Transforming Jamaica's Public Spaces

The Jamaica, Queens, AirTrain Station

November 2008

Once a bustling hub of retail, business, and civic life, downtown Jamaica went through a decline in the latter part of the 20th century as residents and businesses moved to the suburbs. The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation took the reins on revitalizing the area and is harnessing the arts to promote the neighborhood as an attractive and safe place to work, live, and visit. With a 2008 $50,000 grant from The Trust, the organization produced and marketed a series of 130 programs per year, featuring local musicians, dancers, and artists as well as nationally and internationally renowned performers. These events took place in three of downtown Jamaica's currently underutilized public spaces—the AirTrain Station, the lawn of the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, and King Park.