Chinatown Backyard

Boston Chinatown’s community garden and a unique open space that has been host to numerous events attended by hundreds of residents.

Video by Amanda Huang

CURRENT STATUS

Due to proposed development at the original Hudson Street lot location, Chinatown Backyard is now located in the Tufts Community Common @ 186 Harrison Avenue.
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Our Vision

The long-term goal of Chinatown Backyard is to create a new community commons that promotes equitable access to green space and outdoor recreation in the Chinatown community. Chinatown Backyard also serves as an advocacy opportunity to secure permanent open green space in the neighborhood.

Lack of green space in Chinatown is an environmental justice issue.

Chinatown experiences the worst air quality in Massachusetts, a factor that contributes to high rates of student asthma in the local elementary school.

Tree canopy coverage is only 5% in Chinatown, compared to almost 30% in Boston overall.
Green space per capita in Chinatown is the lowest in the city.
Real estate pressures have chipped away at the neighborhood’s remaining land and park space.

References for Stats

Chinatown has the largest concentration of elders in the city and there is strong interest in addressing food security and improving access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

In May 2019, high school students from ACDC’s A-VOYCE youth program, wanted to transform an abandoned lot in the heart of Boston’s Chinatown into something beautiful, useful, and beneficial for residents and visitors.

They imagined Chinatown Backyard as shared space for gardening, art, and play - a “backyard” for the neighborhood.

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WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE?

Residence Lab (2019)

Installation by Katytarika Bartel, Joyce Chen & Maggie Chen; Residence Lab is a collaboration between ACDC, BCNC’s Pao Arts Center, local residents, and creatives to shape Chinatown through creative placekeeping. More than 150 people attend Resident Lab events, which were co-created by 4 local artists alongside 6 Chinatown residents; photo by Katytarika Bartel.

ResLab (2019)

Installation by Ponnapa Prakkamakul, Henry Ho, & Warren Wong; photo by Black Dog Pictures.

ResLab (2019)

Installation by Lily Xie, Crystal Bi-Wegner, Pihua Lin & Yuyi Li; photo by Black Dog Pictures.

Pumpkin Carving (2019)

An event for Chinatown families to come and spend time together while also promoting the new open community green space to more residents; photo by Gordon Chang.

Place of Assembly (2021)

Place of Assembly is a public art project by Ang Li (Northeastern University) and the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) that invites the community to look back at the materials that built Chinatown; photo by Jeena Chang.

Brick Painting (2021)

A workshop part of “Place of Assembly”, residents and visitors of all ages were invited to drop in to participate in the art-making process by decorating a brick that would later form a piece of temporary installation on 8-12 Hudson Street. The idea is to re-imagine the familiar phenomena of memorial bricks—where names and phrases are engraved into bricks in public space projects—as a more creative and hands-on process; photo by Jeena Hah.

Boston College Asian Caucus Clean Up (2022)

Throughout the years, there have been many volunteer groups who have participated in our clean ups! This photo was taken during Boston College Asian Caucuses clean up in 2022; photo by .

Chinatown Backyard has been a critical project to re-imagine, protect, and create green space in the community. It is a solution to Chinatown’s most pressing challenges: a shortage of green space, high levels of air pollution, and a need for community-gathering spots.