Trust for Public Land Celebrates Opening of New Community Schoolyard at P.S. 57 Crescent & Frederick Douglass Academy V Middle School
NEW YORK — Today, Trust for Public Land joined students, families, educators, community members, and city partners to celebrate the opening of the new P.S. 57 Crescent & Frederick Douglass Academy V Middle School Community Schoolyard in the Bronx.
The new schoolyard was designed by students, staff, and community members through Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playgrounds Program. This new community park was made possible through a partnership with the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) and the New York City Department of Education (DOE), with generous funding from New York City Council Member Oswald Feliz and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
The transformed playground includes trees, turf, pavers, and other green infrastructure elements designed to capture more than one inch of rainwater during storm events and approximately 1,350,650 gallons of stormwater annually. The project also expands access to quality outdoor space for approximately 49,931 residents living within a 10-minute walk of the schoolyard.
“Community schoolyards like this one create lasting benefits for students, families, and neighborhoods,” said Tamar Renaud, New York State Director for Trust for Public Land. “By transforming asphalt into green public space, we’re improving environmental resilience, supporting student well-being, and ensuring more New Yorkers have access to safe places to gather, play, and connect with nature close to home.”
The new schoolyard will serve students during the school day and remain open to the broader community outside school hours, helping address the need for accessible green space in New York City neighborhoods.
“Through projects like this, the School Construction Authority is helping reimagine school spaces as community assets that support both student success and neighborhood well-being,” said Nina Kubota, President and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority. “We are proud to work alongside Trust for Public Land and our city partners to deliver improvements that create greener infrastructure, enhance outdoor recreation, and expand access to safe, high-quality public spaces for Bronx families.”
A special thanks to the Destina Foundation for its continued and meaningful support of the Community Schoolyards program.
Since 1996, Trust for Public Land’s public-private partnership model in New York City has designed and/or transformed more than 239 community schoolyards – putting quality green space within a 10-minute walk for more than 5.3 million New York City residents.
Trust for Public Land’s Community Schoolyards initiative works with students, educators, families, and local residents to design vibrant outdoor spaces that support recreation, environmental education, climate resilience, and public health. Across New York City, these projects help reduce urban heat, absorb stormwater, and increase access to parks in communities where open space is limited.
About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,500 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit www.tpl.org
