Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Gets a Smart Climate Makeover

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Gets a Smart Climate Makeover

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, the heart of Queens and one of New York City’s most treasured family parks, is about to get a major eco-friendly upgrade. The Waterfront Alliance has released the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Resilience Study—a forward-thinking plan to protect the park from flooding and prepare it for the realities of a changing climate.

From Ash Dump to Family Playground

It’s hard to imagine that the lush green park families know today was once a swampy dumping ground known as the “Valley of Ashes,” famously mentioned in The Great Gatsby. It was filled with ashes from New York City’s stove fires and industrial waste. In the 1930s, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses transformed the soot into opportunity, reshaping the land to host the 1939–1940 World’s Fair. Following decades later was the World’s Fair in the 1960s, and the Unisphere, the Queens Museum, and Meadow Lake—landmarks that continue to anchor the borough’s identity to this day.

For generations of Queens families, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park has been a backyard oasis—a place to rent boats, ride bikes, cheer on a soccer game, or simply picnic under the trees. Its blend of culture, recreation, and open space makes it one of the most-visited parks in the city.

The Flooding Problem

Because the park sits in a former marsh and collects runoff from nearby neighborhoods and highways, it often floods after heavy rain. Puddles linger on soccer fields, walking paths, and open lawns for days, cutting into family recreation. Rising sea levels and more frequent storms are making the problem worse.

“Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is a beloved public space that faces mounting pressure from rising seas, stronger storms, and aging infrastructure,” said Joseph Sutkowi, Chief Design Officer for the Waterfront Alliance in a press release. “Our vision embraces water as a defining feature of the park’s future—working with nature, not against it, to ensure this landscape thrives.”

Nature-Based Fixes for a Greener Future

To tackle the issue, the Waterfront Alliance, in partnership with NYC Parks and collaborating with SCAPE and AKRF, outlined two key strategies in its new resilience study.:

1. Daylighting Flushing Creek – restoring the buried waterway that flowed through the park so it can once again absorb stormwater and support wetlands.
2. Reshaping Meadow Lake – expanding its capacity to hold water, raising nearby pathways, and adding wetland edges that improve drainage and create new habitats for birds and aquatic life.

These nature-based strategies won’t just solve flooding; they’ll make the park more beautiful, sustainable, and fun to explore for families.

Community Voices and Local Leaders

The plan was shaped by Queens residents themselves. Over two summers, the Waterfront Alliance gathered community feedback in six languages, asking park-goers how flooding affects their visits and what amenities they’d like to see improved.

Local leaders are rallying behind the effort. United States Representative Grace Meng of Queens secured more than half a million dollars in early funding, saying that this launch is a “crucial project to better protect Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which is one of the greatest pieces of open space across the entire city.” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. praised the plan, noting that, “we must leave no stone unturned to protect our borough from its impacts by ensuring our open spaces…remain resilient and can be used for generations to come.” NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa agreed: “It is all the more important to explore innovative resiliency solutions to protect and enhance this treasured greenspace.”

Why It Matters for Families

Beyond its ecological goals, the project is about preserving everyday joys like family picnics, weekend soccer games, and peaceful walks around the lake. A more resilient park means families won’t have to cancel plans after every storm and can spend plenty of safe, carefree time in the park.

Although the study is still in the conceptual stage, it lays the groundwork for future design and funding discussions among city agencies and community partners. If realized, this vision would turn Flushing Meadows–Corona Park into a national model for climate resilience and ensure that Queens families can keep making memories there for decades to come.

To learn more or read the full report, visit waterfrontalliance.org.

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