A Greener Broadway Already Taking Root
What Is The Great Green Way?
The Great Green Way is BMA’s long-term vision to revitalize the five miles of Broadway malls into a continuous, living green corridor. By replanting the malls with native Northeast species, we are transforming them into resilient ecological landscapes that support birds, bees, and urban biodiversity — while creating more inviting spaces for people to experience greenery in their neighborhoods.
Each mall is treated as its own ecosystem. Through careful design, we match plants to each block’s unique conditions — sun, wind, soil, and use — creating distinct, thriving spaces that feel both natural and rooted in place. Over time, these plantings grow into sustainable “wild gardens” that require less water and maintenance while offering year-round color and texture.
Why A Great Green Way
The Broadway malls are the guardians of green in our neighborhoods. They cool our streets, clean our air, absorb stormwater, and provide habitat in a densely built environment.
But these landscapes are aging, and climate change is accelerating the pressure on them.
The Great Green Way exists to meet this moment — to restore ecological health, reduce the urban heat island effect, and ensure the malls remain vibrant and sustainable for generations to come. At the same time, these improvements create more welcoming spaces for people — especially in neighborhoods with limited access to green space — strengthening the malls as places to gather, rest, and connect.
How We Began and Where We Are Now
The foundation for The Great Green Way began in 2019, when BMA commissioned Future Green Studio to develop a Restoration and Management Plan — a roadmap for ecological redesign and long-term care.
In 2024, restoration began with pilot projects at 83rd–84th and 164th–165th Streets. These sites are very different from each other in terms of their “microclimates,” dictated by each mall’s topography, vegetation, soil, and sunlight, and thus served as living laboratories, helping us refine our approach and expand the work across other malls.
As of 2026, we have restored twelve malls — including sites at 73rd, 74th, 75th, 83rd, 93rd, 94th, 98th, 119th, 120th, and 164th Streets — along with a dedicated pollinator garden at 150th Street. Several more restorations will be complete by the end of the year. With each planting, we are building habitat, increasing biodiversity, and reshaping the ecology of Broadway.
What’s Next
This is just the beginning.
Our goal is to restore all 83 malls to create a continuous Great Green Way that connects neighborhoods, parks, and ecosystems across Manhattan. Each restored mall brings us closer to a greener, cooler, more climate-resilient city.
Future plantings will introduce thousands of additional native trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials — more than 3,000 per mall — expanding habitat for wildlife and deepening the environmental impact of the corridor. As the project grows, we will continue to share plant lists, updates, and opportunities to engage.
How Can You Help?
Grow the Great Green Way
Support the restoration of Broadway’s green corridor with a donation.
Plant with Us
Volunteer and help bring native landscapes to life, one block at a time.
Stay Connected
Sign up for updates and see how the Great Green Way is growing.