A Community-Shaped Rain Ready Landscape

In the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, chronic flooding disrupts daily life – turning streets, courtyards, and community spaces into persistent hazards long after storms pass. With aging infrastructure and rising groundwater leaving residents vulnerable to days-long pooling, the South Jamaica Water square offered a chance to turn public space into both a neighborhood shield and a place of daily joy. Inspired by the simple pleasure of shooting hoops and gathering with neighbors in the sun, the project transcended conventional DEP design norms, transforming a single-purpose engineering intervention into a community-driven landscape that captures 44,600 cubic feet of stormwater, restores trust, and keeps the neighborhood fun, safe, and dry.

The South Jamaica Water Square is New York City’s first “cloudburst” system and a pilot model for leveraging public capital investment to address multiple, interconnected challenges—flooding, access to quality public space, and long-term infrastructure stewardship—within a public housing community. Led by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and developed through close collaboration with South Jamaica Houses residents and public-agency partners, the project transforms a neighborhood basketball court into a multifunctional landscape that supports climate resilience, daily recreation, and community life.

From the outset, the Water Square was conceived as a living system shaped, used, maintained, and sustained by the community over time. Residents played an active role in defining how the space functions, what activities it supports, and how it integrates into everyday life. This co-produced approach ensures that social stewardship, environmental performance, and public investment are deeply intertwined—recognizing that long-term success depends as much on community ownership as on technical design.

Drawing inspiration from water squares in Copenhagen and Rotterdam, the site operates as an active public space during dry weather, supporting basketball, skating, informal play, seating, and community gatherings. During intense rain events, the sunken court temporarily floods, capturing stormwater from surrounding roofs and streets. Water is conveyed through underground piping to 37,850 cubic feet of storage beneath the court, where it is gradually released back into the ground or directed to planted bioretention areas which can capture about 6,750 cubic feet of water. These landscapes filter stormwater naturally while blending into existing lawns, allowing infrastructure to perform without displacing everyday use.

By aligning stormwater management with recreation, social life, and landscape enhancement, the project multiplies the value of a single capital investment. The resulting space delivers layered social, environmental, and economic benefits across time — reducing flood risk, expanding access to high-quality open space, and fostering community stewardship that supports ongoing performance, maintenance, and longevity.

Credits: Grain Collective, NYCHA, NYCDEP, Hazen & Sawyer, Marc Wouter Studios
Photo Credit: Ignacio Ayestaran

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