In its first meeting following the summer recess, Community Board 6 announced the launch of BKCB6—an app that brings troves of otherwise labyrinthine city records to the tips of residents’ fingers.
CB6 covers the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Park Slope, Carrol Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus and Columbia Street Waterfront District.
After entering a home address, the app directs users to a home page displaying up-to-date information on their block’s parking and trash rules for the day, recent crime incidents and 311 calls, housing lotteries, events such as block parties, polling information and more.
The app’s debut was accompanied by the release of two others—BKCB and CBNYC—which offer most of the same features to New Yorkers outside of the Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Gowanus, Cobble Hill and Red Hook board district.
While all information is already publicly accessible, it is located across several government sites that can be difficult to parse through.
The app was developed by District Manager Mike Racioppo, who has held his position on the board for almost nine years.
"I remember a quote I always liked from a sculptor who compared cubism to standing on a mountain and looking around," Racioppo wrote in a newsletter announcing the app. "'It is a point of view.' And that's what this [app] hopes to be, a point of view."
Interactive versions of major city plans, such as the Brooklyn Comprehensive Plan, the BQE rebuild, the Gowanus rezoning, Mayor Mamdani's “Block by Block” plan and the city's Fair Housing Growth Strategy are also available.
An affordable housing page shows all open lotteries listed to-date on Housing Connect, with a calculator to determine users' eligibility for open units.
A daily calendar displays local community events. Employment opportunities with the city are posted onto a jobs bulletin.
Users can also access several functions of the interface on their desktops at the Community Board 6 website.
While the app is currently only available for iPhone users, Racioppo said during the Oct. 14 meeting that an Android-friendly version would be arriving in the future.
