Central Harlem CLT
Central Harlem Community Land Trust (CHCLT) is a nonprofit pioneering a new mode of homeownership by creating permanently affordable housing through community ownership. In this winning capstone project, my team at BL_NK reintroduced Central Harlem CLT to Harlem through a strategic communications framework grounded in cultural preservation, community agency, and trust-building. I led the brand strategy, situational analysis, and messaging alignment using my ARCS process.
WINNING
PITCH
Brand Strategy | Research & Insights | Messaging Framework
December 2024
WINNING
PITCH
ASSESS
I began by immersing myself in Harlem’s housing history, cultural trends, and current market data, looking beyond real estate to understand people’s lived realities.
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Contextual Awareness: We uncovered the urgency of cultural displacement: rent prices had surged 23% since 2019, while legacy venues like the Lenox Lounge and Renaissance Ballroom had vanished.
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Curious Exploration: Together with my team at BL_NK, we listened to the community through surveys and interviews, revealing two key insights: residents equated affordable housing with cultural survival, but few understood the CLT model.
RELATE
I noticed that Central Harlem CLT’s biggest challenge wasn’t relevance — it was recognition.
So we shifted the focus to emotional connection and cultural continuity.
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Making Connections: We developed two audience profiles, The Visionaries and The Dreamkeepers, linked by a shared desire to protect Harlem’s legacy.
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Perceiving Patterns: Across generations, themes of autonomy, preservation, and distrust of “new” institutions emerged. Our strategy reframed Central Harlem CLT not as a service provider, but as a community-led movement.
CRAFT
I spearheaded developing a brand narrative and engagement strategy to reintroduce Central Harlem CLT as bold, trustworthy, and deeply Harlem.
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Careful Consideration: Our messaging emphasized legacy, ownership, and equity. We crafted the rallying cry: “Preserve Harlem’s legacy, one block at a time.”
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Artisanal Execution: We developed a communications toolkit including a new visual identity (earthy browns and blues), the tagline “Always Looking North,” and branded community activations like the Harlem Lights Night Walk — an immersive event mapping cultural landmarks with QR-coded projections.
SUSTAIN
The campaign was built to educate, inspire, and deepen community trust for long-term impact.
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Return on Objective: Our KPIs included 90% brand recognition within three years, 30% event participation, and consistent media engagement.
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Enduring Outcomes: We designed a scalable ecosystem: strategic partnerships, interactive events, curated social content, and influencer collaborations (e.g., Spike Lee, Caleb Simpson) — all tied back to Harlem’s cultural narrative and Central Harlem CLT’s mission.
