RPA Basics

- RPA Boilerplate: RPA is an independent non-profit civic organization that develops and promotes ideas to improve the economic health, environmental resiliency, and quality of life of the New York metropolitan area. RPA conducts research on the environment, land use, and good governance, and advises cities, communities, and public agencies.
- Visit the About RPA page for more text about us.
- Guidance for Inclusive Events
- RPA Org Chart
- Significantly advances RPA’s four core values: Equity, Health, Prosperity and Sustainability
- Leads to long-term, region-shaping outcomes
- Leverages short-term opportunities
- Attracts support from key partners and/or decision-makers
- Fills a need that no other organization can address as well as RPA
- Generates enough funding to support RPA’s work
- The RPA letterhead is stored here. The version that lists the full board changes pretty frequently, so make sure to use one in the folder instead of an oldie from your desktop
  The letterhead templates are set up for multipage documents. Delete the second page from your document if you don’t need it.
- The RPA Logo is often requested by our partners. The most useful versions are in design/identity/logo/_logos to share.
- Digital ad specs for the Benefit, the Assembly and other events
- Video Recording Guidelines -- instructions for recording short videos at high resolution with good lighting
- Here are instructions.
- Outlook online: in case the desktop version of Outlook isn’t working for you.
- RPA Accounts: login info for GoToMeeting, Carto, and other services.
- Almost all of our files are on the G-Drive. If you access it via the web, it has a really powerful search function.

COVID-19 and fire safety precautions

Masking is optional at this time - we will update this policy if conditions change
Outside visitors must be listed on the calendar (ie: a group of 10 students will be in the office on Tuesday)
Stay home if you are unwell or will put others at risk.
Fire safety and evacuation procedures for 1 Whitehall

Essential Info

- To connect to the display screen, connect the HDMI cord to your laptop. To connect the camera, connect the USB from the camera to your laptop. When you go to your video settings on Zoom, the conference camera will appear as an option. Select the conference camera option and adjust the camera so that everyone in the room can be seen by folks joining virtually.
- Zoom -- we are using zoom for events and meetings with external partners. Administrator login info is on RPA Accounts.
- Slack -- Click on the phone icon in any direct message to start an audio or video call.
- Google meet -- a free service, and easy to use! Google “google meet” to learn more.
- Zoom Webinars — speak to a member of the development team for instructions
- Here’s the link! Exciting! If your project involves any kind of public/web announcement, release, or event, add it to the sheet!
We use everviz.com to create charts. It is a great app to learn. Join the #chartdesign slack channel if you want to get involved.
- Everviz cheat sheet
- We keep all the presentations in the same place -- design/presentations/presentation [current year]. Feel free to copy and paste useful slides from other presentations within the folder.
- If you need to store your presentation in multiple folders, right click on the file or use the file menu in google slides to create a shortcut.
- We are no longer using powerpoint. If you have an old powerpoint you want to work with, drag it into the design/presentations/presentation [current year] folder

- Write to [email protected] and CC [email protected] or call 212-206-9619
- Our tech support vendor has changed its name from Cartwheel to Altourage
- Timesheets: timesheets are tabulated on the 15th and 30th/31st of each month. Fill yours out early! Contact [email protected] with any questions.
- Onboarding/Offboarding checklist
- TIAA Retirement Accounts: RPA’s retirement account service.
  Click on the dot for more info
- Oxford Health info (pdf): RPA’s health insurance plan
- NVA Vision Care:
  Free eye examination and either eyeglasses or contacts once per year. Vision care benefits are provided to all full-time employees (and their families) free of charge.
  Create a user account at the NVA website www.e-nva.com.At the website you will be able to find in-network eye care professionals, file claims on-line, find forms and look up claims.
  Your social security number is your ID number.
  Out of network reimbursements:
  - Eye examination $70
  - Single vision lenses and frames $145
  - Single vision lenses and frames with eye exam $215.
  - Bifo ca I lenses and frames $215
  - Bifocal lenses and frames with eye exam $285
  - Any other type of lenses and frames including contact lenses $290
  - The above with an eye exam $360
  The NVA one page document, and The NVA plan pdfs have details
- NYC Wifi: RPA_NET / Password: 2125632320
- NYC Guest Wifi: RPA_Guest / Password: thinkregional
- Newark Wifi: Password: CoGuest1234
- Princeton Wifi: RPA_NET / Password: 2125632320
- Princeton Guest Wifi: 2125632320
- CT Wifi: RPA_NET / Password: 2125632320 (click here for additional info)
- RPA Federal ID #: 13-1624154
- Please register before visiting the office
- Kata, Zoe, and Kate have the office keys and can lend them out
- Contact [email protected] for additional office info
- rpa.org/admin -- password is required.
- Making pdfs from web reports -- you need Acrobat Pro for this.
- Adding charts from Highcharts (we normally use Everviz
- Contact web developer Brett Burwell at [email protected] with issues that can’t be fixed in-house
Communications Department:
- Designer: Ben Oldenburg -- More than 100 pages of content.
- Director: Lauren Tsuboyama
- Director: Dani Simons
- Associate: Chasity Cooper
- Associate: Mark McNulty
Development Department:
- Associate: Tanzania Thomas
- Associate: Kimberly O’Keeffe

RPA Style Guide

- Overview, Key Findings, Report Body, Next Steps, and Acknowledgements are included in every report
- In most cases, write out numbers less than 10 – Exceptions are when referring to percentages, such as “5%”.
- Double dashes are fine! The website CMS will convert -- to —.
- Single space between sentences rather than double space.
- % versus percent – We are using the % symbol.
- Bulleted lists don’t require periods at the end of statements, in most cases.
- Oxford comma – The Oxford comma is what the Comms team has been using in most of our materials, it is the subject of a great Vampire Weekend song, and it makes it easier to follow along when reading lists. Please use it!
- City versus city – Should use lower case for city, state, and federal unless you are naming the place, per 4RP debates. Capitalizing City and State can give an exalted status to NYC and NYS that we don’t always give to other cities and states in the region.
- COVID is in all caps.
- Regional Plan Association / RPA does not use a “the”/article in front of it unless grammatically necessary.
- NYC/NYS vs. New York City/New York State -- please spell out New York City and New York State when possible, rather than abbreviating. The exception is when the abbreviation is part of a proper name (e.g., NYSDOT, NYCT)
- Footnote formatting – Here’s the format: [publication/author, “title hyperlinked.” (date).]. Example: The New York Times. “Fall’s Here. Can We Still Go Apple Picking?” (September 17, 2020). Footnotes go outside of the period. If you don’t format your footnotes, you will be shamed.
- Photos -- all photographs in reports must be taken by us, given to us with permission (with source credited), or creative commons/fair use images (with source credited). The best way to find creative commons images is to use Google image search, click on Tools, and then click on Creative Commons in the Usage Rights dropdown. Make sure to add the photographer’s name to the photo’s file name so we can credit appropriately.
- Charts -- Charts and infographics created by other organization can only be used in our reports with permission. In some cases we will include an image of their chart with a credit, and in some cases we will redesign the chart and credit it as “chart by ____, reformatted by RPA”.
This section will evolve. Here is a larger document with notes on our choices. Contact the Values Working Group to suggest updates.
- We use Latinx in most cases, but there is flexibility based on audience and partners. Hispanic/Latino can be used when referring to data sources like the census that survey using those terms.
- We capitalize Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian, Latinx etc. but not do not capitalize the “w” in white.
- Here is a library of content blocks we use on the site.

These are the only colors that should be used in RPA-designed products.

Copy and paste the color codes listed above into the color picker in MS Word and other programs

Putting together Grants and Reports

- When preparing project budgets for new grants, Project managers should review number of hours staff already have committed to projects this year, consult staff before listing them in grant budget, review previous project budgets to ensure they are not under or overestimating staff hours and other expenses, and prepare budgets with Development team.
- When grant award is announced, President, Finance, Development, supervisor (if applicable), and project team members should be informed and sent the grant agreement for reference.
- Development team to add grant reporting deadlines and instructions on Outlook calendar and pipeline tracker, and announce award at next foundation pipeline meeting.
- Project Manager to submit budget to Finance and ask Finance to create a Project Code and identical Replicon code, and ask Finance to add team members to Replicon code.
- Project Manager to confirm with project staff Replicon code, project roles, responsibilities, and expected hours.
- If there are communication deliverables, Project manager to put those items on the Communications Project Dashboard once the grant award is received and discuss with Comms with sufficient notice (at least one month out).
- Finance team to produce monthly project budgets for project manager outlining hours spent, hours remaining, expenses, and remaining funds.
- Finance team to circulate on monthly basis to project staff members how many hours they have remaining in all projects.
- Development to remind Project Manager and team a month in advance of upcoming grant report deadline and help prepare materials for report with Project Manager or pursue an extension, if needed.
- At the close out of the project, Project manager and their supervisor, if applicable, and team regroup, review deliverables, review hours spent, and discuss lessons learned.
Things to think about early in the process
- Audience – Is this report aimed at experts, or at a wider audience? Why not both?
- Stakeholders – Who needs to weigh in on the report? Who should see an early draft? Who should at least be given a courtesy head’s up before the report is published? Work with the Comms team to create a list and identify specific point people within RPA to reach out to those stakeholders.
- Call to action – What should readers do once they’ve read the report?
- Visuals/Special Features report authors should meet with Comms a few weeks before they are ready for layout to brainstorm how we can use video, illustration, animation, charts, infographics, and photos in the report – and in social media advertising for the report.
- Photos – Please take photos! We can make bad photos look good in photoshop. Let Comms know what type of photos you will need. We can take some pictures too.
- Charts and Maps – We are using everviz.com to create most charts, and Carto for most maps. Check in with Comms, Ellis, and Marcel to discuss charts – and give them enough lead time to help out.
- Keep track of your citations – It is much easier for everyone involved if you keep track of citations within footnotes in your report draft. Please do not leave them as comments or save them until the end.
- Timing – For a standard RPA report, it can take a month or more to move from solid-looking draft to publication. Bank more time than you think you’ll need. Please let the Comms team know as soon as possible if there is an upcoming deadline from a funder or a partner.
Sections included in every RPA report
- Report Overview – Each report should start with a summary. Our reports are long and readers might not make it all the way through. The overview sets the stage and tells readers what they will find in the report.
- Key Findings – Don’t bury the lede! Please include a section with key findings or key recommendations after the report overview.
- Report Body – This is the bulk of the report. Break it into three to ten sections so it is easy for readers to digest.
- Next Steps – Reports should end with a “Next Steps” section. What’s the call to action for readers? What’s the call to action for people in power?
- Acknowledgements -- Make sure to write down who the authors are, who the funders are, and who needs to be thanked.
The headings are required by the website’s structure to follow this formula:
- Overview is required
- Key findings/recommendations can be retitled – BUT it can only have text, images, charts, and maps above it – if we want to have other features like split columns or slideshows above it, use one of the numbered section headings instead.
- Numbered headings – no title requirements, but they are numbered
- Next steps/conclusion – can be retitled.
- Don’t forget the Overview, Key Findings, Report Body, and Next Steps
- Hierarchy – our bag of tricks for formatting includes this hierarchy:
  - Section Head (appears in table of contents -- most reports have between 3 and 8 sections)
  - Heading 1 (makes a little line across the page)
  - Heading 2 (a little bolder than bold text)
  - Bold text (can be at the start of a paragraph, but not in the middle)
- Callout text and opportunities for images/slideshows – These features are a big part of report designs. Notes about where to use them can be included in report text google docs.
- Links to our other work – Whenever other RPA work is relevant, we like to link to it. Authors should note places where we can make connections.
- Other formatting choices – Here’s the full menu of options. Authors don’t need to make too many design decisions, but it is good to think about options for creating a hierarchy of importance for readers who may only be skimming the text.
Things to do as you finalize the report draft
- Key Findings for Social Media – List 3-6 things that Twitter readers (who probably won’t read the whole report) should know about our findings, and share them with Comms.
- Find an editor who will kill your darlings – Designate a person who had no hand in writing the text to serve as an editor.
- Make sure to share the report with previously identified stakeholders – Most folks will need a few business days to review materials and provide feedback. If you’re just giving a courtesy head’s up, 24 hours before publication is sufficient. The RPA Board of Directors is typically given at least 24 hours advance notification.
- Don’t forget the acknowledgements section! List report authors in the order you want them to appear, list the people or groups who should be thanked, and list the funders.
- Don’t forget the factsheet! – We have been making a two-page pdf factsheet for each web report. These are great as handouts at in-person events, can be included in proposals, and come in handy when meeting with the press. Work with Comms to distill your report into factsheet format. Here are some examples: Bikeway, Be my Neighbor, Time to Act
- Your draft isn’t done until you have formatted the footnotes.
Layout
- Copy edit – Contact Comms for a copy edit before layout begins.
- Last minute editing – It’s best if the text is final before layout begins (real life sometimes gets in the way of this). Google docs work well before layout begins. Once layout has begun, check in with the lead author and with Comms to figure out the best way to suggest edits. We use a mix of Google Docs, Dropbox, and web based software.
- Comms staff will be able to share drafts with you as the report is designed.
Sharing the designed draft with external stakeholders
- Work with Comms team to identify stakeholders and set up this process
Final steps before report release
- Comms team will work with you on the final steps (approvals, edits, press release, sharing a social media kit, etc.)

Research and Advocacy Info

- Job, Wage and Labor Force Data: Which source do I use? (document by Chris)
- Working with census data (presentation by Ellis)
- Data Part II: Zoning, Land Use, and Open Data NYC Focus (presentation by Marcel)
- Interrogating, Interpreting and Presenting Data (presentation by Rachel)
- What’s a municipality? (presentation by Moses)
- American Community Survey 2022 selected characteristics by County and CT Planning Region (tables):
  Housing (DP04)
  Economic (DP03)
  Demographic (DP05)

RPA Counties

County	State	Subregion	FIPS code	Population (2023)
Dutchess	New York	Hudson Valley	36027	297,150
Orange	New York	Hudson Valley	36071	407,470
Putnam	New York	Hudson Valley	36079	98,060
Rockland	New York	Hudson Valley	36087	340,807
Sullivan	New York	Hudson Valley	36105	79,920
Ulster	New York	Hudson Valley	36111	182,333
Westchester	New York	Hudson Valley	36119	990,817
Nassau	New York	Long Island	36059	1,381,715
Suffolk	New York	Long Island	36103	1,523,170
Bronx	New York	New York City	36005	1,356,476
Brooklyn	New York	New York City	36047	2,561,225
Manhattan	New York	New York City	36061	1,597,451
Queens	New York	New York City	36081	2,252,196
Staten Island	New York	New York City	36085	490,687
Bergen	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34003	957,736
Essex	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34013	851,117
Hudson	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34017	705,472
Hunterdon	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34019	130,183
Mercer	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34021	381,671
Middlesex	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34023	863,623
Monmouth	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34025	642,799
Morris	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34027	514,423
Ocean	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34029	659,197
Passaic	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34031	513,395
Somerset	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34035	348,842
Sussex	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34037	146,132
Union	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34039	572,726
Warren	New Jersey	Northern New Jersey	34041	111,252
Fairfield	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09001	*
Litchfield	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09005	*
New Haven	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09009	*

In 2020, Connecticut petitioned the US Census Bureau to swap out counties for planning regions in their official estimates. The five planning regions below are coterminous with the three Connecticut counties in the RPA region.

County	State	Subregion	FIPS code	Population (2023)
Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09120	327,651
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09140	456,128
Northwest Hills Planning Region	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09160	113,463
South Central Planning Region	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09170	568,158
Western Connecticut Planning Region	Connecticut	Southwest Connecticut	09190	623,907

Population estimates from the 2023 County Population Estimates

Phone Directory

RPA Phone Directory

Name	Cell	Desk	Ext	Preferred Method of Communication
Zoe Baldwin	201-747-2643			Cell
Vanessa Barrios	323-868-4039	917-546-4346	3460
Sam Bowden Akbari	703-298-7782
Dale Bryk	917-549-4045
Ellis Calvin	765-215-5482	917-546-4334	3340
Sophie Cappello	203-464-8132
Lacey Cotter	917-892-7799			Slack or Email (Phone for work hour priorities)
Jim Finch	551-358-6594	212-420-6613	3630
Rob Freudenberg	516-512-4263	NY 212-253-5798 / NJ 609-228-7083	NY 3070 / NJ 3000
Moses Gates	718-440-1411	917-546-4344	3440	Email or Cell
Peter Harrison	917-365-4034
Chris Jones	917-750-3405	212-253-5763	3210
Christina Kata	201-364-3156	212-253-6010	3530
Rob Lane	914-582-3088	212-253-8460	3260
Meaghan McElroy	845-475-7345
Maulin Mehta	732-533-3020	917-546-4314	3990
Marcel Negret	631-416-4325	212-253-5965	3230
Kate Slevin	917-833-9259	917-546-4323	3830	Desk phone not in use
Tiffany-Ann Taylor	917-783-8814	212-253-0875	3141
Roma Tejada	917-613-9925	917-546-4313	3310
Rachel Weinberger	718-629-8550	917-546-4304	3730
Tom Wright	917-623-8494	NY 212-253-5408 / NJ 609-228-7082	NY 3060 / NJ 4000
Ravena Pernanand	646-358-2045
Sofia Vala	646-761-9254
Robert Yankana	917-443-7592	917-546-4315	3160
Dave Zackin	718-757-6691		3850	slack
Jeff Zupan	845-304-3536	781-489-5616
One Whitehall Lobby		212-943-8291
One Whitehall Cleaning Crew (Maria Orosz)	917-572-9554
Altourage Tech Support		212-206-9619