Since 2012, South Bronx Unite (SBU) has been mobilizing residents, organizations, institutions, and allies to enhance the social, environmental, and economic future of Port Morris and Mott Haven. Dubbed “Asthma Alley,” the South Bronx has endured decades of discriminatory policies and disinvestment that concentrated polluting facilities like waste transfer stations, power plants, and major highways along its waterfront while denying residents – primarily Black, brown, and immigrant families – access to green spaces and basic resources like community centers. This toxic environment has created a generational health crisis with disproportionate rates of asthma, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment, and infant mortality, trapping residents in an inextricable cycle of poor health and poverty.Developing community-driven solutions, prioritizing waterfront access and green spaces, and advocating for a community land trust, SBU envisions a thriving South Bronx.
Rally with Extinction Rebellion in April 2022
Founded and led by South Bronx residents, SBU’s 5-person board and 5-person staff are almost entirely people of color who reflect the neighborhood’s diversity – united in their commitment to environmental, economic, and social justice for their community. One step toward that vision is their flagship Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront plan to transform a 4.5-mile stretch into multi-use open space, increasing waterfront access, creating parks, improving air quality, and building climate resilience against flooding. In addition to the Waterfront Plan, its work includes, but is not limited to: installing 60 air quality monitors; acquiring a derelict city building and turning it into a community center; informing national pollution emissions standards; advancing open green space equity and stewarding local green spaces; strengthening NYC’s community land trust movement; and initiatives to expedite the transition of medium and heavy duty vehicles to electric.
