NYCHA has the equivalent of 2,000 football fields worth of land, and two organizations are partnering up to help residents claim those spaces.

With more than 2,000 acres of open space, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has room to plant more than just gardens. New barbecue areas, dog parks and playgrounds could pop up on NYCHA campuses across the city.

The process can start with just a seed of an idea, according to the Public Housing Community Fund and Design Trust for Public Space, which are encouraging the more than 500,000 New Yorkers who call NYCHA home to claim the spaces in their own backyards.

On Thursday, the groups launched a toolkit called “From Imagine to Activate”—a five-step plan to walk tenants through creating a proposal and potentially see it come to life.

Alex Zablocki, the executive director of the Public Housing Community Fund, referred to NYCHA as “the lungs of the city” because of its open space—1,000 acres of which can be considered urban forests. It is critical, he said, to use that land to create more resilient, safer and sustainable communities.

“What we’re hoping with this announcement is that we get more folks interested in this work and we get them excited about it. We show that these projects can bring joy and bring change around community health factors,” Zablocki said. 

The effort comes at a critical time. In 2023, the housing authority announced that it needs close to $80 billion in capital repair needs for properties across the five boroughs over the next two decades.

As NYCHA focuses on maintenance inside of properties, Zablocki said, their public-private partnership aims to ensure residents’ outdoor spaces are better taken care of and utilized too. The housing authority will oversee both organizations by granting permission to do the work and making sure selected sites are not already tied to other contracts.

“Open space has not been a priority when residents need safe and decent housing, and we understand that at the Fund,” said Zablocki. 

Using five steps—“imagine,” “partner,” “design,” “build,” and “activate”—residents and partner groups are encouraged to hold workshops to discuss proposals, a potential budget and hurdles that might come up along the way.

The plan is to “work as a repository” with residents, philanthropists and nonprofits and guide them through the process, including helping them raise money to get the jobs done, according to Zablocki.

Matthew Clarke, executive director of the Design Trust for Public Space, said tenants know firsthand what their developments need. The key is transparency through each stage. “This toolkit puts power directly in the hands of residents and community leaders by demystifying complex processes around activating shared areas,” said Clarke.

The toolkit builds on previous initiatives like Green Space Connections, which kicked off during the pandemic between 2020 and 2021. Funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and in partnership with Design Trust for Public Space and The Center for Innovative Justice, the original project invested in a new barbecue area and basketball court at the Pomonok Houses in Queens. 

“That was the first of what became many open space projects that were led by a nonprofit partner on behalf of NYCHA residents,” said Zablocki. The funders circled back in 2022 with a $3.2 million grant for similar projects at four NYCHA developments: the Marlboro and Roosevelt Houses in Brooklyn, and the Castle Hill and Patterson Houses in the Bronx.

In what is considered to be the “first of its kind” by Zablocki, the toolkit is the result of the partners gaining a better understanding of the investment gaps that exist in open spaces, and an effort for more voices to be heard at all stages of a project.

Tenants interested in accessing the toolkit can download a copy online, or request a hard copy or send any questions to: openspace@communityfund.nyc.

“Through this effort, we’re hoping to renew the promise of public housing,” Zablocki said.

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