New York City Mayor Eric Adams released a new report highlighting capital improvements and policy changes the Adams administration has made and continues to make to improve the public realm over the last year. The report entitled, “Realm of Possibility: 15 Ways NYC is Improving Public Space for New Yorkers” highlights the ways in which New York City is improving how people experience public space; speeding up delivery of new spaces for rest and leisure; and cutting red tape for the city’s private partners, who are instrumental to maintaining and activating the city’s public spaces.
One of the goals is Opening more schoolyards to the public after hours in the highest need areas.
Transforming schoolyards to publicly-accessible playgrounds after-hours is a key strategy to expand the city’s public space footprint, especially in communities that lack open public areas. The city will seek private funding to unlock additional playgrounds in high-need neighborhoods, prioritizing areas with multiple compounding vulnerabilities: race, socioeconomic status, health, and climate change factors like flooding and extreme heat.
Studio HIP's collaborative work with The Trust for Public Land on PS 38K, The Pacific School, was featured as a case study of how schoolyards can be transformed into "green" community spaces while also serving to improve climate resiliency.
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