About the Project
“Our neighborhood has been coined the ‘Toxic Triangle.’ This highway network and system has some of the highest concentrations of asthma in the entire country. How do you create a mixed use space in this underutilized vacant space that can be a catalytic, exciting place for people to be?” asks David Shuffler, Executive Director at Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice.
For eight years, YMPJ has been working to reclaim the underused space beneath the Bruckner expressway to build the Soundview Economic Hub. In order to bring their vision to life, YMPJ worked closely with designers from Public Works Partners and Ennead Lab and engineers from Buro Happold to create a new public space in their neighborhood.
“It was really YMPJ’s vision to bring the art to the space and to bring the vendors to the space,” says Masha Konopleva, Associate and e-lab Co-director at Ennead. “And that really lay the groundwork for our design process.” The design team created modular art frames for art from local Bronx artists that YMPJ had commissioned for the space, stewarding a call for local artists and supporting community engagement.
In September, YMPJ welcomed the community to the opening of the space with their inaugural art exhibit and market featuring local vendors. With a long term goal of building the Soundview Economic Hub, YMPJ will continue to activate the space with local vendors and programs, while continuing to test possibilities for bringing better lighting and sound mitigation to the space. “When you create space for the community, it is utilized in an abundant way,” says Shuffler.
Learn More About the Project
Explore the team’s full report on their process, findings, and vision for what’s next.
Explore the team’s presentation at the Local Center Summit in November 2024.
Learn more about YMPJ’s vision for Soundview.
Team
Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ) was founded in 1994 with the mission to rebuild and improve critically impoverished neighborhoods of the South Bronx. YMPJ prepares residents to lead campaigns that prioritize environmental justice, economic opportunity, and fundamental change within the systems of oppression that challenge their ability to thrive.
David Shuffler
Madhur Bhadsavle
Reece Brosco
Emendya Diaz
Ennead Lab, the research and development arm of Ennead Architects, together with the urban planning and consulting firm Public Works Partners, have teamed up to combine their shared passion for community-led design with their expertise in architecture, planning and community engagement. As a partnership, they have a history of collaboration in the South Bronx and are looking forward to applying their participatory design approach in support of YMPJ’s vision for the Soundview Economic Hub.
Masha Konopleva
Daniel McCombie
Ayumi Sugiyama
Melissa S. Lee
Amairani Marin Tovar
Joel Hochman
Additional Team Support: Emendya Diaz, with YMPJ, and Paul Carey and Naz Modares at Ennead. Special thanks to John Sloane, Peri Chain Gorman, Maya Hladisova and Alan Erickson at Buro Happold for providing engineering support. Special thanks to Rachel Scall at Cozen O’Connor for providing legal support. And special thanks to Adam Mead, Siddhartha Sanchez, Nick Hornig and Malachi Pursley who contributed to the first phase of the project.
Images courtesy of partner organizations
Support
Our Rooted Cultures projects are made possible with lead support from the Mellon Foundation and with additional major support from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the NYC Green Relief & Recovery Fund, and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.
Urban Design Forum programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
To learn more about supporting the Local Center, please contact Katherine Sacco, katherine@urbandesignforum.org and Lauren Nye, lauren.n@anhd.org.