Community-driven restoration transforms land, and lives, in East Newark
150-year industrial property reimagined through collaboration.
When its industrial use came to a close, this parcel of land in East Newark, New Jersey, sitting behind fences in a national historic landmark district and designated as an environmental justice community, required regulatory closure. In accordance with the state site remediation program, it underwent a transformation that addressed the historical presence of urban fill materials, with trace levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In 2021, chemical company Badishe Anilin- und Sodafabrik (BASF) and federal trustees entered an innovative and precedent-setting agreement to address injuries to natural resources through design strategies emphasizing diversification of natural habitats and restored ecosystems along the Passaic River. This project closed the site in accordance with state and federal regulations, while redeveloping the property as an ecologically-focused urban park. We designed and oversaw the construction of this clean, safe and accessible green oasis.
Sustainable and resilient design provides climate resilience
Our nature-based design addresses 15 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. It features sustainable building materials and practices and maximizes space for human and ecological benefit including gathering spaces, dynamic landscapes, natural habitat and ecologies, water storage and reuse, and heat island effect mitigation. The design draws from natural systems, merging functional ecological elements with the needs of an urban open space.
Native plantings thrive within ecological zones and signage and viewing areas provide opportunities for park visitors to learn about urban ecology, heat island mitigation, carbon sequestration, water cycling, air and water purification, endangered species, and more. Climate resilience includes a waterfront floodwall and a series of rain gardens, bioswales, tree filter boxes, permeable hardscape, and vegetated filters. The rain gardens provide an educational centerpiece for green infrastructure and serve as a transitional zone between upland and the river. The stormwater design for the site diverted approximately 340,000 gallons of stormwater per year from entering the sewer overflow system. The natural capital benefits of the new park provided biodiversity, urban heat island reduction, stormwater purification and carbon sequestration value.
Community-centered design
Multiple trilingual workshops and planning sessions helped the local community develop a space that addressed their needs. A grant secured US$1 million to host community education events, to hire an urban arborist who maintains plantings, and launch a paid job training program for aspiring arborists and landscape designers. Students from Rutgers University in East Brunswick, New Jersey, conducted research that focused on economic and ecological uplift, measuring the park’s economic ripple effect in increasing real estate values, strengthening climate resiliency, urban cooling benefits, enhanced community accessibility and improved public safety.
Creating a precedent for regulatory collaboration and nature-based solutions
This project is the nation’s first to address a long-standing natural resource damages (NRD) liability with an ecologically-focused urban park. Recognizing the national implications of a nature-positive legal settlement, BASF and natural resource trustees worked together to make the project successful. The park has attracted national attention and established a precedent for the rapid transformation of formerly impaired land into sustainable urban green space. Collaborative nature-based solutions demonstrate the potential for creating outcomes that benefit BASF, the environment and the community.
