Shirley Chisholm State Park

Shirley Chisholm State Park (SCSP) is a 165-hectare landscape located between Jamaica Bay and a six-lane highway near JFK Airport. Once a pair of seagull- and rat-attracting garbage dumps, SCSP now offers vital access to nature, boundless views, and ample room for outdoor recreation. Its saga has relevance beyond New York, as cities that once deposited their trash in poor and minority neighborhoods begin to address the consequences of decades of destructive policy.

Named for the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, SCSP is the result of community advocacy that led the city to remediate the property. After closing the dumps in the 1980s, NYC’s Department of Environmental Protection capped the landfills and covered them with a meter of new soil. Then they planted grasses, wildflowers, and more than 30,000 shallow-rooted trees and shrubs. Soon a rich new site ecology emerged, but it was inaccessible behind tall fences and locked gates.

Residents of the nearby high-rise, low-income neighborhood of East New York had been promised a badly needed park, but it took years for the state to find the funding. Finally, in 2018, MVVA was given a tight budget and even tighter time frame to make the dream a reality.

Tackling the entire site was out of the question. Instead, the firm devised targeted interventions that would serve as portals, connectors, and destinations. Sixteen kilometers of paths lead to a variety of destinations, including summits with views of the Manhattan skyline in one direction and the ocean in the other. Areas for food trucks accommodate lunchtime crowds. A pair of “bicycle libraries” allow visitors to borrow bikes and take free lessons. A Brooklyn artist turned an operations building wall into a giant portrait of Chisholm, also a Brooklyn native and the first woman to run for president of the United States.

At the water’s edge, MVVA augmented two existing piers with customized shade structures, new railings, and seating. One pier is set aside for fishing. The other is a place for throwing birthday parties or relaxing by the water.

At adjacent beaches, strolling, wading, and kayaking are encouraged. In the spirit of a true nature park, new facilities and furniture are unfussy, satisfying visitors’ needs while letting the beauty of the landscape dominate. Against all odds, the former landfills are now a community asset.