Schoolyards to Playgrounds
To increase the amount of open space, Mayor Bloomberg has pledged to open 290 schoolyards in underserved neighborhoods and has committed $111 million in capital funding for playground improvements. The schoolyards will be open after school, on weekends, and during school breaks. Opening these spaces after hours will make playgrounds available to approximately 360,000 New York children by 2010. Sixty nine of these playgrounds were opened July 1, 2007.
The Parks Department has teamed up with the Department of Education and the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which works in cities across America to conserve land in order for people to enjoy local parks, playgrounds, and natural areas. Working together, the Parks Department, the Department of Education, and TPL will turn the remaining 221 schoolyards into model community parks through a participatory design process designing with ideas that are generated by the school community, including children, parents, and teachers. This design process facilitates exciting inter agency and community coordination and opens up dialogue to ensure continued success.
In the News: Mayor Bloomberg Launches the Second Phase of the Schoolyards to Playgrounds Project
| Category | Planned Improvements | Number of Playgrounds |
| I (Opened on July 1, 2007) | No improvements required | 69 |
| II (Scheduled to open by or before 2010) |
|
150 |
| III (Scheduled to open by or before 2010) | All of the above improvements including repaving asphalt and new fencing and safety improvements. | 71 |
| Total | 290 |