By the Numbers
$250M
The amount committed to add quality open space in Inwood, East Harlem, Harlem, and East Midtown.
Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
Location:
Manhattan
Project Status:
Ongoing
Manhattan’s next big park isn’t in the center. It’s on the edge.
The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway is an important open space resource for the city, providing access to the shoreline for a variety of activities, integrating larger parks within a connected network, and providing a bike path for recreation and commuting. This is an opportunity to create public open space, providing residents in some of Manhattan’s most densely populated neighborhoods with improved access to the city’s waterfront. When complete, the 32.5-mile Greenway loop will connect a network of green spaces totaling more than 1,000 acres—a space larger than Central Park—running continuously around the entire island. Joggers, walkers, cyclists, and people of varying ages and abilities from every neighborhood should have access to the Greenway that is designed within the context of each unique neighborhood.
We’re jumpstarting the completion of a Greenway linking the entire Manhattan waterfront...This is the first of many big investments we’ll make as we bring the full Greenway to reality.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor of New York City
Closing the Loop
Mayor de Blasio has made historic investments—more than any other mayoral administration—to jump-start closing the loop, committing more than $250M to add 15 acres of quality open space that integrates the Greenway into Inwood, East Harlem, Harlem, and East Midtown. Most of these gaps are in low-income neighborhoods historically cut off from the waterfront.
Five sites are true gaps and two are existing paths in need of significant upgrades. Manhattan’s geography and historical land uses have made completion of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway challenging. Consideration of sea level rise and valuable habitats also demand that we are creative and resilient in our future Greenway designs. Each location has its own unique needs.
By the Water
Each section of Greenway is designed for the neighborhood it serves, offering unprecedented access to the water and to the rest of Manhattan.
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The Hudson River Greenway has vastly improved quality of life on the West Side, and we want families in every corner in the borough to have that same access to bike, walk and play along the water.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor of New York City
The Vision: Closing the Loop
The grand vision of “closing the loop” is guided by four principles:
- Maximize the location along the waterfront: Working within the context of the existing landscape, the ideal location is along the waterfront wherever possible.
- Enhance safety for pedestrians and bicyclists: The safety of the Greenway’s users is central to its design.
- Improve access from upland areas: In order for communities to benefit from the increased open space and waterfront, convenient, frequent, and safe access from upland areas is critical.
- Account for sea level rise: Greenway design should account for sea level rise in its alignment, elevations, and material choices.
Related Documents
The following provides a view into what a completed Greenway might look like, with recommendations for all seven sites. As the projects advance, there will be ongoing public engagement in all phases of design and development.
