$3.8M in Open Space Upgrades Unveiled at Harborview Terrace Houses
On June 15, the Pershing Square Foundation and the Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF), in collaboration with NYCHA and the Harborview Terrace Houses Resident Association, unveiled a $3.8 million series of resident-led open space improvements at Harborview Terrace Houses in Manhattan. The open space transformation project includes a new, state-of-the-art playground, intergenerational plaza, and outdoor fitness area on the north side of the campus, along with upgrades to the existing community garden on the south side of Harborview Terrace, and a recreation space adjacent to the site’s older adult center.
Grain Collective, an award-winning landscape architecture and urban planning practice, served as the participatory design consultant and landscape architect. The improvements are funded by the Pershing Square Foundation. The Foundation’s multi-year donation improved over one acre of open space at the campus, home to nearly 600 residents.
The project utilized the award-winning Connected Communities framework, a comprehensive urban design initiative that aims to improve the physical and social connections between NYCHA residents, leadership, developments, and their surrounding neighborhoods through thoughtful space redesign.
“These improvements at Harborview Terrace are the result of a meaningful design process where residents were empowered to imagine and actualize the best possible outdoor space for their community,” said Alex Zablocki, Executive Director of the Public Housing Community Fund. “These projects will improve community health and provide increased access to underutilized open space in public housing. As the Fund scales this work across the city, NYCHA residents are afforded a unique opportunity to take ownership of their space and neighborhoods and guide design to meet their needs. At Harborview, residents of all ages will soon be able to enjoy state-of-the-art play equipment and active, vibrant spaces, designed by them and for them. We thank our partners at the Pershing Square Foundation, Bill Ackman and Neri Oxman, NYCHA, and the residents of Harborview Terrace Houses for partnering with us to bring this project to fruition.”
“Harborview Terrace residents have had a direct hand in redesigning the beautifully renovated open spaces in their community,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “The variety of outdoor amenities and activities that are available ensure there is something for everyone at Harborview. NYCHA extends our thanks to the Pershing Square Foundation, the Public Housing Community Fund, and Grain Collective for helping residents of this Hell’s Kitchen development map out their vision and bring it to life in so many meaningful ways that will greatly increase the quality of their lives.”
“We are proud to partner with the Public Housing Community Fund and provide the resources to support our neighbors at NYCHA’s Harborview Terrace in shaping their community and bringing their vision for this space to life,” said Pershing Square Foundation Co-Trustee Bill Ackman. “This partnership is a model for how public–private collaboration can transform our built environment and strengthen New York City. Our hope is that others will be inspired to invest in their own neighborhoods across the city.”
“From the first phase of this project, the residents at Harborview Terrace understand how meaningful it is to see the spaces we helped design and advocate for come to life,” said Maria Guzman, President of the Harborview Terrace Houses Resident Association. “We are excited for a vibrant new place in our community where families can gather, kids can be active, and neighbors can feel proud of their community. The Harborview Terrace Resident Association wants to thank everyone in the community who participated in the design process, as well as the Public Housing Community Fund and the Pershing Square Foundation for their commitment to the well-being of our residents.”
“This project is especially meaningful to Grain. Like many of our NYCHA initiatives, it represents more than just design — it’s about proving a new model. By pairing public-private collaboration with community leadership, we’re showing that projects can be both higher quality and more efficiently delivered. With the Fund, we completed a $3.8 million open space improvement in under 16 months — from start to finish, including construction. Driven by the community, this space will be a lasting asset for residents,” said Grain Collective Principal Runit Chhaya.
Informed by an in-depth participatory design process, the project has reimagined, transformed, and activated approximately 33,000 square feet of open space at Harborview Terrace. Plazas, playgrounds, and garden areas were overhauled, and programming and activation will follow, maximizing the overall impact of this investment and achieving the space’s full potential. The project has animated four existing areas of the campus: an existing 6,000-square-foot side yard at Project Find’s Older Adult Center has been reinvigorated for passive and active recreation; additional planters and seating were installed at the popular 9,000-square-foot plaza at the south of the site; a 4,000-square-foot outdoor gym received new fitness equipment by Kompan; and a 14,000-square-foot intergenerational, multilevel plaza has been built with new planters and seats, water-play equipment, and a large pyramidal climbing structure.
The open space improvements comprise the second phase of improvements at Harborview Terrace Houses. The first phase of improvements, also funded by the Pershing Square Foundation with a $200,000 grant and completed in 2023, resulted in a 20,000-square-foot outdoor sports zone featuring asphalt art and murals, a new basketball and pickleball court, play areas, seating, planters, and lighting and accessibility improvements. Earlier this year, the Fund also commissioned new, vibrant murals on West 56th and 55th Streets, led by artist Laura Alvarez.
The renovation is part of the Connected Communities initiative, which involves several projects across NYCHA campuses, such as improving access to green spaces, transforming courts and playgrounds, and developing new open-space amenities, and is part of PHCF’s larger portfolio of investing in and reimagining NYCHA’s open spaces. All of these projects are led by residents in partnership with NYCHA and nonprofit organizations.
Photos courtesy of Tameek Williams for the Public Housing Community Fund
