Public History and Community Collaborations

As head of Melting Metropolis’s New York City case study, Kara collaborates with a number of community organizations and institutions.

Past events include Newtown Creek Alliance’s Wildflower Day. For NYC Climate Week 2024, Kara co-led “What Makes a Healthy City?: An Environmental Walkshop with Melting Metropolis and CUNY Community Sensor Lab” walking tours on Governor’s Island. For Climate Week 2025, Kara spoke at Pioneer Work’s Second Sunday and “Heat Week” as a roving (social) scientist. She and Dr. Daniel Cumming also gave a lighting talk at the American Museum of Natural History “Climate Resilience in Action” event.

In 2026, Melting Metropolis and its community partners held the event “Heat Stories: Memory, Place, and a Changing Climate,” with Queens Memory and Columbia University Oral History Master of Arts program. For London Climate Action Week 2026, Kara joined the Melting Metropolis team at it’s Community Open House “Somewhere the Sun is Always Shining” in Somers Town, London, UK and presented at Solutions House. Learn more about some of these collaborations below, and join for upcoming public events!

Melting Metropolis + Urban Archive

Summer in New York City is hot, as daily temperatures average around 80°F and heatwaves bake the city. This collection explores how New Yorkers have historically responded to hot summer weather by seeking relief in shade and water, from the city’s leafy parks to its public pools and beaches. Urban Archive is a technology non-profit that promotes historical research and discovery. Its mission is to extend the reach of cultural organizations by providing them with collaborative tools to share local history. Photos submitted will be added to Queens Memory’s archival collection as part of a collaborative project between Melting Metropolis and Queens Memory. Queens Memory is a community archiving program founded in 2010 and supported by Queens Public Library and Queens College, CUNY.