A Tree Would be Nice
Proposals for Urban Greenspace and a More Livable City
Throughout history, the integration of greenspace into the ur-ban fabric has been a crucial aspect of city planning and public health. The presence of parks within a city has been proven to have a positive impact on the environment by improving air quality, providing shade, and reducing water pollution. A number of studies have similarly proven a correlation between access to greenspace and reduction of an individual’s risk of developing depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, as well as lower cortisol levels in the body.
Today, there is very little undeveloped land within most of our urban centers to make the new green spaces we need. We aim to both find underutilized space and to redefine what greenspace is in our cities in the tradition of several recent movements:
Tactical Urbanism, which prioritizes the phased, the local, the low risk, the DIY, the pop-up, and the short-term over expensive, remote multi-year and grandiose construction projects – and if it works, figuring out how to perpetuate its success.
The New York Restoration Project, a transformative project to fill New York City with new trees and landscaped parks wherever they can be placed.
Streets for People, which is based on the models of recent transformations in Barcelona and Utrecht, where streets have been radically transformed to prioritize residents over traffic.
Edible Schoolyard NYC, which partners with city public schools to transform students’ relationships with food through educational programs by creating school gardens.
We have taken a closer look at how to convert a city parking space into a greenspace that can be temporary or permanent depending on its use.
