New York Plans to Improve Access to Hart Island, the Nation's Largest Public Cemetery

Managed for decades by the Department of Corrections, the island could soon become a public park with regular ferry service and expanded visiting hours.

2 minute read

October 27, 2021, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Abandoned buildings on Hart Island

Adam Moss / Hart Island

First used in 1869 as a public cemetery for unclaimed bodies and remains of the indigent, New York's Hart Island, home to the remains of over one million people and the nation's largest public cemetery, has a long-held reputation as the final resting place for the unidentified, the poor, and victims of epidemics like the 1918 flu pandemic and the AIDS crisis. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as ten percent of New York's COVID victims were buried in one of the island's mass graves. Family members wanting to visit relatives' gravesites at the notorious 'potter's field' could choose one of two options, "both of which operate on predetermined schedules: monthly gazebo visits for any member of the public and monthly gravesite visits for family." Brody Ford reports on the effort to redesign the island, honoring the dead while making it a public amenity for the living.

After years of being managed by the state's Department of Corrections, Hart Island was handed over to the city's Parks Department this month. "Making it a more accessible and inviting space will be a challenge given the island’s deteriorating  buildings, ongoing burials and the need to establish a regular ferry service to the island," writes Ford. "More than $50 million has been allocated for the destruction of many of these structures and creation of new burial space," and "[m]any advocates envision full public accessibility with a museum to honor generations of often marginalized and forgotten New Yorkers."

For visitors like Kimberly Overton, the transition is promising. "It was nice to see a park ranger uniform and not a correctional officer," she said, but her visit was still guided by strict rules. The Parks department says they are still "determining what public access looks like post-pandemic," weighing plans to increase public access with the need to maintain the island's role as an active municipal cemetery. "The Parks Department is waiting on a city study of burial capacity before sketching up further plans, and a framework to improve transportation access is due next year."

Friday, October 15, 2021 in Bloomberg CityLab

View form second story inside Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota with escalators and model cars parked on downstairs floor.

The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall

The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.

March 21, 2024 - Governing

View of Austin, Texas skyline with river in foreground during morning golden hour.

The Paradox of American Housing

How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.

March 26, 2024 - The Atlantic

Houston, Texas skyline.

Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities

The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.

March 22, 2024 - Urban Edge

Close-up of hand holding charging cable moving toward charging port on electric car.

Undoing Biden's EV Rule

The partisan divide over how government should reduce greenhouse gas emissions was on full display after the Biden administration finalized its emissions standards rule for light and medium duty vehicles on March 20.

28 minutes ago - Office of U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan

Aerial view of high-rise buildings on waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Moves Zoning Reform Forward

The ‘Squares + Streets’ plan creates form-based zoning templates for neighborhoods that promote mixed use and denser housing near transit.

1 hour ago - The National Law Review

Aerial view of Anchorage, Alaska downtown with mountains in background at golden hour.

Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan

Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.

March 28 - Anchorage Daily News

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.