Green Space Connections is creating a new resource that will outline the design standards, basic requirements, and funding mechanisms for open space projects across all of NYCHA’s communities. The NYCHA Open Space Toolkit will be simple and effective: targeted to resident leaders, non-profits, and philanthropic institutions. 

Launched in 2022, Green Space Connections is a three-year initiative led by the Public Housing Community Fund in collaboration with NYCHA’s Asset & Capital Management Division, and managed by The Design Trust for Public Space. The project is leveraging the Connected Communities' participatory design process to create and activate green space at four NYCHA public housing developments, selected due to their documented high need in health indicators as well as climate vulnerability.

We know the benefits of accessible green space on health and community wellness. This project has further demonstrated how NYCHA communities have an unprecedented opportunity to realize self-directed open space improvements.

In response, Green Space Connections is creating a practical design guide for resident leaders and non-profit leaders. This resource will categorize common open space improvement needs at NYCHA and identify contextual standards for success. Ultimately, the toolkit will leverage the growing access to financial resources and the ability for public-private partnerships to deliver these improvements with greater efficacy, greatly expanding and expediting the scale of these projects across the city.

As a result, nearly 1 in 17 New Yorkers who live in public housing will have a chance to benefit from high quality open space. Activating NYCHA open spaces builds stronger community connections between NYCHA campuses and the city’s public sidewalks and streets, parks, institutions, retail and transit. Creating strong resident networks empowers communities to continue to advocate for public housing improvements, beyond these initial sites.

Project Goals: