WE STAY/Nos Quedamos has been a recognized leader in low-income rental and affordable home-ownership housing since its formation in 1993, including being an early adopter and implementer of green LEED practices across its developments, beginning as early as 2010.
Nos Quedamos has also applied these ideals to its people-led community resiliency work during the last 10 years, starting with organizing regional community gardens into unified resiliency hubs, laying the groundwork for a community land trust, and establishing a visionary solar and broadband pilot initiative in the Melrose section of the South Bronx that is focused on long-term self-sufficiency. As such, Nos Quedamos has focused its energies on studying and developing preemptive long-term solutions to the critical issue of land ownership and regional self-sufficiency.
Two important studies conducted by Nos Quedamos and its research partners can be found at the bottom of this page for download.
Our long-term commitment to Environmental Justice is evident in our history/work scope.
We built it and they came. What's next? A people-led future...
Climate Preparedness – Melrose cannot wait 72 hours.
As extreme weather becomes more frequent, our community must prepare itself for heat waves, flooding, brownouts/blackouts and other sudden-onset disasters. When natural or man-made catastrophes occur, the average ramp-up time for a full emergency response mobilization is 72 hours. This is why we are working on a comprehensive action plan where trained and knowledgeable on-the-ground community garden stewards and other community stakeholders can triage, assess, and provide valuable information in advance of the arrival of the official response capacity teams via the Melrose Resiliency HUBS, a state funded project via the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).
Adaptation-Blue/Green Infrastructure
Solar Canopy/Rainwater Management Systems with Broadband connectivity Pvilions Direct access to our (19) buildings/home-ownership for solar retrofitting feasibility.
SOLAR
Solar energy as a key contributor to resilience is that sunlight generated electricity can be stored and discharged without the need for fuel deliveries, unlike conventional diesel generators, which are the most common source of emergency backup power. And sunlight is an endless source of energy.
BROADBAND
The installation of Wi-Fi routers will enable Internet connectivity at the gardens. This will allow garden stewards and community residents access to valuable information and extend the capacity for educational programming at the garden, while closing “digital divide” gaps in our region. Important during emergencies.
WATER MITIGATION
Domestic Rainwater Harvesting (DRWH) systems control storm water runoff. The impact of domestic water runoff mitigation at the urban block scale is an environmentally friendly process, facilitates irrigation and reduces the use of ground water while reducing floods and soil erosion.
Self Determination
It is more essential than ever that NQ unite with Melrose to build resilience in the aftermath of the compounded crises of a global pandemic and climate change.
Community Land Trusts
Another critical component of long-term community resiliency is people-led land-ownership. Nos Quedamos has been diligently working to establish the South Bronx Land and Community Resource Trust (SBxLCRT), and has conducted a feasibility study and an action plan created (see reference content at bottom) takes a broad top-down holistic approach to the innate next phase of Melrose Commons.
Download Partner Debrief Kits - English / Spanish (PDF)
Related Reference Content:
Nos Quedamos, with technical assistance from Hester Street (HST) and support from the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (MOER) and the NYC Community Land Initiative (NYCCLT), studied the area of Melrose Commons through the lens of a CLT model. This report is the culmination of that work and outlines the mission and development principles for the recently created South Bronx Land and Community Resource Trust (SBxLCRT). It also considers opportunities for creating vital housing, energy, and communication infrastructure in Melrose Commons. Download (PDF).
Community gardens in Melrose Commons have the potential to create a coalition in order to become a cohesive system of open spaces that serve for community building and organizing. Melrose Commons is a low income, minority neighborhood that encompasses 35 blocks, located in the South Bronx. There are 12 community gardens within the Melrose Commons area and 9 gardens adjacent to the neighborhood. Download (PDF).
