Background
Hunts Point in the South Bronx is one of New York City’s last remaining industrial areas and has continued to be a vital and developing community.
While Hunts Point’s residents have witnessed various positive changes over the years, major issues still
remain:
- Nearly 1 in 4 are obese
- More than half report never exercising
- 45% live below the poverty line
- 28% Unemployment rate
Watch a video about the Greenway from New York 1 here
After taking all of these things into consideration along with continued economic investment, the question remained: what else could be done to significantly alleviate these health issues while simultaneously breaking down environmental psychological barriers in the South Bronx?
Goals
The South Bronx Greenway, which hinges on the needs of the community, provides a much-needed contrast to the historical and institutionalized environmental injustice that has existed in the South Bronx.
The goals of the South Bronx Greenway are as follows:
- To provide a template for future smart growth projects in under-served communities
- To demonstrate the following benefits of greenway development:
- Local economic development
- Storm water management
- Local urban heat island mitigation
- Positive social influences
- Access to public open space
- Aesthetically and visually stimulating environments
Action
In 1999, Majora Carter wrote a $1.25 million federal transportation-planning grant proposal to conduct a feasibility study for the greenway. This study provided a unique opportunity for the South Bronx community to impact design and policy. With New York City Economic Development Corporation as government sponsors, Sustainable South Bronx and The Point as community partners, as well as Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects a study was completed in 2006.
The implementation of the plan was to begin with four short-term projects (Hunts Point Landing, Randall’s Island Connection, Lafayette Avenue, and Hunts Point Avenue) and additional improvements to phase in the greenway for necessary positive traffic. Currently the Hunts Point Riverside Park and Barretto Point Park have been completed and will be destination points along the greenway.
Results
The South Bronx Greenway serves as a prime example of Majora Carter’s ability to:
- Effectively develop a smart growth template for green projects in under served communities across the nation.
- Getting organizations to build relationships and discover potential values in all
- Connect multiple organization across sectors, many of whom have not worked together before (most of these organizations had not worked with a federal grant before).
- Obtain grants and funding from a federal source for one of the largest investments in green space the South Bronx has seen.
The New York City Department of Design and Construction has recently recognized the value of the South Bronx Greenway design, and consequently utilized it as a widely distributed smart growth template. This venture is the ideal shovel-ready project with over $50 million in funding.
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Consulting Services – Media Projects – Majora’s Vision
