Paula Crespo

As a Senior Planner, Paula has worked on a range of community-based planning and capacity-building initiatives at Pratt Center. As a precursor to the Gowanus rezoning plan, she worked on Bridging Gowanus, a year-long effort to engage local stakeholders in a participatory planning process and create a planning framework to address key questions about future growth and change in that neighborhood. She also led a five-organization partnership that designed a planning process and convened stakeholders to discuss the future of industrial Brooklyn, culminating in a two-day event that set new priorities for the future of the borough’s manufacturing sector. This effort helped bring about a broad-based coalition of affordable housing and manufacturing advocates who are currently addressing issues of mutual importance and working together to ensure low income communities get the most out of the de Blasio administration’s affordable housing plan.

Currently Paula is working on the East Side Coastal Resiliency project; the Democratizing Data initiative to build capacity among community-based organizations; and providing planning assistance to Brooklyn Community Board 17 (East Flatbush and vicinity). Paula serves as the Coordinator of the Center’s Graduate Student Fellowship program and helps run the Taconic Fellowship, which gives faculty and students from various departments at Pratt Institute opportunities to engage in community-based work.

Paula has a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a Master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute and has been a planner at Pratt Center since 2002.

Several years ago Paula was part of a group that established a community garden across the street from her apartment, making composting a reality for her family and neighbors.