Morningside Heights, Inc. (MHInc.) forms in 1947 "to determine the needs of the community for housing, schools, open spaces, public and private services of all types." This commitment to collective action will prove central to the neighborhood's redevelopment of that time.

Community Planning
MHInc. plans for the neighborhood and surrounding area and works with the city and state to implement the Morningside Heights General Neighborhood Renewal Plan (GNRP) for improvement of the area from 106th to 135th Streets. Remedco Corporation, a separate real estate holding company, is developed by a number of institutions to help facilitate plans.

Housing Development
Developing affordable middle-income housing becomes a major priority for MHInc. Two large projects, Morningside Gardens, a middle income cooperative, and General Grant Houses, a NYC Housing Authority complex, become reality.

• 1950: MHInc. announces it is "opposed to discrimination in housing because of race, creed, color or national origin" and pledges this principle in any redevelopment project.
• MHInc commits to relocating tenants displaced by new development. 80% are successfully relocated.
• General Grant Houses opens in 1957.
• Morningside Gardens opens in 1958.

• MHInc. works with tenants in existing housing, including Single Room Occupancy buildings (SROs), to resolve housing code violations and landlord/ tenant disputes, putting pressure on landlords to improve housing. These programs lead to improvement of some buildings, however, light penalties to noncompliant landlords prevent large changes.
• St. Luke's and Columbia School of Social Work begin outreach programs in several SRO buildings. Ultimately, via Remedco, some SROs become institutional buildings.

Long-range Institutional planning:

• 1965: MHInc. begins a long-range plan for Morningside Heights, the Morningside Heights Core Area Study, which encompasses both area history and plans for future institutional expansion.
• 1968: The Core Area Study receives a mixed response on its release, as community and student unrest over the proposed Columbia gymnasium in Morningside Park and general social unrest of the time brings an era of sweeping plans to a close.

Cover of the Core Area study, released in 1968.

Understanding that strong youth programs support community revitalization, starting in the 1950's, MHInc. Youth Services expands from summer camp and organized sports to a wide range of programs, including tutoring and personal and career counseling.

In 1974, Morningside Heights, Inc. changes its name to Morningside Area Alliance to emphasize increased focus on the immediate community.

Around the neighborhood, the Stone Gym at Riverside Church and Storefront Centers in Morningside Heights become lively, active hubs for youth and staff. This close-knit community of caring adults and youth grows in numbers over its vibrant life in the 1970's and 1980's. Major funding from New York City and New York State helps sustain a high-quality program run by educational and youth professionals.

• 1977: MAA Summer Street Program begins and serves over 1000 young people annually. Activities include day trips in New York and tournaments in basketball, baseball, double dutch, skateboarding, and tennis
• 1981: MAA Youth Programs peak with over 2000 participants in multiple locations, operating seven days a week.

In the 1990's a renewed sense of collaboration emerged among MAA members. Activities were developed to promote Morningside Heights as a unique community of academic, religious and cultural institutions and to improvement of the immediate Morningside Heights community. As youth services begin to dwindle, MAA looked toward collaborations to connect the institutions with the surrounding community and community-based organizations in Harlem and Upper Manhattan.

MAA revives itself with activities to enhance and promote the immediate community:

• Annual MAA Presidents Luncheon begins in 1998 for information sharing and to identify common needs and goals.
• MAA Security patrols convert from scooters to highly visible SUVs, and patrols expand to include all areas of institutional members.
• MAA launches website is in 1998.
• Historic lighting poles funded on Amsterdam Avenue, from 110th to 125th Street.

Collaborations such as the Revitalization of Morningside Park provide a model for MAA's role as catalyst in community improvement projects.

• MAA develops a community/institution collaboration to revitalize long-neglected Morningside Park, promoting Morningside Park as a positive "common ground" to residents around the park.
• 1997: First "Our Common Ground" celebration is held in Morningside Park with MAA institutions, Harlem churches, and local residents.

"Our Common Ground" celebrations kickoff in 1997.

• Morningside Park Revitalization Plan develops, using a community visioning process with local residents and park users to reflect collective needs and desires for the park.
• The Friends of Morningside Park, initiated in the 1970's, re-establishes itself and assumes community leadership as the non-profit advocate for the park.