Grain Collective

• Anti-displacement advocacy – supporting strategies that help residents remain in their communities as investments are made.
• Capacity building – equipping community organizations and residents with tools to participate effectively in planning processes.
• Community advocacy and education – building design literacy and empowering people to shape their environments.
• Community outreach – meeting residents where they are through in-person and digital channels.
• Conflict resolution and consensus building – facilitating dialogue among diverse stakeholders to find shared paths forward.
• Engagement planning and strategy – designing tailored engagement plans for each project.
• Digital campaigns – using online tools and social media to broaden participation.
• Engagement impact evaluation – assessing how engagement efforts influence outcomes.
• Equitable development support – aligning engagement with policies and investments that advance equity.
• Focus groups, fireside chats, and listening sessions – creating formats for deep conversation and storytelling.
• Participatory design – co-designing spaces and plans with residents and local partners.
• Health and resilience advisory – integrating health and climate resilience considerations based on community input.
• Placemaking and public programming – activating spaces through events and activities.
• Public engagement using storytelling-based methods – using narrative tools to surface local knowledge and priorities.
• Public reviews and documentation – supporting transparent review processes and clear records.
• Stakeholder engagement and strategic communications – coordinating with key partners and communicating clearly throughout.
• Surveys, workshops, and events – using multiple formats to reach a wide range of participants.

Typical engagement partners

• Residents and tenant associations.
• Community-based organizations and nonprofits.
• Public housing authorities and city agencies.
• Schools, libraries, and cultural institutions.

Engagement processes are designed to ensure that each project reflects the unique identity and priorities of the communities it serves.

Grain Collective offers landscape architecture services that transform sites into resilient, inclusive public spaces.

Key landscape architecture capabilities

• Campus planning – planning and designing cohesive outdoor environments for schools, campuses, and institutions.
• Cloudburst management and climate resilience – integrating stormwater management and resilient design strategies to address intense rainfall and flooding.
• Green infrastructure design – designing bioswales, rain gardens, permeable paving, and other systems that manage water and support urban ecology.
• Environmental planning and site analysis – understanding site conditions, constraints, and opportunities as the basis for design.
• Land planning and master planning – setting long-term frameworks for open space systems and landscapes.
• Programming and concept design – defining uses, experiences, and spatial organization for parks, plazas, and playgrounds.
• Construction documentation and cost estimating – preparing drawings, details, and budgets for implementation.
• Construction oversight and coordination – supporting project delivery, approvals, and quality control.
• Urban ecology and sustainability advisory – integrating planting design, habitat creation, and sustainability targets.
• LEED/SITES certification support – contributing landscape components toward certification goals.

Types of landscapes and spaces

• Parks and plazas.
• Public housing open spaces.
• Schoolyards, playgrounds, and learning farms.
• Streetscapes and public realm improvements.
• Courtyards, gardens, and campus landscapes.

Example project themes

• Transforming brownfield sites into educational and ecological assets (e.g., learning farms and outdoor classrooms).
• Reimagining playgrounds and open spaces to serve multiple age groups and uses.
• Designing cost-effective improvements that deliver high impact on constrained budgets.

For information on how communities are involved in shaping these spaces, see the community engagement services document.

Grain Collective overview

Grain Collective is an urban planning, landscape architecture, and community engagement practice based in Brooklyn, New York. The studio focuses on making cities more just, sustainable, and joyful by designing public spaces and systems that reflect the people who use them.

Integrated approach

• Combines urban planning, landscape architecture, and community engagement into a single, collaborative practice.
• Uses research, data analysis, and participatory design to ensure each project reflects local identity and priorities.
• Centers equity, climate resilience, and community wellbeing in all work.

Core service areas

Urban Planning

• Neighborhood and public realm planning.
• Equitable development and urban revitalization.
• Land use and zoning analysis.
• Economic development and social services needs assessment.
• Strategic development, phasing, and interagency coordination.

Landscape Architecture

• Design of parks, plazas, playgrounds, and open spaces.
• Campus and master planning.
• Green infrastructure and stormwater management.
• Climate resilience and urban ecology.
• Construction documentation and oversight.

Community Engagement

• Participatory design processes that center residents and stakeholders.
• Inclusive engagement strategies tailored to local communities.
• Storytelling-based engagement, workshops, surveys, and events.
• Consensus building, conflict resolution, and capacity building.

Focus areas

Grain Collective's work often focuses on:

• Advocacy and education – building design literacy and empowering communities to shape their environments.
• Community visioning – translating local insights into long-term plans and shared futures.
• Equitable development – ensuring investments benefit existing residents and advance justice and belonging.
• Learning and play spaces – designing schoolyards, playgrounds, and learning farms that support health, play, and education.
• Parks and plazas – creating dynamic public spaces that bridge generations and cultures.
• Urban resilience – integrating climate adaptation and infrastructure strategies that reduce risk and support community wellbeing.

Typical clients and partners

• Public agencies (city and state).
• Housing authorities.
• Educational institutions and libraries.
• Nonprofits and community-based organizations.
• Private developers and design collaborators.

For details on specific services, see the individual documents on urban planning, landscape architecture, and community engagement services.

Studio location

• Address:
• 339 Douglass Street, Suite 1

Brooklyn, NY 11217 United States

The studio is based in Brooklyn, New York, and works with clients across New York City and beyond.

Office hours and appointments

• Office hours are not listed on the website.
• To schedule a meeting, consultation, or site visit, please contact the studio by email or phone to coordinate a time.

For mailing, in-person visits, or deliveries, use the address above unless otherwise specified by the Grain Collective team.

Lists Urbandale, Union, Brooklyn, New York City, Wakefield, Green, and Hurricane as a location. Names New York, United States, Brooklyn, and New York City as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

Carol Pino Learning Farm (Brooklyn, NY)

• Transformed a 1.5+ acre urban brownfield adjacent to a public school into a living laboratory for students.
• Remediated a contaminated site by capping at the lower level and creating a vibrant educational landscape above.
• Integrates clean fill soil, permeable pavers, small-scale rainwater harvesting, solar harvesting, composting of organic waste, and over 70 trees.
• Supports field-based learning for preK–12 students, emphasizing observation, inference, decision-making, and sustainability.

Librariness: Re-envisioning NYC Branch Libraries (New York City, NY)

• Participated as part of the interdisciplinary team UNION.
• Developed a toolkit of branding, design, and engagement strategies to increase visibility, recognition, and investment in New York City branch libraries.
• Highlighted the role of libraries in workforce development, health, disaster resiliency, and community identity.

NYCHA Jefferson Houses Cloudburst Resiliency (New York, NY)

• Supporting NYCHA in creating resilient open spaces for Jefferson Houses residents.
• Design elements include central gathering spaces, new playgrounds, streetscape improvements, and a stormwater management masterplan to address cloudburst events.
• Grounded in deep community engagement, including focus groups, pop-up events, surveys, and other interactive activities.

NYCHA Post-Sandy Playgrounds (New York, NY)

• Reimagined recreation areas at multiple NYCHA campuses after Hurricane Sandy.
• Delivered cost-effective designs that respond to community needs, including multigenerational amenities and expanded greenspace.
• Strategies included fence removal, bold colors and patterns, and creative use of simple materials.
• Resulted in bespoke play spaces for different age groups, community gardens, shaded seating, and flexible central greens for programming.

Sectors and client types

Grain Collective works with:

• Public agencies – including city and state departments responsible for design, construction, parks, housing, and environmental protection.
• Housing authorities – such as NYCHA and related entities.
• Educational and cultural institutions – schools, colleges, and library systems.
• Nonprofits and community-based organizations – focused on housing, justice, youth, and community development.
• Private developers and design collaborators – working in partnership on complex urban and landscape projects.

(For a detailed list of public, private, institutional, and not-for-profit clients, please refer to Grain Collective's website.)

Awards and recognition

Grain Collective and its collaborative work have been recognized by professional organizations, including:

• ASLA New York Chapter – multiple Merit Awards in categories such as Community Impact, General Design (Small Firm), and Analysis, Planning, Research, and Communications.
• AIANY Design Awards – recognition in Urban Design, Planning, and Landscape categories.
• Landezine International Landscape Award – recognition for open space and landscape work.

Specific awards include recognition for projects such as:

• NYCHA Post-Sandy Playgrounds.
• NYCHA Waste Yard Re-Design / Redevelopment.
• NYCHA Open Space Master Plan.
• P.S. 16 Wakefield Playground.
• Bellini Park at Alfred E. Smith Houses (in collaboration with resident and agency partners).

This list is a summary based on the website and may not include all current or past awards.

• Community visioning – facilitating visioning processes that translate local ideas and aspirations into clear plans.
• Collaboration with government agencies, community-based organizations (CBOs), and institutions – coordinating with public and nonprofit partners to align goals and investments.
• Data and demographic analyses – using quantitative and qualitative data to understand current conditions and future needs.
• Economic development – planning strategies that support local economies and neighborhood vitality.
• Interagency coordination – working across city and state agencies to align efforts and streamline project delivery.
• Land use and zoning analysis – assessing existing regulations and opportunities for more equitable and effective land use.
• Neighborhood planning – developing plans that integrate housing, open space, mobility, and community services.
• Phasing strategies – sequencing improvements and investments over time to match funding and community priorities.
• Public realm design – shaping streetscapes, plazas, and open spaces as part of broader planning efforts.
• Social services needs assessment – identifying service gaps and opportunities to better support residents.
• Stakeholder mapping and analysis – understanding key partners, power dynamics, and roles in implementation.
• Strategic development – setting goals, frameworks, and roadmaps for long-term urban change.
• Urban revitalization – working with communities to reinvest in and reimagine existing neighborhoods.
• Urban design, placemaking, and programming – translating planning goals into specific spatial and programmatic strategies.

Example planning contexts

Urban planning work often supports:

• Public housing campuses and open space systems.
• Neighborhood-scale revitalization and resiliency initiatives.
• Public library and civic infrastructure projects.
• Mixed-use and cultural districts.

For information on related design and engagement services, see the documents on landscape architecture and community engagement.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.