GrowNYC's Open Space Greening (OSG) program empowers neighborhoods to build, manage, and sustain community gardens and other open spaces.

Founded by Liz Christy in 1975, OSG has created or rejuvenated over 60 community gardens across New York City, and continues to work with schools, public housing associations, and community groups to transform vacant land into vibrant civic spaces that challenge communities to interact with each other: neighbors that have never spoken plant side by side; people working in the area drop by to eat lunch; passersby poke their heads in and say hello to gardeners; events and performances evoke the garden's social and cultural histories.

OSG has also taken the lead in bringing rainwater harvesting to community gardens.  We've built or trained people to build rainwater harvesting systems in 53 gardens in all 5 boroughs.  Rainwater harvesting is much more convenient for gardeners and reduces demand on the public water supply system.  It also helps mitigate rainstorm runoff, which can overload storm drains and pollute the waters surrounding the city.