5 Youth Housing Prototypes for NYC

NHDM’s approach to youth housing is designed to integrate vulnerable young people into the community by placing them among diverse groups in different intergenerational living configurations. Ranging in size from approximately 20,000 to 560,000 square feet, the prototype residences can include seniors, hostel guests, children in daycare, artists and artisans, farmers, and educators. They also feature facilities open to the neighborhood, such as fabrication and design spaces, community meeting rooms, libraries, entertainment centers, wellness and recreational setups, teaching kitchens, and an agricultural center with a food market for selling the crops. One residence, HQY, a former NYC Department of Education warehouse located on the waterfront in Long Island City, offers environmental and educational initiatives. Spread among four boroughs, other converted facilities include another warehouse in Greenpoint, a hotel in Times Square, a former NYPD parking lot in East Harlem, and city-owned townhouses and micro-plots. Together, these projects benefit the community at large, not just its youth.