Green Infrastructure in New York City: The case of the Bronx River

The research presented analyzes initiatives and actions carried out and developed in New York City to improve environmental conditions through the wider diffusion of green infrastructure. The effectiveness of mechanisms related to bottom-up approaches are evaluated, considering initiatives implemented by local community organizations, grassroots associations, and citizen groups in the field of green infrastructure. To investigate these aspects and the relationships between the policies of public bodies at the Federal, State and City government levels and local communities (i.e. bottom-up and top-down approaches), the case of the Bronx River was analyzed. The Bronx River is an urban river located in the South Bronx, a low income, polluted neighborhood in the northern part of NYC that has long been characterized by its many environmental and social inequities. From the 1970s, many restoration measures have been directly implemented or pushed by the local community; today, local community organizations and NYC Departments work together to improve the environmental and social conditions of the neighborhood to reduce ecological imbalances of the River, which is surrounded by a greenway and parks, and is maintained with the efforts of citizen volunteers.