Urban Colloquium Guest Lecture Spring ’25: Jeanne DuPont @ FEB 12TH, 4:00 PM

Jeanne DuPont, Founder & Executive Director, Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability & Equity. As the founder and executive director of RISE, Jeanne DuPont has worked closely with the Rockaway community and city agencies since 2005, developing strategies to redevelop large stretches of underutilized public land for the good of the community. Much of her work has involved organizing community members and youth in utilizing outdoor space for programming focused on social equity, health, and environmental justice. Jeanne has a master’s degree in Design from Yale University. RISE inspires all generations of Rockaway residents to care for their environment and community. RISE provides civic engagement and youth development programs that advance social equity and the physical well-being of the vibrant coastal neighborhood in Queens, New York. RISE was established in 2005 and has led initiatives created “by the community, for the community.” RISE sees potential in places and people that are often overlooked or marginalized. From their first community-directed planning effort, which led to the creation of the 28-acre Waterfront Park on a lot that had been an illegal dumping ground, to their work transforming a dilapidated firehouse in the heart of Far Rockaway into a hub for community programming, to Project Underway, their effort to repurpose an abandoned stretch of roadway into a safe place to walk, ride bikes, and recreate public space, RISE brings residents together to improve the built and natural environment.

Find out more about RISE at: https://www.riserockaway.org/