On May 18th, 2002 at North General Hospital in East Harlem, 50 residents of the neighborhood led a team of urban designers and Regional Plan Association staff in a visioning session on the future of the community with a subway line along Second Avenue. The goals of the Workshop were to envision East Harlem with the Second Avenue subway by identifying potential improvements near proposed subway stations, creating visual images, and presenting ideas to each other, public officials and city agencies.

Sponsored by Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, City Council Member Philip Reed and Community Board 11 Chair David Givens, the East Harlem Community Design Workshop brought together residents of East Harlem to discuss desired uses and activities around proposed stations of the Second Avenue Subway. The event is part of the ongoing research, advocacy and technical assistance efforts of Regional Plan Association for the Second Avenue Subway.

Regional Plan Association, with support from the Ford Foundation, has been working with the East Harlem community to design and implement a strategy to maximize the benefits of the proposed Second Avenue Subway for community residents and businesses.