Street Lab at Mt. Hope Pl

Mt. Hope, Bronx

2023 – Present

When PS 28 Mount Hope Centennial School reached out to Street Lab in December 2023, the school was facing issues with chronic absenteeism and a five-year playground closure for construction, forcing students indoors for recess. In 2024, Street Lab and PS 28 worked together to launch and operate a new Open Street in front of the school doors, making a place for outdoor recess, learning, and performances for the entire community. The school reports that absenteeism was markedly lower on the days the Open Street was active, and a team of student leaders will work with Street Lab in 2025 to build on this momentum. Stay tuned!

A group of students posing together on the street.

Our Community Partner

PS 28 Mount Hope Centennial School is a public school with grades Pre-K through 5th that serves families in the Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx.

Children playing on a blue, river-like foam structure on the street.
An adult and a child playing chess on the street.
Mom with a child and another older child writing things on the paper on a wooden table on the street.
A wooden chalk board that has "Imagine with Decatur" written on it.
A wooden chalk board that has "Imagine with Decatur" written on it.
People planting on the street.
A child and an adult playing with magnatiles on the street.

How Street Lab supported Mt.Hope Pl

  • Planning and permits for new NYC DOT Open Street
  • Consistent activation and programming
  • Community engagement
  • Technical support and capacity building
  • Helping create an Open Streets Admin Team, including students, teachers, and staff
  • Photography, evaluation, documentation
A map showing three NYC boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens) with a dot in the Bronx.

Mt Hope Pl between Monroe Ave and Anthony Ave

A view of adults and children spending time together on the street.
Children playing with straw building structures on the street.
Mom with a child and another older child writing things on the paper on a wooden table on the street.

“I get positive feedback from the parents, I get positive feedback from the kids… the parents get to see what Street Lab is doing exactly, because they’re right down the street and they’re looking out their windows… and they like to see what we’re doing for the kids, even though we face our challenges of not having a schoolyard for them.”

Christopher Lothian
Principal, PS 28

People planting on the street.
People planting on the street.
A view of people spending town on an open street
A view of people spending town on an open street
People dancing on the street.
A view of people sitting on a wooden bench on an open street in nyc.
Adults and kids playing together on the street.

“You guys are elite! It has been nothing but a fruitful, insightful and supportive opportunity to work with Street Lab.”

Elise Banegas
Community School Director, PS 28

People playing games on the street.

Open Streets can temporarily transform streets for the community…

Adults and kids playing together on the street.

Mt.Hope Pl is part of Street Lab’s. New Public Spaces initiative.

A collage of blue and yellow photo cards with photo & text.
Children and adults playing with jump rope on the street.