New York City is pursuing an ambitious plan to shut down the jails on Rikers Island by reducing the number of people incarcerated and shifting to borough-based facilities that are closer to the city’s courthouses. But the discussion over Rikers has not focused on the future of the island, which could be repurposed to provide lasting benefits to nearby communities and the entire region. Relocating facilities currently sited in the South Bronx and North Queens to Rikers would eliminate local sources of pollution, open up shorelines for park space, and create space for well-paid green industrial jobs. RPA, the Independent Commission on Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform, and the Center for New York City Affairs explored how New York City could be transformed by eliminating the jails on Rikers Island and repurposing it for public uses.