South Bronx Greenway

History
In 2001, Majora Carter wrote a $1.25 M federal transportation planning grant to conduct a feasibility study for the South Bronx Greenway. The study provided a unique opportunity for the community to impact design and policy. To date, nearly $30 million is secured for greenway related projects.

The South Bronx Greenway (SBG) will create bike & pedestrian paths around the Hunts Point and Port Morris waterfront, as well as on-street connections including Hunts Point Riverside Park, the Bazzini Piers, Tiffany St. Pier, and Barretto Point Park, and a connection to Randall's Island Sports Complex. The NYC Economic Development Corporation is the government sponsor, SSBx and The Point, CDC are the community partners, and landscape architects Mathews Nielsen perform the design work.

Current Status
In fall 2009, the first phase of construction for the SBG will take place with construction set to begin on Hunts Point Avenue, down to Lafayette Avenue and to the waterfront. First phase projects will include a new produce market fence on Food Center Drive; intensive streetscape and bicycle path improvements on Hunts Point Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, two major thoroughfares in Hunts Point; and a new waterfront park adjacent to the Fulton Fish Market in Hunts Point. By replacing pavement and concrete with parks, trees, and planted strips, the South Bronx Greenway will also offer a range of environmental benefits. Vegetation has the ability to capture pollution in the air as well as rain water that would otherwise collect pollutants from the street and flow into rivers. The South Bronx Greenway will help protect the health of local bodies of water and the people who live near them. As plans for the Greenway near completion, it has become clear that the City was not going to commit to maintaining the entirety of the greenway. SSBx then began to shift its focus of our advocacy to develop a plan for greenway maintenance.  SSBx worked with City and with Congressman Serrano’s office to select a consultant to develop a business plan for a SBG maintenance entity. SSBx’s advocacy around the need for greenway maintenance was critical in making these two important steps happen. We are hopeful that our continued advocacy will result in city-level commitment to maintenance in under-resourced communities.

Benefits of the South Bronx Greenway
Opportunities for physical activity. One reason people struggle with obesity in the South Bronx is the lack of opportunity to exercise safely outdoors. The South Bronx Greenway will provide safe and attractive public space, and create better transportation policy. Integrating traffic calming measures and truck routes that keep trucks away from the residential areas will help integrate physical activity into daily life. SSBx also has active living programs to improve physical activity in the neighborhood.

Environmental benefits. By replacing pavement and concrete with parks, trees, and planted strips, the South Bronx Greenway will offer a range of environmental benefits. Vegetation has the ability to capture pollution in the air as well as rain water that would otherwise collect pollutants from the street and flow into rivers. The South Bronx Greenway will help protect the health of local bodies of water and the people who live near them.

Crime reduction. Recent research shows that apartment buildings with high amounts of green space see less crime than buildings with less greenery. The South Bronx Greenway will bring more greenery to the neighborhood that we hope will increase quality of life and deter criminal activity.

Job creation. Currently, SSBx’s two Greenway Stewards care for the network of street trees in Hunts Point, but new trees, plants, and parks on the South Bronx Greenway will need to be maintained and kept healthy. The construction of the Greenway will bring much needed new green collar jobs to the neighborhood.

TODAY	TOMORROW

Greening for Breathing
Since 2001, SSBx has been spearheading tree planting and maintenance programs in Hunts Point. In partnership with Greening for Breathing, a neighborhood tree planting initiative that now falls within SSBx’s programming, we have planted over 400 trees in the neighborhood. As they mature, these young trees will play an increasingly important role in trapping the pollutants that contribute to high asthma rates in the South Bronx. Their growing canopies will also help to shade the neighborhood and reduce local temperatures in summer, thereby cutting down on energy use and reducing the public health impacts that result from hot weather. We continue to identify new sites for tree planting to help the urban forest in Hunts Point and other South Bronx neighborhoods grow and flourish.

(Right Picture: Youth at Hyde Leadership Charter School mulch a tree with guidance from the Greenway Stewards)