#154 Summer 2008 — What Green Means

No, Not That Kind of Green

David & Joyce Dinkins Gardens, an exclusively green, $19.5-million, 85-unit affordable-housing complex, has opened in Manhattan’s Harlem.

While one of New York City’s newest housing developments will bring in the green in ratables, the project shows that it can be easy being environmentally green as well.

In March, David & Joyce Dinkins Gardens, an exclusively green, $19.5-million, 85-unit affordable-housing complex, opened in Manhattan’s Harlem. It’s part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan, first announced in 2003, to build 165,000 units of affordable housing for 500,000 residents over the next decade. The completion of Dinkins Gardens, which includes 24 units for youths aging out of foster care, could signal a trend toward more eco-minded housing solutions.

The block-and-plank building uses innovative energy and water-efficient designs, mechanical systems, and equipment; nontoxic and recycled material; a green roof; rain-water harvesting; permeable paving; and natural day lighting — all strategies to demonstrate that green affordable housing can be cost-effective in dense urban neighborhoods.

Co-developed by Jonathan Rose Companies and the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI), the building — directly across the Harlem River from Yankee Stadium — is named for the former New York City mayor and his wife. It is being touted as a new model for affordable housing, according to Rose, because it offers social services and job training. HCCI, a nonprofit interfaith consortium of more than 90 congregations, owns and operates the complex.

OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

  • Taking the LEED in Your Community

    June 24, 2008

    Through local and regional initiatives, communities are tailoring the eco-revolution for their backyards.

  • The Green New Deal

    June 24, 2008

    Majora Carter saw natural beauty and economic empowerment in her South Bronx neighborhood where others saw only a dumping ground. She's changing the urban landscape in a way that's been an eye-opener to people around the globe.

  • Decoding Housing Finance Agencies

    June 24, 2008

    State housing finance agencies play a pivotal role in affordable-housing development, yet many advocacy organizations don't know how to gain leverage in influencing these increasingly powerful bodies.