Ruchika Lodha, Sruti Penumetsa and Priya Pinjani

The Studio 2 course was based in Rockaway, a peninsula of New York City located towards the east. The A train elevated subway line delineates the peninsula across the East-West axis. While it connects the Rockaways to the rest of the city on a regional level, it splits and separates local communities creating socio-spatial fragmentation.
The proposal, RockTalks, responds to the existing socio-spatial and ecological inequalities present in Rockaway in order to create equal access for all residents and reinforce a common sense of belonging. This encompasses breaking down social and psychological barriers and encouraging collective processes to redesign, reclaim, and reappropriate underutilized spaces in Rockaway.
RockTalks is as an intermediary approach rather than an organization or a system embedded within an existing organization, such as RockSoup, which micro-funds creative and constructive projects in Rockaway. RockTalks builds awareness, capability, and accountability among Rockaway residents by filling the gaps and building meshworks between different scales of existing infrastructures, organizations, resources, and skills through processes of mentorship and facilitation.