Share This Article
Green Space Connections looks to engage tenants and center their input in making better use of open space on housing authority campuses. The initiative previously funded new playgrounds, fitness areas and NYCHA’s first dog park.
A program that looks to make better use of open space on NYCHA properties—funding upgrades like dog parks and playgrounds—will expand to four public housing campuses over the next few years, officials announced Monday.
Green Space Connections looks to engage tenants and center their input in revamping underutilized outdoor areas at NYCHA, which is home to more than 2,400 acres of open land at hundreds of developments across the city.
Access to well-maintained green space can improve residents’ mental and physical health, according to organizers of the initiative, which is run by the Public Housing Community Fund and funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
“There are countless opportunities to elevate NYCHA campuses through meaningful resident engagement that reflects community needs, and this program exemplifies that potential,” said Alex Zablocki, executive director of the Public Housing Community Fund, in a statement Monday.
Launched in 2022, the first round of the program funded projects at four NYCHA developments in Brooklyn and the Bronx, with more than 14,000 residents contributing ideas. At the Patterson Houses in Mott Haven, tenants chose to add two new playgrounds and an adult fitness area, and to renovate the basketball courts. Residents at Castle Hill Houses opened NYCHA’s first dog run.
Renovation projects are still underway at the Marlboro and Roosevelt Houses in Brooklyn, work that’s expected to conclude this summer and includes new landscaped areas, seating plazas, trees and upgraded play spaces.
The $3.3 million expansion will fund similar resident-led proposals at four additional NYCHA developments over the next three years. PHCF is in the process of selecting future sites and expects to announce them soon.
“We’re excited to continue supporting NYCHA residents in activating and transforming their community spaces, advancing healthier outcomes and an improved quality of life,” Zablocki said.
To reach the editor, contact [email protected]
Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.