Podcast with Dr. James Fairbanks: Reclaiming the High Bridge as a Center of Community, Connection, and Green Space

Populated by desolate industrial facilities and polluting expressways, the Bronx side of the historic High Bridge is starved of green space. First hailed as an engineering marvel after its opening in 1848, this bridge not only provided New York City with a vital water supply but also served as a pedestrian connector between the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx and the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, which has ample open green space for residents. After remaining in disrepair since the 1970s, the High Bridge was finally revitalized in the last decade, largely due to the resilient efforts led by organizers such as Dr. James Fairbanks. A current member of South Bronx Unite and former pastor, adjunct professor at the College of New Rochelle, and chief of staff at the New York City Council, Dr. Fairbanks offers a unique insight into what the High Bridge means to the South Bronx community.

The city’s oldest and fully pedestrian bridge connecting two boroughs. Source: NYC Parks Organization