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· collected 2026-08-20 · by TOI World Desk
In the middle of Manhattan, Broadway's green medians are being transformed into a connected habitat for birds, bees and other urban wildlife.
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medians → transform → birds
The Broadway Mall Association (BMA), a nonprofit organisation, is replanting the city's Broadway malls with native plants as part of a long-term project called The Great Green Way.
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Association → replant → project
According to a report by Eco Portal, the project aims to turn five miles of Broadway's green spaces into one continuous corridor.
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project → accord → corridor
Instead of each median being a separate garden, the restored spaces will work together and provide habitat across the length of Broadway.
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spaces → restore → Broadway
The work is taking place in a challenging setting.
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work → take → setting
The Broadway malls are made up of gardens in medians that are about 20 feet wide and surrounded by six lanes of traffic.
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that → make → traffic
The conditions make planting and maintaining these spaces difficult, but careful selection of plants can help them support more wildlife.
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them → make → wildlife
The plants are selected according to factors such as sunlight, soil, wind and how each space is used.
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space → select → sunlight
The aim is to create gardens that can support wildlife while also needing less water and maintenance over time.
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that → create → time
Native Northeast species are being chosen for the conditions of each individual mall.
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species → choose → mall
How plantation is being done
The restoration work began in 2024 with pilot projects at 83rd–84th Streets and 164th–165th Streets.
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work → do → Streets
The two locations had different conditions, including differences in topography, vegetation, soil and sunlight.
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locations → have → topography
Because of this, they were used as living laboratories to understand how restoration could work in different parts of Broadway.
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restoration → use → Broadway
As of 2026, 12 malls have been restored, including sites at 73rd, 74th, 75th, 83rd, 93rd, 94th, 98th, 119th, 120th and 164th Streets.
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malls → restore → Streets
A dedicated pollinator garden has also been created at 150th Street.
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garden → create → Street
Several more restorations are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
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restorations → expect → 2026
BMA wants to restore all 83 malls and connect them into the Great Green Way.
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BMA → want → Way
Over time, the individual gardens are expected to provide connected habitat for wildlife while also bringing more greenery into neighbourhoods along Broadway.
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gardens → expect → Broadway
The restoration is not simply about making the medians look greener.
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medians → make → ?
Native plants have been selected because they can provide several ecological benefits in the city.
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they → select → city
According to BMA, the new plantings provide food and habitat for birds and pollinators.
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plantings → accord → birds
They can also improve soil health and need less water and maintenance as they become established.
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they → improve → water
The plants include native trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials.
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plants → include → trees
Their deep root systems can absorb stormwater and store carbon, adding another ecological function to the small gardens.
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systems → absorb → gardens
Each mall is trated as its own ecosystem.
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mall → trate → ecosystem
That means the same planting approach is not applied everywhere, but plants are matched to the conditions of individual blocks.
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plants → mean → blocks
Some receive different amounts of sunlight, while soil, wind, vegetation and topography can vary from one location to another.
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soil → receive → another
It was planted in spring 2024 with help from community volunteers.
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It → plant → volunteers
The garden uses native species selected to provide nectar, shelter and seasonal food for butterflies, bees and other pollinators.
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garden → use → butterflies
Its location also gives the garden a wider role in the planned green corridor.
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location → give → corridor
The Broadway malls sit between Riverside Park to the west and Central Park to the east.
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malls → sit → east
The pollinator garden helps strengthen this link for pollinators whose populations are under pressure.
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populations → help → pressure
According to BMA, the Broadway malls provide food sources including insects, seeds, fruit and nectar.
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malls → accord → insects
Birds such as robins, cardinals, warblers, woodpeckers and hawks can be found along the corridor.
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Birds → find → corridor
Some use the malls as a stopover, while others use them as habitat within the city.
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others → use → city
To understand how the restored spaces affect wildlife, BMA is working with NYC Bird Alliance to study bird and insect activity on the malls.
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BMA → understand → malls
The research is intended to help measure how the restored areas support wildlife.
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areas → intend → wildlife
It will also help inform how the Great Green Way can develop as a bird-friendly urban corridor.
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Way → help → corridor
The restoration will expand
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restoration → expand → ?
The restoration is still underway, and the association says the work will expand substantially.
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work → say → ?
…and 11 more, not listed.
