Kawaida Towers is a long-awaited affordable housing development planned for the corner of Halsey Street and Central Avenue in Downtown Newark. Originally inspired by a 1970s community-backed project championed by poet and activist Amiri Baraka, the modern proposal aims to bring a new mixed-use residential tower featuring affordable apartments, retail space, cultural exhibition areas, and educational programming to the city’s growing downtown district. The project has gone through several redesigns over the years, with the latest proposal featuring a 10-story building that continues the vision of creating inclusive, community-focused housing in Newark while honoring an important piece of the city’s cultural history.