Greener Corridors in Action: Planting The Grand Concourse
Thursday, May 15
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
For All Ages
FREE! Drop In
Presented by the New York City Department of Transportation in partnership with The Bronx Museum and the Municipal Art Society of New York as part of the 2025 NYCxDESIGN Festival.
Image: Mary Mattingly, Rooted (detail), 2024–2025, Photo by Argenis Apolinario.
Program Schedule
Greener Corridors in Action: Planting the Grand Concourse showcases and celebrates the evolution of one of NYC’s most iconic boulevards.
Remarks & Discussion
A discussion about creating greener, more resilient corridors in NYC and the role of civic art in that process with DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and MAS Interim President Keri Butler.
Guided Neighborhood Tour
A guided walking tour of the Grand Concourse Boulevard and historic Concourse district will be led by the expert horticulturists and urbanists from MAS.
Planting-in-Action
Volunteers are invited to participate in planting the landscaped malls spanning 165th Street to 167th Street.
The DOT Landscape Maintenance Program and U Arias crews will oversee the project, with flora provided by the Greenbelt Native Planting Center.
Working Knowledge Exhbition
The Bronx Museum’s current exhibition, Working Knowledge: Shared Imaginings, New Futures, features interactive and socially-aware projects. Admission to the Museum is free and all are welcome.
Guided Neighborhood Tour
A guided walking tour of the Grand Concourse Boulevard and historic Concourse district will be led by the expert horticulturists and urbanists from MAS.
About The Grand Concourse
The distinguished Grand Concourse stretches more than four miles through The Bronx, from East 138th Street to Mosholu Parkway, consisting of a central roadway, service roads, submerged transverse streets, and landscaped malls.
Constructed from 1897 to 1909, the boulevard was designed by Louis Aloys Risse, a French-born immigrant who worked for the New York City Department of Street Improvements. Risse’s innovative street plan drew inspiration from the world-renowned Champs-Élysées in Paris, Olmsted and Vaux’s design for Central Park, and Eastern and Ocean Parkways in Brooklyn.
The thoroughfare serves as the central landscaped boulevard defining the Grand Concourse historic district, which covers the blocks between East 151st Street and 167th Street as well as sections of Gerard and Walton avenues.