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• Before and After

PlaNYC’s Open Space goal is to ensure that all New Yorkers live within a 10–minute walk of a park or playground. To meet this goal, Mayor Bloomberg selected 258 schoolyards to open by 2013. The playgrounds will be opened after school, on weekends, and during school breaks. The Parks Department, the Department of Education (DOE), and the non–profit Trust for Public Land (TPL) are working together to improve 189 of the 258 schoolyards. The capital improvements include play equipment, painted sports surfaces, trees and benches. An additional 69 sites opened in July 2007 without renovations.

During the design process, the PlaNYC Schoolyards to Playgrounds program included children, parents, and teachers from each school. As a result, each playground matches the needs of the school and community.

Once finished, the 258 sites will be taken care of by the Department of Education. 212 sites have opened to the public so far around the five boroughs. Four sites are temporarily closed because of construction or safety/security issues.

Schoolyards to Playgrounds Overview Video