The Broadway malls are the guardians of our clean air and cool streets. Even with the successes of the Broadway Mall Association's leadership in protecting the urban ecosystem, the future of the malls remain threatened by their aging landscapes and a changing climate.

The time to act is now. 

In 2019, BMA hired Future Green Studio to create a Restoration and Management Plan. This ecological redesign and maintenance plan will address long overdue problems due to age and climate change impacts. 

The restoration project has begun on the malls at 83rd-84th and 164th-165th streets in the Spring of 2024. These two malls serve as proof of concept to guide our restoration plans forward to build a more sustainable, beautiful Broadway. This is the first step in restoring the entire stretch of malls to create what will be known as The Great Green Way. 

We will be planting over 3,000 new native trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials in each mall per our new design. As planting happens, the BMA will upload a plant list for the new malls. Check back here for updates! 

Ecology and Native Plants on The Broadway Malls 

Each Broadway mall is its own tiny ecosystem. Even adjacent malls can vary greatly in their sun and wind exposure, soil type, plant species, and many other variables - as well as the way that people use and perceive the space. 

BMA will be emphasizing and building on the unique character of each mall by selecting native plants fit for these little environments, or “microclimates”. Through this careful design process and planting, the malls will become more resilient and distinct, offering a sense of place at each block. 

The plants used will add a myriad of colors and textures into the landscape, and when established they will require little water and maintenance- creating a truly sustainable wild garden in the center of Broadway.