Collaborative Projects with More Gardens Fund & South Bronx Unite
We are currently looking for…
University professors and their graduate-level students who are interested in collaborating on various projects with More Gardens Fund, South Bronx Unite, Children's Magical Garden, and other grassroots organizations.
Potential projects are listed below:
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Interactive Online Mapping & Engagement Platform for the Waterfront Plan:
Create a living, interactive digital map that tracks and celebrates new and proposed tree plantings, sidewalk planters, yards, and open space conversions.
Key features:
Community-submitted tree stories & nominations
Mapping of EJ indicators (air quality, flood zones, truck routes)
Integration with More Gardens youth curriculum, cultural events, and living art installations
Tools:
Mapbox/Leaflet or ArcGIS + WordPress site
Themes
Environmental justice, participatory GIS, green equity, climate storytelling
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Redesign of the 40+ year-old beloved community garden to include:
Native ecology, nature-based play, water harvesting, pollinator beds, and seating
Willow structures, herbal gardens, compost systems
Co-design with children and families
Themes
Child-centered ecological design, intergenerational learning, land justice
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Design and build rooted and mobile living willow installations in sidewalks, plazas, schools, and gardens.
Shade canopies with sacred geometry
Artistic public seating integrated into planters
Moves across Open Streets or installed in sidewalk beds
Themes
Ecological art, sacred design, urban cooling, healing public space
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Transform parks like Nathan Straus Playground, and schools like PS140 & PS20 into:
Porous-surfaced courts and natural turf play zones
Amphitheaters with natural stone seating
Willow shade areas, indigenous gardens, edible edges
Themes
Youth-led green infrastructure, EJ recreation access, rewilding public space
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Design hands-on outdoor learning spaces at NYC public schools.
Willow domes, sensory gardens, compost, rainwater collection
Designed with students, teachers, and families
Themes
Climate curriculum, public land use, green education infrastructure
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Reimagine underutilized NYC Parks and DOT parcels as:
Food forests, indigenous planting beds, herbal gardens
Managed by communities and school partnerships
Themes
Food justice, cultural landscapes, co-governance of public land
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Support community campaigns to shift city planning and zoning policy:
"One Garden per 99 Units" proposal
Mapping housing density vs. green space access
Policy briefs and visual advocacy tools
Themes
Land use justice, climate policy, equitable development
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Co-create public art, festivals, and healing rituals tied to ecological seasons:
Chaharshanbe Suri, Equinox ceremonies, Nowruz, Solstice, Indigenous renewals
Living stages, fire rituals, willow art, soundscapes
Themes
Cultural ecology, ancestral memory, communal resilience, healing justice
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Design replicable, multilingual seasonal curricula for:
South Bronx and Lower East Side gardens, parks, and schools
Thematic modules (trees, water, soil, fire, air) with arts, storytelling, and science
Themes
Youth climate justice, cultural ecology, nature-based education
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Co-develop designs and policy frameworks to create permanent Open Streets in LES and South Bronx:
Community visioning and spatial justice mapping
Tree canopies, planter seating, art-activated zones
Inspired by Broadway transformation and DOT plaza model
Themes
Mobility justice, green streets, pedestrian equity, community ownership