Urban planning history in New Jersey has often focused on highways, housing initiatives, and development in major cities. Less attention has been paid to the history of parks and open space, which are critical elements of urban planning. Along with providing opportunities for residents to exercise and play, they can raise property values, draw in tourists, filter air, and serve resiliency purposes such as flood mitigation.
However, these benefits have often been reserved for wealthier, white communities, while low-income communities and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have had less access to parks. Urban planning policies and practices were often made to the detriment of low-income communities and BIPOC communities. In several instances, residents worked together to garner the means and political power to challenge decisions made by the government and other entities and implemented changes in their communities.
As part of RPA’s Centennial and with support from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, RPA organized three park and open space events in the Meadowlands, at Nat Turner Park in Newark, and at the Paterson Great Falls. Each event explored the history of the development of these sites and how zoning and other policy choices led to some land being protected and some being developed or polluted, as well as the impacts on nearby communities. All three included elements of how a stakeholder worked to preserve space that was meaningful for them and their community. The events were also a callback to RPA’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, which featured bus tours to the Meadowlands, Newark, and Paterson.
In 2021, RPA organized an advisory committee of community representatives, historians, park stakeholders, and urban planners to research the development of these sites and plan public events. Members of our Committee included
Anita Bakshi, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Landscape Architecture, Rutgers University
Captain Hugh Carola, Program Director, Hackensack Riverkeeper
Ishiya Hayes, Director of Policy and Planning, City of Paterson
Donna Kirkland, Senior Program Associate, The Trust for Public Land
Alison Isenberg, Professor of History, Co-Director, Princeton-Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism & the Humanities, Princeton University
Carla Robinson, Executive Director, United Parks As One
Emily Sanchez, Department of History, Class of 2022, Princeton University
Meredith TenHoor, Professor, Undergraduate History-Theory Coordinator, School of Architecture, Pratt Institute
On August 13th, 2022, RPA, in conjunction with the Hackensack Riverkeeper, hosted Celebrate the Meadowlands. It was a momentous occasion as RPA marked its centennial and Hackensack Riverkeeper celebrated its 25th anniversary. The free event took place at Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus, NJ and showcased the Meadowlands’s history of development and preservation, the area’s ecological significance, and its natural beauty.
The Meadowlands has long been a site of prospective development, even by early planners at RPA, as well as a site of heavy pollution. In the 1960s, RPA’s NJ Committee began shifting toward a preservation mindset. Hackensack Riverkeeper has been working for 25 years to protect and clean up the wetlands, and they have been working with many stakeholders on preservation. They have also been making residents better aware of this natural resource through activities and tours.
On August 13th, more than 150 people participated in boat and paddling tours as well as a fishing clinic led by the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association. There were also information booths staffed by RPA, Hackensack Riverkeeper, Flat Rock Brook, and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. Several residents commented that they had no idea that they could take a boat tour of the Hackensack River or that so many species of birds and fish made the river their home.
At lunchtime, several speakers talked about the history of development and preservation in the Meadowlands and how the site is both a recreational asset and a key factor in resilience against climate change-induced flooding in the area. Speakers included RPA’s Zoe Baldwin; Captain Bill Sheehan, Riverkeeper of the Hackensack Riverkeeper; Terry Doss, Co-Director of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority’s Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute; and Ron Simoncini on behalf of the Meadowlands Chamber. There were also awards given to winners of the fishing clinic.
The following week, on August 20th, 2022, RPA hosted an event at Nat Turner Park in Newark, NJ in partnership with United Parks As One, The Friends of Nat Turner Park, The Trust for Public Land, and the City of Newark entitled, Honoring the Spirit of Rebellion. This was part of a weekend celebration of Nat Turner’s fight for freedom and the people who were instrumental in the development of Nat Turner Park, the largest municipal park in Newark.
Starting in the 1970s, community activists worked tirelessly to compel the City of Newark to turn a vacant lot into a recreational asset. Once an agreement was brokered, the activists worked hand in hand with residents and entities like The Trust for Public Land to design a park that was reflective of the values and culture of the surrounding community. Nat Turner Park is a model of community engagement and community-led design.
The day began with a drum procession by Brother Jerome Hunter and a libation ceremony by Queen Mother Imakhu honoring the residents who made the park possible. Speakers included Carla Robinson, Executive Director of United Parks As One; Richard Whitten, Co-President of The Friends of Nat Turner Park; Minister Edward McGrady; Donna Kirkland of The Trust for Public Land; and RPA’s Christina Kata.
Approximately 150 residents had the opportunity to learn about the history of the park and the art within the park, including the metalwork by Newark-based artist Jerry Gant at the park’s entrances and the tiles at the amphitheater, designed by residents with guidance from artist Katherine Hackl. There were several family-friendly activities, such as face painting by Yolanda Ramirez and stencil art activities by Paul Robeson Galleries. The Newark Water Coalition provided information about lead testing for residents. Free fruit and vegetables were provided by the Kinney Community Garden and the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Residents could record their own history on the Newark Story Bus, a mobile sound booth and portrait studio that collected the stories and testimonies about the park and nearby neighborhood. Each participant was photographed and given a printed headshot to take home.
Finally, on June 3rd, 2023, RPA hosted the Paterson Preservation Fair at Mary Ellen Kramer Park. This event was done in collaboration with the City of Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey Community Development Corporation, The Paterson Museum, and The National Park Service.
Paterson is an industrial city with many immigrant communities that fell on financial hard times but is on the rise. The Paterson Great Falls, located in downtown Paterson, has long been a source of industry, inspiration, and tourism in the area. In the 1970s, RPA published The Potential of Paterson, which advocated for the Falls and the surrounding area to be a national park. After decades of advocacy by many stakeholders, in 2011, it was formally added to the National Park System.
The Paterson Preservation Fair highlighted the history behind that designation, the importance of preserving other historic sites in Paterson, and celebrated the city’s multicultural heritage through tours, talks, and other family-friendly activities. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh kicked off the day with remarks. Other speakers included RPA’s Zoe Baldwin; Gianfranco Archimede, the Director of Historic Preservation of Paterson; Darren Boch, Superintendent, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park; Baye Adofo-Wilson of Post Polack, who helped lead the renovation of Hinchliffe Stadium, one of the last remaining Negro Leagues ballparks and adjacent to the Great Falls; and James Anzaldi on behalf of Congressman Bill Pascrell.
Passaic County coordinated several tours to several key sites within the City of Paterson. These included a downtown architecture tour, an Olmsted Tour featuring Garret Mountain Reservation as well as a Lambert Castle tour, and an African American Heritage tour. The City of Paterson led a walking tour of the newly renovated Hinchliffe Stadium, which also featured a talk by a National Park Service volunteer who was a cheerleader at Hinchliffe as a young girl. The National Park Service rangers also led tours of the Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park. The Paterson Museum installed a temporary exhibit, “From Falls to Park,” with archival images of the neighborhood and opened up the museum for self-guided tours. In addition to information booths, the fair featured a 360 photo booth by the Great Falls and a DJ. All in all, more than 225 people from around the region participated in the day’s activities.
These three events deepened the public’s awareness of the histories of these sites and invited them to enjoy their local parks and open spaces. A refrain we heard time and time again from residents was that this was their first time visiting a particular site or that this was the first time that they had learned about the history of the site. RPA is proud to have the opportunity to uplift the good work of so many stakeholders in New Jersey and to shine a light on some amazing parks in the Garden State as part of its Centennial celebration.
