPS
program* 184 128 180 180
ENDGBV
Healthy Relationship Academy workshops Held* 61 * * *
Community Outreach Events* 481 * * *
HRA
Appointments to connect individuals to HRA
services 2,109 2559 2,200 2500
Individuals connected to HRA services 1,508 1745 1,400 1700
DFTA
Total Participants in DFTA Support Groups,
Trainings, and Workshops* 3,002 3685 1,500 4,000
Seniors engaged at public events 5,868 4392 6,500 *
Program intakes 398 462 400 500
Green City Force (GCF) Program Enrollees 50 5* 50 50
MOCJ/Center for Court
Innov.
Local NeighborhoodStat - Resident Votes * 9210* * 9,300
Local NeighborhoodStat - Idea Cards Collected * 5980* * 6,200
ÂąNYCHA Permanent Lights - Project completed in FY18.
2
Shape Up classes were suspended as of 3/13/2020 due to Covid-19. Three virtual classes were held in June with a total of 45 attendees.
3Includes people who reside near MAP developments
4ENDGBV has transitioned from MAP-focused to a citywide approach to outreach and education
5Due to the risk posed to older adults by COVID-19, we are not setting an FY21 target for this metric
6FY20 Q4 DFTA data includes attendance for virtual support groups
7
FY20 GCF data impacted by COVID 19 - Previous cohort graduated in June 2019 and intended enrollment of 2nd term members in late March
was delayed
8New Indicators: First year of new participatory Local NeighborhoodStat process