Repurposing Vacant City Lots into Parks

Help fund our nonprofit project of repurposing a vacant lot in an urban, industrial area--specifically in the Arc of Somerset County in Manville, NJ--into a community park! Creating a green space will make the area more sustainable and boost economic development, Though more importantly, it will improve the quality of life on land by reducing carbon emissions and water runoff, and it will become an opportunity for community engagement.

We are freshmen students in Hillsborough High School, NJ, and this project will serve as our final for our H World History class. This is an entirely nonprofit project, and since we are high school students, we are unable to fund this from our pockets.  The money raised will go towards the building of our park. We need to pay for the city-owned lot, buy sod, trees and plants, supplies for transportation and landscaping, etc. Hence, we are turning to the community, hoping for any sort of support. Please think about donating, even if it is only a few dollars, for any contribution will place us closer to our goal of creating our park! 

We hope to commence the construction of our park by late May or early June at the latest. While a month is a short time to get this ambitious of a project done, we are passionate and are willing to put all of our efforts in. 
 
A study done by the University of British Columbia demonstrated the effects of green spaces on urban communities, especially areas with a lower socioeconomic status. Our project will attempt to help with the problem of a lack of green space in large cities. Those who live in urban areas such as New York City--the city with the highest population density in the United States--do not have easy access to a local park or green space.  By rejuvenating vacant land, we can provide these areas with a park that would not only be beneficial to the members of the community but would be sustainable as well. We would be using land that is rendered useless, and creating a park would be one of the best ways to repurpose this land. The greenery would improve air quality, and the plants and grass will absorb rain which would help with runoff issues. Furthermore, it could be a stress-reducer and a source for community activity and engagement. Additionally, it could potentially have a positive economic impact by making these urban areas more liveable.

Our project aligns with goals 11 and 15 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.


To conclude, we want to reiterate that any contribution, no matter the size, would be extremely helpful to us! Please share this with your family and friends; spread the word:) If you are aware of any businesses or organizations that would be willing to help out or give us advice, please let us know! Thank you very much.