Since 1996, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) has built playgrounds at schools throughout New York City, including Harlem. In Harlem, they've worked at Future Leaders Institute (134 W. 122nd Street), P.S. 180 Hugo Newman (370 W. 120th Street), P.S. 076 A Philip Randolph (220 W. 121st Street), and  J.H.S. 90 Julia de Burgos Junior High School/Academy of Environmental Science Secondary High School (410 E. 100th Street). Read more about these fun and beautiful community spaces in this interview with Maddalena Polletta and Mary Alice Lee below-then you should visit them to see how great they are!

Q: Are there some key elements that you try to include in all the parks?

Maddalena: It depends on what the school and community wants, but there are some things that are popular in most playgrounds.

Mary Alice: I think a water fountain is number one on every design. We always include one. We also plant trees in every park because a lot of times the kids tell us their paved school yards are really hot.  However, when we put in trees, we try to choose types of trees that provide shade but don't create more work for custodians who would have to clean up berries and things like that. 

Maddalena: Putting in a track and field is great for both the school and the community. We've found that it is the single element that brings parents, senior citizens, and a lot of different people into the playgrounds. They use the tracks before and after school. At a school in Central Park East, they started a program where every student had to do one lap around the track when they came to school in the morning. It actually encouraged parents to do a lap with them and improved attendance because students were getting to school on time.

Q: If a school doesn't want these elements at their playground, do you encourage them to include them?

Mary Alice: No, it's not our agenda to add something that we think should be there. Surveys are filled out by the whole school and the parents and we use those results to rank what's the most important to include.

Maddalena: The only direction or advice we give to schools is about not building things that we've seen to be a problem. For example, "play sprays" or water features break a lot and are hard to maintain.  Another thing that people often want is a greenhouse, but it's not always the best use of staff time and funds, especially with a short growing season in New York.

Mary Alice: Swings are also difficult because they take up a lot of space.  They need safety mats and fences to separate them. Kids can get hurt easily on swings and they break a lot. We sometimes put them in if the principal agrees, but we talk at length with the school and community so they think it through before we add it to the plan.

Q: Do you try to design the new playgrounds like the old one?

Maddalena: It depends on what the issues are at current playgrounds. If there are positive features, we enhance and improve them. If there's something negative, we might decide to change or discourage it. For example, if there is a hidden corner where you don't want people to gather, we might put a fence there or not include benches in that area. We work hard to keep sight lines clear throughout the playground and address security issues so that it is a safe place for the school and community to use.

If your local school is interested in having a new playground, Mary Alice and Maddalena would be happy to talk to them about the program and application process. Since the program is looking for schools that are connected to the community, there are a lot of opportunities to get involved in your neighborhood. TPL would be happy to work on more sites in Harlem because it's a great neighborhood that needs more open space! Email Mary Alice at maryalice.lee@tpl.org or Maddalena at Maddalena.Polletta@tpl.org for more information!

Harlem word is a series of interviews with community health experts written by HHPC and approved by our Health Advisory Board.