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Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk is bringing his talents to New York, helping the city build four new skateparks under the guidance of his program The Skatepark Project (TSP), which sets up similar spaces in underserved neighborhoods all throughout the country.
City officials announced the project last week, specifically revealing that TSP will be renovating two existing parks and building two new ones in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Each space will feature ramps for skateboarding, roller skating, scooters, BMX and wheelchair motocross; recreational areas and green spaces ideal for community gathering.
"For most of my life, skateboarding has been my home and community," said Hawk in an official statement. "Skateboarding brings people together, creating long-lasting friendships, builds determination and confidence, and all while promoting a healthy lifestyle."
The public-private project will cost $24 million and include the renovations of Brower Skatepark in Crown Heights and Bronx Skatepark.
The Architect's Newspaper reports that, in the Bronx, "Soundview Skatepark is slated to replace an antiquated asphalt roller rink with a 15,000 square foot custom poured-in-place skatepark."
Native New Yorker Tyshawn Jones will help design the destination.
The pretty massive 40,000-square-foot Brooklyn Skate Garden in Mount Prospect Park will, on the other hand, be the new park built in that borough.
“It will be fitted with security lighting, spectator seating, community gardens, and space for programming to be integrated into the skatepark and park setting,” reads The Architect's Newspaper.
At the moment, city officials hope to present all completed projects before 2027.
This isn't Hawk's first venture of its kind in New York: Just about a year ago, TSP announced the restoration of Brooklyn Banks skate park, the iconic local skateboarding destination that closed under the Manhattan end of the Brooklyn Bridge in 2010 to be used for the construction of the bridge.
Interestingly enough, the initiative seems to point to New York City's desire to expand its offerings and start competing with other towns within industries that have yet to fully find footing in Manhattan and the surrounding neighborhoods.
The arrival of a pretty hefty number of production studios in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens has been considered by many New York’s “declaration of battle” towards Los Angeles, a way to turn our town into a mini-Hollywood.
Similarly, until now at least, the West Coast and Europe have been considered the capitals of skateboarding. Hawk's upcoming endeavors on this site of the Atlantic may change that.
Is a new type of New York on the horizon?