Uni(wi)fied
Central and East Harlem have recently topped the charts as Manhattan’s least digitally connected districts. Both of their Community Board statements feature access to stable wifi as a priority, pointing to the digital divide between low- and high- income households that has widened during the Covid-19 pandemic. As internet became essential to obtaining vital health information, public assistance, and education, the project aims to provide tangible and immediate relief for residents lacking this very basic infrastructure.
Uni(wi)fied proposes the construction of accessible wifi networks for residents in Harlem that are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to internet. The project seeks the design and donation of wifi “antenna” structures to be installed on rooftops, along residential streets, and in parks of the neighborhood, incorporating contributions from local artists and residents, while providing low-cost and stable, high-quality, high-speed internet service for all.
In its inaugural year, Uni(wi)fied focused on engaging with residents, activists, and local institutions. We have initiated conversations with the Community Board 10’s Economic, Transportation, and Parks committees, and installed two wifi hotspots in the neighborhood—at St. Aloysius Church and West 120th “Open” Street. These hotspots served as testing sites to monitor the coverage of the independent internet provider, and our partner, NYC Mesh. In the next year, Uni(wi)fied will prototype and deploy highly visibile structures that house and elevate wifi nodes in publicly accessible sites in Harlem. We hope that these structures will catalyze the expansion of a self-sustaining internet infrastructure that features sculptural and culturally grounded architectural devices and demarcate a new model of community empowerment.
Location: New York (USA)
Client: Self-initiated
Program: Infrastructure, Public Space
Status: Ongoing
Year: 2021-20XX
Team: Catherine Ahn, Fabrizio Furiassi
Partners: NYC Mesh, Center for Justice Innovation
Sponsors: GSAPP, ArchLeague NY, NYSCA
Central and East Harlem have recently topped the charts as Manhattan’s least digitally connected districts. Both of their Community Board statements feature access to stable wifi as a priority, pointing to the digital divide between low- and high- income households that has widened during the Covid-19 pandemic. As internet became essential to obtaining vital health information, public assistance, and education, the project aims to provide tangible and immediate relief for residents lacking this very basic infrastructure.
Uni(wi)fied proposes the construction of accessible wifi networks for residents in Harlem that are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to internet. The project seeks the design and donation of wifi “antenna” structures to be installed on rooftops, along residential streets, and in parks of the neighborhood, incorporating contributions from local artists and residents, while providing low-cost and stable, high-quality, high-speed internet service for all.
In its inaugural year, Uni(wi)fied focused on engaging with residents, activists, and local institutions. We have initiated conversations with the Community Board 10’s Economic, Transportation, and Parks committees, and installed two wifi hotspots in the neighborhood—at St. Aloysius Church and West 120th “Open” Street. These hotspots served as testing sites to monitor the coverage of the independent internet provider, and our partner, NYC Mesh. In the next year, Uni(wi)fied will prototype and deploy highly visibile structures that house and elevate wifi nodes in publicly accessible sites in Harlem. We hope that these structures will catalyze the expansion of a self-sustaining internet infrastructure that features sculptural and culturally grounded architectural devices and demarcate a new model of community empowerment.
Location: New York (USA)
Client: Self-initiated
Program: Infrastructure, Public Space
Status: Ongoing
Year: 2021-20XX
Team: Catherine Ahn, Fabrizio Furiassi
Partners: NYC Mesh, Center for Justice Innovation
Sponsors: GSAPP, ArchLeague NY, NYSCA

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