Residents of the Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx took the lead on the first-ever dog park on a NYC public housing campus.
Bronx residents and their canine companions can now come together for sun, fresh air, and connection at the Castle Hill Houses’ new dog park—the first one ever to be built on a New York City public housing campus.
Hundreds of residents took the lead in shaping the new community space, which includes room for dogs to run free and play, turf mounds and water fountains, and a barbeque and picnic area. It’s part of an initiative called Green Space Connections, which aims to create new community-designed spaces for public housing residents with support from the Public Housing Community Fund, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Design Trust for Public Space, and our Neighborhood Safety Initiatives team.
The idea for the dog park took shape as a result of a vote by more than 800 Castle Hill Houses residents, in partnership with the Castle Hill Resident Association, on what kind of investment they’d like to see in their community. Community organizers and outreach staff with Neighborhood Safety Initiatives support the implementation of these resident-led investments—a process called participatory budgeting—in public housing sites across the five boroughs.
All of a sudden everybody knows each other’s name.
After casting their votes, residents worked with community partners, architects and designers from Grain Collective, and the Neighborhood Safety Initiatives team to shape the vision and feel of the park, hold workshopping sessions, and plan community events for the project’s culmination. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month, community members and local leaders came out with their four-legged friends to celebrate the new outdoor space with their neighbors.
“It takes a dog park to get people together for them to talk and communicate,” resident Jose Carrion told Gothamist. “All of a sudden everybody knows each other’s name. It’s crazy.”
“This project is a powerful example of what happens when NYCHA residents are not just heard, but empowered to lead,” said NYC Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías. “From the first design workshop to today’s ribbon cutting, this new dog park reflects the creativity, care, and vision of the Castle Hill community.”
With green spaces few and far between for many New Yorkers, investments like these can boost health and well-being in communities that bear the brunt of environmental harms like overheating and pollution. They also create opportunities for social connection, a crucial part of what makes us feel safe.
“There is much to celebrate today,” said our CEO Courtney Bryan. “Community participation in the design of a new public space; collaboration that bridges the community, nonprofits, and government; and the creation of the very first dog park on NYCHA property that will enhance the lives of residents and their canine friends for years to come.”
Green Space Connections is also set to open new spaces at Patterson Houses in the Bronx and Brooklyn’s Roosevelt and Marlboro Houses, where our Neighborhood Safety Initiatives team supports more residents to take the lead on local investments in their communities. Their goal is not only to set a powerful precedent for how public housing sites can incorporate vibrant green spaces, but also to demonstrate what can happen when nonprofits, city agencies, and community organizations collaborate with residents to invest in their visions.
In the meantime, the dogs of Castle Hill Houses will be soaking up the sun in their new favorite spot.
All photos courtesy of Karl Rivera, Communications and Media Coordinator at Neighborhood Safety Initiatives.