New Outdoor Spaces at Roosevelt Houses

The Public Housing Community Fund (PHCF) and NYCHA, in partnership with the Design Trust for Public Space, the Center for Justice Innovation, Unfrastructure, and KCD Construction Corp were joined by residents and community partners to celebrate the unveiling of two newly transformed outdoor community spaces at Roosevelt Houses in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Designed in response to resident feedback, the new spaces address community priorities for seating, shade, greenery, recreation, and gathering. Located adjacent to residential buildings, the project transforms previously underutilized outdoor areas into welcoming destinations that support connection, wellness, and neighborhood pride.

The first space features new planters and benches, game tables, and a flexible play area that reimagines previously inaccessible green space as a community destination. The second space includes landscaped seating, a community garden, additional gathering areas, and opportunities for recreation and quiet reflection.

“These new community spaces bring vibrancy and connectivity to the Roosevelt Houses, providing residents with the recreational opportunities that they truly deserve,” said Alex Zablocki, Executive Director of The Public Housing Community Fund. “The designs responded directly to residents’ needs, allowing PHCF and our partners to deliver spaces with community impact, not just aesthetically pleasing upgrades. We look forward to continuing this work through Green Space Connections, helping improve the well-being of NYCHA campuses, and building projects that positively impact resident health and the nature that surrounds them.”

“Access to beautiful, functional outdoor spaces is essential for building community and enhancing the quality of life for NYCHA residents,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “The transformation of these newly unveiled areas at Roosevelt Houses is a testament to the power of our Connected Communities program and participatory design, proving what we can achieve when residents are empowered to shape the vision for their neighborhoods. We are grateful for the partnership of the Public Housing Community Fund, the Design Trust for Public Space, the Center for Justice Innovation, Unfrastructure, KCD Construction Corp, and the Helmsley Charitable Trust in turning underutilized areas into two vibrant destinations for recreation and relaxation.”

“These opened green spaces were co-created with the community — the voices of the residents of Roosevelt Houses led the design of this newly transformed outdoor area. We are proud to work with the Public Housing Community Fund’s Green Space Connections program to not only center community voices, but also to bring together partners in government and non-profit groups like ours. Community justice looks like deep work with those closest to the issues to build strong, thriving, safe communities, and we’ve seen that vision come to life for Roosevelt Houses,” said Rasmia Kirmani, Chief Program Officer of Community Safety at the Center for Justice Innovation.

The project is part of PHCF’s Green Space Connections program, a $3.2 million initiative funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust that aims to create and activate open spaces at four NYCHA developments across the Bronx and Brooklyn, impacting the lives of approximately 14,000 NYCHA residents.

More than 600 residents helped shape the initiative by voting on project priorities and participating in hands-on workshops. Working alongside community engagement experts from the Center for Justice Innovation and design firm Unfrastructure, residents collaborated throughout a year-long participatory design process to develop and finalize plans for the spaces. Green Space Connections is a part of NYCHA’s award-winning Connected Communities program, which focuses on transforming and modernizing public housing open spaces through public-private partnerships and participatory planning and design with residents.

The two new spaces add seating, shade, greenery, play, and gathering infrastructure that residents identified as missing. Early signals from comparable Green Space Connections sites, at Castle Hill and Patterson Houses in the Bronx, show increases in daily use, new social connections among neighbors, and a strengthened sense of ownership and pride in shared outdoor spaces.

Photos courtesy of Tameek Williams