Majora Carter

Current Company

Majora Carter Group — Founder & President

Environmental Justice From the South Bronx

Majora Carter grew up in the South Bronx — one of the poorest congressional districts in the United States and home to a disproportionate share of New York City's waste facilities, power plants, and pollution sources. After earning a master's degree from NYU, Carter returned to her neighborhood and founded Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), an organization dedicated to proving that environmental investment and economic development could work for low-income communities, not just against them.

Majora Carter's breakthrough project was the Hunts Point Riverside Park — she secured $3 million in federal funding to transform an illegal dump site along the Bronx River into a public waterfront park. It was the South Bronx's first new park in 60 years. The project demonstrated that environmental improvements could increase property values, attract businesses, and improve quality of life without displacing existing residents — if the community controlled the process.

Rewriting the Playbook for Urban Revitalization

Majora Carter has since expanded her work through the Majora Carter Group, a consulting firm that helps communities and corporations develop green infrastructure, local talent pipelines, and place-based economic strategies. She is a MacArthur Fellow, a Peabody Award winner, and one of the most sought-after speakers on the intersection of environmental justice, economic development, and urban planning.

As Founder and President, Majora Carter challenges the assumption that revitalization must mean gentrification. Her model focuses on building wealth within existing communities — training local residents for green jobs, supporting local entrepreneurs, and designing infrastructure projects that serve the people already there. In a world where climate investment and urban development are accelerating, Majora Carter's playbook for equitable, community-driven development has never been more relevant.