Plaza Borinquen Activation & Community Visioning
Spring, summer, fall 2026
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You know that space on the corner of Dudley and Brooke, at 581 Dudley St.? The one that folks call Plaza Borinquen for its vibrant history of Puerto Rican cultural activities? This spring and summer, DSNI will be helping our community activate that space to collectively vision what could be there!
When you imagine a new future for that space, what do you want it to be? A place to play, to gather, to play music, to dance, to share art, to learn, to connect, to feel safe? Come celebrate the spring, summer, and fall with us as we shape a vision of what this space can be for the us and the next generation!
Check out this compilation video made by local artist Daniel Villanueva of our Plaza Borinquen activation events! Scroll down to past events to see all the amazing videos!
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
Recess - Dance Party!
Our last Recess of the season!!!!
6 PM: Start
6:30: BACHATA & SALSA LESSONS
7:30: BREAK DANCING LESSONS
8:30: KARAOKE/DANCIN’
10PM: END
Final Community Process Celebration!!
We’ve spent all summer activating and visioning Plaza Borinquen’s present and future. Come celebrate the process – this phase ends in October – and what’s to come!
Come for:
Collaborative zine-making with Boston Ujima Project
Climate justice with Common SENSES
Food, music, dancing
Free clothing swap
Learning about (and keep contributing to) the community visioning process so far, and what's to come about the future of the space!
Other activities!
Español abajo! Kreyòl Ayisyen anba a! Kriolu di baxu!
Español abajo! Kreyòl Ayisyen anba a! Kriolu di baxu!
Querida comunidad y vecinos:
Durante los últimos seis meses, en la esquina de las calles Dudley y Brook, hemos estado creando colectivamente un espacio hermoso y una visión para el futuro. A finales de octubre finalizará el contrato de arrendamiento a corto plazo de DSNI (¡por ahora!); así que, aunque no habrá eventos en la Plaza durante el invierno, ¡seguiremos teniendo muchas conversaciones comunitarias sobre el futuro de este espacio!
Vengan a celebrar este proceso comunitario: conozcan el resumen de todas las aportaciones de la comunidad hasta la fecha y cuáles son los próximos pasos para Plaza Borinquen.
Actividades previstas (sujetas a cambios):
Arte colaborativo y creación de fanzines con el Boston Ujima Project
Justicia climática con el proyecto Common SENSES
Flores y hierbas secas con The Food Project
Estampado de diseños en ropa mediante transferencia térmica (¡traigan una camiseta o una bolsa de tela extra!)
¡Música, baile, comida y juegos!
¡Esperamos verles allí!
~~~
Chè manm kominote a ak vwazen nou yo,
Pandan 6 mwa ki sot pase yo, nan kwen lari Dudley ak Brook, nou te travay ansanm pou kreye yon espas ki bèl epi devlope yon vizyon pou lavni. Nan fen mwa Oktòb la, kontra lokasyon a kout tèm DSNI a ap fini (pou kounye a!); kidonk, menmsi pap gen aktivite nan Plaza a pandan sezon ivè a, n ap kontinye fè anpil diskisyon ak kominote a sou avni espas sa a!
Vin selebre pwosesis kominotè sa a — vin aprann rezime tout opinyon kominote a te bay jiska prezan, epi dekouvri ki pwochen etap yo ye pou Plaza Borinquen.
Men kèk aktivite ou ka espere wè:
Atizay an kolaborasyon / kreye ti liv atistik (zine) avèk Boston Ujima Project
Jistis klimatik avèk pwojè Common SENSES
Travay ak flè oswa zèb sèk avèk The Food Project
Enprime desen sou rad avèk machin pou transfè chalè (pote yon mayo oswa yon sak twal anplis!)
Mizik, dans, manje, ak jwèt!
Nou pa ka tann pou n wè nou la!
~~~
Mestimu komunidadi i vizinhansa,
Pa es últimu 6 mês na skina di Dudley i Brook, nu sta ta kria juntu un spasu bunitu i un vizãu pa futuru. Na fin di Otubru, kontratu di kurtu prazu di DSNI ta termina (pa góra!), asin mannu ka ta ten eventos na Plasa durante invernu, nu inda ta ten txeu konversas komunitàriu sobri futuru di kel spasu!
Bem selebra es prosesu komunitàriu — konxi resumu di tudu input komunitàriu ki dja tem, i kal ki é prôsimus pásus pa Plaza Borinquen.
Atividadis ki bu podi spera:
Arti kolaborativu / faze-zine ku Boston Ujima Project
Justisa klimátiku ku projétu Common SENSES
Floris sikadus / ervas ku The Food Project
Imprimi disenhos na pasa (trazi un t-shirt ou totebag sobranti!)
Muzika, dansa, kumida, jogus!
Nu ka podi spera pa odja-u la!
Plug in and get involved!
Plug in and get involved!
If you're from an organization or an artist who would like to (co)host an event, activity, art activation/installation, or have another idea, please make sure to fill out this form too!
The Activation & Visioning Process so far
The Activation & Visioning Process so far
Goals & Visioning
Goals & Visioning
Some community engagement process has occurred already, most recently in 2022, and we heard calls for an arts and cultural center; community gathering spaces for fun, meetings, events, hanging out & trust-building, etc.; mutual aid and solidarity economy; and goals of community and climate resilience. Overall, the eventual space and the planning process itself should further DSNI’s goals of building community power that prevents displacement, puts decisions into collective community stewardship, and changes our relationships to land and each other.
The most important thing is that community members should be in control of the planning process and able to shape what the space eventually looks like. Our theory of change centers around the community design/ decision-making process itself furthering the goals of building resilience & systems change through participatory planning, and deeper interconnection in our neighborhood. Our process vision is also steeped in a commitment to explore how radical imagining, play, art, popular education, creative prototyping, and placemaking/placekeeping can contribute to that just process.
The Community Planning Process this Spring/Summer
The Community Planning Process this Spring/Summer
Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, we’re planning on activating the space with events, activities, and whatever else we can dream up! In addition to being fun and creating connection, we hope this process will empower people to get and stay involved in the future work of developing the site!
Steering Committee
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee, convened by the DSNI team, will be composed of neighbors of Plaza Borinquen, including a youth member, a Dorchester Bay CDC representative, and advised by various architects and other experts. The Steering Committee meets every other week throughout the planning process and will play an active role in shaping engagement strategies, planning events, connecting to other residents, and reviewing community feedback.
Activation and Events
Activation and Events
During the spring/summer planning period, DSNI is hosting a series of creative site activations and community events that invite residents to experience and imagine possibilities for the space. These include cultural events, artistic programming, workshops, and temporary installations that transform the site into a welcoming community gathering space. Some ideas we have started brainstorming include:
Artisan space, makerspace, “creative incubator,” gallery, art park; Teaching and learning space: workshops, demonstrations, classes, collaborative art, etc., especially around community care/mutual aid and arts
Performance events, movies, live music, creative theater
Temporary raised beds, food forest, free markets, flea markets, etc.
Community organizing for other issues in our community, climate resilience (eg. learning about Common Senses), rent control, etc.
Events hosted by partner orgs, artists, and community members
Activation events will incorporate “prototyping” and speculative engagement methods, such as temporary structures or scenario-building activities that allow community members to physically experience/imagine possible futures for the space. During and outside events we hope to engage residents and local artists in collective art-making that can live in the space until the end of our short-term lease. Events and also “passive activation” in the space will all include opportunities for community members to draw, speak out loud, arrange with physical objects, and/or write their visions, priorities, and desires for the space while learning from interactive displays.
Future Community Planning Efforts
Future Community Planning Efforts
Plaza Borinquen belongs to the City of Boston and has a deed restriction (the legal requirements for what can happen there) that the site be forever owned by the city and for "community use." The fate of the site is uncertain since whoever will eventually have control over the it will need to apply for a competitive process for a long-term lease. We can do a more robust community-driven planning process using the visions from this summer and fall after long-term control is determined.
Past Events
Past Events
More RECESS!
More RECESS!
Thursdays... Aug-October
Recess is a celebration of Joy as Resistance, and Play as Freedom! Join other neighbors to hang out every other Thursday evening and let yourself breathe into simple pleasures of games, laughter, moving your body, music, food, and community. Our power is our connections and our connections are stronger with joy and play as the glue!
Co-hosted by our friends at Circle Squared!!
Rumba Cubana!
Rumba Cubana!
Tuesday, Aug. 18
Amazing local organization MetaMovements taught Cuban music and celebrated with dance!
Schedule:
5PM: Food, Live Art
7PM: Rumba Music Class
7:30PM: Rumba Dance Class
8PM: Open Rumbazo/Jam session
8:30PM: Live Music by MetaMovements
Bomba Puertorriqueña!
Bomba Puertorriqueña!
Fri, Aug. 14
Live Visual Art
Food
Live Music by BOMBAntillana
-- Featuring special guest artist Ivelisse "Bombera De Corazón" Diaz (Chicago)Bomba Movement Workshop
More RECESS!
More RECESS!
Thursdays... Aug. 6
Recess is a celebration of Joy as Resistance, and Play as Freedom! Join other neighbors to hang out every other Thursday evening and let yourself breathe into simple pleasures of games, laughter, moving your body, music, food, and community. Our power is our connections and our connections are stronger with joy and play as the glue!
Co-hosted by our friends at Circle Squared!!
Part of an ongoing series!
Movie night!
Movie night!
Fri, July 31
What if Plaza Borinquen had an outdoor movie theater? Neighbors enjoyed dinner and show on a beautiful summer evening!
Tie-Dye and Natural Dyeing!
Tie-Dye and Natural Dyeing!
Sat, July 25; Sat, Aug 1
Neighbors brought their creativity, connected with each other, and created colorful keepsakes to take home.
Midsummer Celebration!
Midsummer Celebration!
Sat, July 11
We all have gifts, skills, and abundance to share!
Join us at the Plaza Borinquen Midsummer Celebration for an afternoon of building community, marking the summer solstice, and sharing joy. This event’s theme is free market because WE TAKE CARE OF US!
We enjoyed:
🎶 Music - DJ and a band!!
🌮 Tasty food
🛍️ Local vendors
♻️ A free market where you can give, swap, and take home treasures at no cost
🏠 Community table with City Life Vida Urbana about housing justice and local organizing
💃🏾 Yoga, zumba, and dance performances!
New video by local artist Daniel Villanueva!
RECESS!
RECESS!
Thursdays... July 9, July 23
Recess is a celebration of Joy as Resistance, and Play as Freedom! Join other neighbors to hang out every other Thursday evening and let yourself breathe into simple pleasures of games, laughter, moving your body, music, food, and community. Our power is our connections and our connections are stronger with joy and play as the glue!
Videos by local artist Daniel Villanueva!
Part of an ongoing series!
June 27 Spontaneous Activation
June 27 Spontaneous Activation
Sat, June 27
We gathered, we danced, we listened to live jazz with 40 worldwide, we made collective art!
Gorgeous new video by local artist Daniel Villanueva!
Makerspace Madness!
Makerspace Madness!
Sun, June 14
"What if Plaza Borinquen had a space where people could learn the skills we need for joy, creativity, and building new worlds without relying on Amazon? Put yourself in that world for a day at our Makerspace experiment/ prototype event!
Bring something home; learn something, and leave something (your thoughts, ideas, and opinions!)"
Workshop stations:
Crochet - "Stitching in Solidarity" with Aya
Collaborative Zine with Valinda
Printmaking with Sophie
Sewing Hearts with Dia
There was food, and the opportunity to learn woodworking with Kal as he made benches and blocks for the plaza!
Take a Seat
Take a Seat
Sat., May 23
Community members helped build and decorate benches, integrating into part of the Plaza Borinquen landscape.
Part of an ongoing place-keeping series!
Gorgeous new video by local artist Daniel Villanueva!
Play with Your Food: Cooking event!
Play with Your Food: Cooking event!
Sat., May 23
Through interactive stations, community members met neighbors who share their love of food, prepared ingredients to take home and cook, and enjoyed tasty samples together too. The food emphasized healthful plants in particular.
Love Your Block beautification!
Love Your Block beautification!
Sat., May 2
We planted flowers and built raised beds to welcome spring at Plaza Borinquen!
Plaza Borinquen Launch Event
Plaza Borinquen Launch Event
Sat., April 18
Check out the video made by local artist Daniel Villanueva about our launch event in April!
2021-2022 process
2021-2022 process
DSNI already led two iterations of community engagement about the site, once about a decade ago and once in 2022, with priorities emerging of arts and cultural space, and community gathering space for meetings, events, education and knowledge-sharing, and community and climate resilience/social infrastructure building.
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