Hudson River Park's Gansevoort Peninsula

Hudson River Park’s 5.5-acre Gansevoort Peninsula transforms a former sanitation site into Manhattan’s first public beach and features the first salt marsh on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River, creating a resilient shoreline that invites New Yorkers to engage with the river. Shaped by community input, the design honors the site's history while demonstrating how urban waterfronts can evolve to meet 21st-century challenges. The southern edge is home to Manhattan’s first public beach, with a rocky seating ledge, tidal pools, and a new access point for small boaters. The salt marsh on the northern edge has become a precedent for resilience projects throughout New York City and serves as an educational touchpoint about the environmental benefits of intertidal ecosystems. Women led every phase of this project, from shaping early planning strategies to infusing the design with thoughtful details. The client, Hudson River Park Trust, was led by Madelyn Wils and Noreen Doyle, who spearheaded the project, advancing the Trust’s mission to design, build, operate, and maintain a community-driven, environmentally resilient public park and estuarine sanctuary. Field Operations served as the prime consultant and landscape architect, leading the design and community engagement. Three women formed the core team: Partner Lisa Switkin as Community Engagement Lead; Associate Partner-in-Charge Karen Tamir; and Project Manager Sanjukta Sen. Their collaborative leadership shaped the park's thoughtful balance of active and passive spaces for relaxation and recreation, while drawing people to its varied edges. nARCHITECTS Co-Founding Partner Mimi Hoang led the design of a striking pavilion along the park’s eastern edge, creating a gateway between city and waterfront that provides essential amenities and maintenance functions. This female-led team created the largest single green space in Hudson River Park—a human-scaled environment where ecology, public life, and waterfront access converge.