In addition to being a DJ, Tara is an Urban Planner. Her participation and love of nightlife has shaped her Urban Planning work to where she is able to advocate for nightlife as a vital cultural and community building tool for cities. She has written extensively about the subject and has organized events to connect the nightlife community and cultural workers to NYC policy and processes so they can be informed of their impacts to advocate for healthier sustainable scenes.
In 2021, Tara led a chapter of the Global Nighttime Recovery Plan, is a collaborative, practical guide for cities trying to determine the best way to design and execute a safe and feasible strategy to reopen and reactivate their creative and night-time economies. Tara led Chapter 4 : Sustaining Our Nightlife Scenes, which is about the people who make up nightlife, their current needs and obstacles faced. The chapter also offers practical strategies from around the world with recommendations directed towards governments and industries willing to invest in nighttime culture.
Illustration by Jocelyn Li
In 2022, Tara wrote a short article for Pratt Center’s “Notes on…” series to discuss the importance of nighttime governance in cities and its importance in creating resilient cities
Ilustration by Steffi Walthall
In 2022, Tara was invited to contribute to Bloomberg CityLab’s series focusing on how to make cities more livable for Black women. Tara explains how supporting Black women through stabilizing neighborhoods and creating economic opportunity will also support the arts & cultural contributions Black women have made in New York City that have had global impact.
Photo by Basir Mchawi
in 2022, Tara wrote an article for Wax Poetics Magazine about the documentary The Sun Rises in the East. The film not only documents a pivotal time in Black nationalism in Brooklyn, but also provides a road map for what Black Brooklyn can be as residents face new challenges.
Graphic by Ben Dodd
In 2023, Tara co-facilitated workshops with DJ, Curator, and Urbanist Lauren Goshinski called Zoned In, which aimed to link city representives with NYC Nightlife workers, venue operators, event curators, and other stakeholders to learn about Zoning, Land Use Process, and the proposed City of Yes for Economic Opportunity Plan which would amend NYC zoning to remove restrictions on dancing and live music. The workshops were featured on Resident Advisor.
In 2024, Tara was interviewed for a CityLab article that explored the emergence of Bushwick, Brooklyn, as a hub for nightlife and the challenges of concentrating nightlife in an area facing development pressures.