The Alliance

Mission

The Freshkills Park Alliance works in partnership with the City of New York to transform the former Fresh Kills Landfill into Freshkills Park, which will be the largest public park built in New York City in more than a century. The nonprofit serves as the park’s primary advocate, championing its completion, and increasing public access and engagement alongside government, civic and community stakeholders. With a focus on sustainability and environmental reclamation, the Alliance continuously works to make the park a destination for all.

Vision

Freshkills Park is an extraordinary 2,200 acre urban park that is a model for
sustainable land reclamation, a source of pride for Staten Island and New York City,
and a gift of open space for generations to come. Its landscape and amenities will be
welcoming to all communities and an inspiration to artists, scientists, designers and
planners around the world.

Environmental Research

Freshkills Park is a platform for generating knowledge applicable to a broad range of urban environmental issues, at this site and others: reforestation, habitat restoration, soil production, water quality, alternative energy generation, and even attitudes toward park usage. While parts of the park are under construction other areas will remain undeveloped; with 2,200 acres of land many different things can happen at the same time. The City hopes to capitalize on this available undeveloped land by collaborating on research plots and permitting access that is restricted to scientists, technicians and students. Projects are underway and include partners such as the USDA Forest Service, CUNY’s College of Staten Island (CSI), and St. John’s University, among others. The Department of Parks & Recreation continues to seek partners in academia, museums, government, and the private sector in the interest of refining and targeting research questions toward the advancement of study and the pursuit of funding opportunities.

Programming

Tours, events, art installations, learning experiences – we offer opportunities to experience the park while the process of site transformation goes forward. The Alliance sponsors annual public events, where thousands of New Yorkers and visitors have come to hike, kayak, fly kites, and join in activities for families and urban adventurers alike. In addition to public events, the park organizes seasonal special interest tours including photography, birding, kayaking, and hiking. Field trips offer K-12 students and site tours for higher education groups off the unique opportunity to visit and learn about the site. The varied landscape of Freshkills Park presents unique possibilities for art programming. In partnership with arts organizations and museums, the Alliance works to bring artists into the site to develop and realize projects. Whether a performance, activity, or installation, these projects engage the public with the site’s history, current conditions, and future.