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Welcome to CIVITAS

This is CIVITAS

We are a union of citizens dedicated to improving neighborhood quality of life in the Upper East Side and East Harlem since 1981.

CIVITAS promotes urban planning, zoning and land use policies that are sensible and sensitive to residential life in our neighborhoods.

CIVITAS supports environmentally sound development, vibrant retail activity at street level, uncluttered sidewalks and access to good public transit.

CIVITAS opposes overbearing towers that are non-contextual and cut off light and air from surrounding buildings and the sidewalk below.

CIVITAS commissions urban planning studies, speaks out at public hearings, issues reports and keeps its members informed on current issues impacting on urban life, including traffic congestion, historic preservation, zoning variances, water quality and public access to parks and the waterfront.

Mission Statement 

In 1981, when CIVITAS was founded, August Heckscher, its first chair, hearkened back to the Roman Republic to find a name that would express the spirit of the new community organization. The name chosen, "CIVITAS," referred to that quality of a citizen that made him deeply involved in the life and fate of his city. Such has been the guiding spirit for CIVITAS ever since.

The mission of CIVITAS is to foster, mobilize and coordinate civic concern in the community of Manhattan's Upper East Side and East Harlem. To that end, CIVITAS seeks to promote, preserve and protect residential neighborhoods that are lively and livable.

Read our complete Mission Statement-->

Current Initiatives

1. Bridge the Gap: A Pedestrian Bridge to Randall’s Island
2. Community Facilities
3. 583 Park Avenue
4. Ramaz School
5. Bus Rapid Transit
6. Newsrack Enforcement
7. 125th Street River to River Study
8. Manhattan Solid Waste Management
9. New Construction / Unwelcome Towers

Read more about each of these projects-->

History & Milestones

It started in 1981 with the Ruppert Brewery site between Second & Third Avenues and 93rd & 94th Streets. The site was being developed into a large residential complex, and CIVITAS was formed to protest the proposed plan. CIVITAS sued the City for an Environmental Impact Statement. The suit failed, but the building height on Third Avenue was reduced. CIVITAS was underway. Planning studies and another lawsuit followed. Here is a bird's eye view of what came about.

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