Where most people see a “concrete jungle,” NYRP sees a blank canvas waiting to be greened. For more than 15 years, NYRP has been cleaning and greening parks and gardens in under-resourced neighborhoods across the city. With our latest program, Gardens for the City, NYRP is bringing our work beyond our garden gates and out into the surrounding community. Schoolyards, senior and daycare centers, vacant lots…NYRP is now providing the tools and resources to revitalize a wide assortment of spaces in the neighborhoods we serve.
How does NYRP decide where to bring its work? Community groups of all types are invited to fill out a Gardens for the City application, explaining their project and how the community will benefit from the restoration, as well as community engagement opportunities that may exist in these spaces. NYRP will provide selected applicants with building materials and expertise in the fields of construction, horticulture, forestry, environmental education, and community organizing, all working together to transform or enhance the project areas into gardens or green landscapes. By offering these resources, NYRP acts as a catalyst helping communities in need fulfill the potential of their underutilized open space.
On Jefferson Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, residents have rallied around a vacant, garbage-filled lot, proposing that it be cleaned and repurposed as a community garden through Gardens for the City. The transformation of this lot from a junkyard to a community garden will encourage the revitalization of the local neighborhood, offering both long-time residents and newcomers a local space to grow their own food and host community gatherings.
NYRP will continue to provide resources to community groups through Gardens for the City, working with New Yorkers to build a healthier, cleaner and greener city.
Looking to revitalize a space in your community? Click here to learn how to apply for our Gardens for the City program.