NYC Uses Greenspace At Schools For Community Playgrounds & Stormwater Management

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The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has partnered with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) to create multipurpose green spaces throughout the city. The most recent project completed by the team is a playground at Bushwick’s J.H.S. 162, which will not only serve as a community park, but also aid in absorbing rainfall and reducing pollution.

Together the DEP and TPL will work to open 40 school playgrounds which will feature infrastructure to capture stormwater and prevent combined sewer overflow (CSO). During periods of heavy rainfall the city’s sewer system can become flooded with rainwater which when combined with wastewater, can produce CSO and pollute local waterways.

“Working with JHS 162 students and Bushwick neighbors to create a fun place to play that also captures stormwater each time it rains was a very rewarding experience,” said Mary Alice Lee, Director of the NYC Playgrounds Program at The Trust for Public Land, in a DEP press release. “This park will be a great school and community resource for years to come.”

The playground’s new green infrastructure includes a synthetic turf field, porous pavement over broken stone reservoirs, shade trees, a basketball court, a handball wall, and green roofed gazebo. It will be open to the public seven days a week during non-school hours as part of the Schoolyards to Playgrounds Program.

According to the DEP over the next 20 years the city plans to invest $2.4 billion in public and private funding for targeted green infrastructure projects, as well as an additional $2.9 billion in grey infrastructure upgrades, which they hope will significantly reduce CSO.

Read more about this new  multipurpose green space here.