Pratt Center Research
Energy EfficiencyRetrofit Bedford Stuyvesant, Block by Block: 2009-2010 Summary Report
Report | November 15, 2010
In 2009, the Pratt Center for Community Development and Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation teamed up to turn a stretch of Brooklyn's Herkimer street into a "model green block" for energy efficiency. This report by Alexis Rourk Reyes assesses the results of the Retrofit Bedford-Stuyvesant Block by Block outreach and draws conclusions to inform the design of future community-based energy efficiency outreach programs. The Retrofit Bedford-Stuyvesant Block by Block initiative was designed to create a model for increasing the scale and speed of energy-efficiency retrofits at the neighborhood level and to generate job opportunities in the retrofit sector for local workers. The community-based outreach approach takes advantage of neighborhood networks, urban density, and New York City’s common housing types to achieve increased up-take of financial incentives, reduce costs in the implementation of the retrofits, and create jobs.