Moving to a new neighborhood is exciting and exhilarating, but after the boxes are unpacked and the pictures hung, it can start to get a little...lonely. New York City is a big place and sometimes neighbors stay to themselves. Getting involved with the community, when at times it might seem like there isn’t a community, is the perfect way to meet those elusive neighbors and make a difference in your neighborhood. How to do it: join your local community board.

  New York City is divided into 59 community boards.  

  If you’re like most New Yorkers, you might have never heard of a community board. But they are an integral part of the cityscape that does transformative work. Housed under the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, there are 59 community boards throughout New York City and have monthly meetings that are open to the public. There is a District Manager for each community board who works to “improve the delivery of City services to the district,” according to  their website . Under the District Manger, there are up to 50 other members of the community board and half of these folks are appointed by City Council members.  

  Monthly meetings focus what issues to address in a neighborhood.  

Community boards focus on the different issues facing their specific neighborhood. And while they do try to address resident complaints, they also work to coordinate the neighborhood tenant associations, organize neighborhood cleanup programs and help facilitate block parties and festivals. Community boards also have a say in zoning and land use questions in their neighborhoods and work with the City to address other challenges, like traffic concerns or decrepit housing.

  Find your community board  here  so that you can check out the next meeting. This first step will start to get you involved in your new neighborhood and there’s no better way to find out exactly what is happening in your community and perhaps, what you can do to help.  

  Another way to become involved with your community is through Participatory Budgeting. 1,500 cities throughout the world use Participatory Budgeting, including Chicago and San Francisco. So what is it? It’s  democracy in action : a year of meetings culminating in a vote to determine where funding available to the district gets directed. In some neighborhoods, that means additional water fountains or book drops at the library. Some communities decide to direct the money towards their schools. Of all the ideas debated, the 5 that receive the most votes are the projects that get funded.  

  Participatory Budgeting  is changing the way funds are directed in neighborhoods.  

Over 25 council districts in New York City participate with 35 million at stake. If your council member doesn’t offer this as an option in your community, now might be the time to get involved with your community board to see if that might be changed.

There are a lot of different ways to become involved with your new neighborhood, but the community board and Participatory Budgeting are great places to get started. We look forward to hearing about the improvements you helped bring to your community by getting involved!