Watch a history of Opening the Edge here and learn more about the residents, artists, designers, and local leaders who brought "the People's Park" to life.

Opening the Edge, proposed by artist Jane Greengold in 2014 to Design Trust for Public Space's "Energetic City" open call for public space project ideas, and developed in partnership with NYCHA, was a resident-led, participatory design project intended to remove the fence around an inaccessible grassy area of the Lillian Wald Houses on the Lower East Side and create a new, welcoming open space for the community. The fence around the site prohibited any use by residents, and many commented that they would like to be able to move through the open space more freely. For nearly a decade, a coalition of residents, neighbors, and the Design Trust have been advocating to reimagine this underutilized space, which finally opened in November 2025. 

Learn more about Opening the Edge's project partners and supporters here. Video produced by Tristan Nash, New Ontology LLC.