{"id":289569,"date":"2025-12-23T18:55:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T09:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adfwebmagazine.jp\/?p=289569"},"modified":"2025-12-23T18:55:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T09:55:08","slug":"common-corner-urban-conga-bronx-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adfwebmagazine.jp\/en\/design\/common-corner-urban-conga-bronx-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Corner: A Multigenerational Outdoor Space Co-Created by The Urban Conga \u00d7 Morris Houses"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new community playscape has been built in a public housing development in the Bronx, New York<\/h3>\r\n

\"C<\/span>ommon Corner\" is a newly revitalized playscape created within the Morris Houses, a public housing development in the Bronx, New York City. The project was co-created by The Urban Conga<\/a>, a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary design studio, in close collaboration with residents, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Public Housing Community Fund, the Center for Justice Innovation, and the Jeffrey H. and Shari L. Aronson Family Foundation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The mural guides movement across the steps, encouraging varied paths and ways of experiencing the space.
\r\nPhoto credit: Brook Banister<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Through an initial survey, Morris Houses residents identified an underutilized concrete bleacher as a top priority for redesign. Once a vibrant gathering spot, the area had deteriorated over time and become largely abandoned. The goal was to reimagine this space as a multigenerational, open-ended environment for play and connection, sparking new activity within the community.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Common Corner encourages communal connection and social activity through open-ended play design.
\r\nPhoto credit: Brook Banister<\/p><\/div>

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The installation created more accessible seating by lifting it and adding grab rails at different heights.
\r\nPhoto credit: Brook Banister<\/p><\/div>

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The project activates these once-underutilized steps, transforming them into an active, multigenerational space that supports a wide range of activities.
\r\nPhoto credit: Brook Banister<\/p><\/div>

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The before photo of the concrete steps that had fallen to disrepair.
\r\nPhoto credit: The Urban Conga<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Urban Conga led a series of participatory design workshops using playful methods to create a safe and open forum for residents to share their stories, hopes, and ideas. These sessions included both passive, gamified setups at local events and more imaginative or constructive workshops with smaller resident groups. From the earliest stages of conceptual planning to the final design details, community input shaped every part of Common Corner. The new Common Corner now functions as a flexible space where people of all ages can meet, rest, play, exercise, or perform. The design is divided into three interconnected zones inspired by various modes of play\u2014social play, active play, and fantasy play. In the social play zone, seating has been redesigned with accessibility in mind, including handrails and adjusted heights to accommodate different users. The active play zone offers climbing, jumping, balancing, and exercise opportunities that encourage physical engagement. The fantasy play zone introduces a raised platform that acts as a small stage, a space for storytelling or quiet reflection, and even a surface for food distribution during events.<\/p>\r\n\n\t\t