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Viewing Gardens, New York City

The Greenstreets program is a partnership between the Department of Parks & Recreation and the Department of Transportation NYC. Launched in 1996, Greenstreets is a citywide program aimed at converting paved, vacant traffic islands and medians into green spaces filled with shade trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and ground cover. This plot is an example of where a small surplus space considered a threat in terms of loitering and homeless occupation has been used to defend it and the area around it.

 

Viewing gardens are closed off dioramic garden spaces that are designed to prevent loitering on pavement areas that are too small to redevelop but large enough to cause a perceived threat - technically these spaces can be defined as Spaces Left Over After Planning (SLOAPs).

 

It is calculated that the planting of trees and shrubs can increase an areas

property value by 5 to 12 percent.