UBER EATS: THE RENAISSANCE PAVILion AT STRIVER’S ROW
Public Impact Activation & Exhibition
Photography, Video & Multi-media
by New Kingston Media.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted Black communities, with over 40% of Black-owned businesses closing since its onset. Among these, Black-owned hospitality businesses have been hit hardest, facing mounting challenges from indoor dining restrictions and declining outdoor dining opportunities due to colder weather.
In response, Uber Eats launched an innovative national initiative to support Black-owned restaurants, providing weatherized outdoor seating in select U.S. markets. The program's pilot debuted in Harlem, NY, in December 2020, with The Renaissance Pavilion at Strivers’ Row—a collaboration between Uber Eats, marketing strategist Nikoa Evans, BNP Advisory Group, and WXY Architecture + Urban Design.
Both the development and impact of this activation exemplify the power of community-focused partnerships in fostering recovery and resilience.
Role:
Creative Director & Producer, NK Media.
Team @ NK Media:
Jedaiah Cuffy, Sekou Luke, Mark Claudio, Sam Vibes, Jahmilla Miller, Geoffrey Gibson, Massiel Martinez, Ano Okera.
The program took a holistic approach to supporting Black-owned restaurants by providing architecturally designed, weatherized outdoor seating adorned with original artwork from Harlem-based artists, including contributors to the BLM Harlem Mural. Beyond creating a vibrant dining space, the initiative offered five months of programming developed by Harlem Park to Park and community partners, fostering community connection and economic growth.
Eighty-five percent (26 of 32) of the companies involved were Black-owned, demonstrating a commitment to empowerment through collaboration.
Over 60 days, this large-scale effort united 32 organizations to deliver a safe, winterized outdoor dining environment in NYC, blending functionality with a public art exhibition that celebrated Harlem's rich cultural heritage.
Winner of Interior Design Magazine’s NYCxDESIGN Awards 2021 for Outdoor Dining.
The Renaissance Pavilion at Strivers’ Row initiative by Uber now serves as a new national economic development model for corporate and community strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement to rebuild communities of color around the country.